SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Hannah Hidalgo had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and No. 8 Notre Dame handed second-ranked UConn its first loss with a 79-68 victory Thursday.
Olivia Miles toughed out an early ankle injury to score 16 points and Liatu King also had 16 for the Fighting Irish (8-2).
Paige Bueckers led the Huskies (8-1) with 25 points. Sarah Strong scored 14.
The Fighting Irish forced the Huskies into 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point range, while the home team was 10 for 18 behind the arc.
Takeaways
Notre Dame: Liza Karlen, a 6-foot-2 forward, suited up for the Fighting Irish for the first time since suffering a left ankle sprain in an exhibition game against Davenport. Karlen, who averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds last season for Marquette, missed this season’s first nine games, but now gives the Fighting Irish much-needed bench strength.
UConn: The Huskies played their first true road game without Azzi Fudd, a guard who averages 10 points. The senior sprained her knee in the Huskies’ 85-52 victory over Louisville on Saturday.
Key moment
The Huskies cut an 11-point Fighting Irish halftime lead to 53-52 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, but Hidalgo made a 3 at the buzzer. The Irish reeled off the first six points of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 62-52. The Huskies got no closer than six after that.
Key stat
The Huskies were 0 for 7 behind the arc in the first half.
Up next
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish host Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
UConn: The Huskies host Georgetown on Sunday in a Big East contest.
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