Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, top, and teammates celebrate the teams win against Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) shoots after getting past Vanderbilt guard Aubrey Galvan, left, in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) takes a shot as Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo (3) and Iyana Moore (23) defend in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper (8) shoots between Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes (1) and Justine Pissott (13) in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, top, and teammates celebrate the teams win against Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) shoots after getting past Vanderbilt guard Aubrey Galvan, left, in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) takes a shot as Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo (3) and Iyana Moore (23) defend in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper (8) shoots between Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes (1) and Justine Pissott (13) in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo had 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and the assist on the go-ahead bucket in the final minute, leading Notre Dame to a 67-64 victory over higher-seeded Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
The junior sparkplug made a leaping grab between two defenders and fed a bounce pass to Cassandre Prosper for the go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds to go.
The sixth-seeded Fighting Irish (25-10) advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019 in a matchup of two of the top three scorers in Division I, Hidalgo and Mikayla Blakes.
Blakes, the national scoring leader, rallied from a rough shooting start to finish with 26 points for Vanderbilt, but lost the ball out of bounds on the dribble down two, then missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
The No. 2 seed Commodores (29-5) were in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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