Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530074
40 DECEMBER 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Watkins went 0 of 5 from three-point range against Notre Dame, marking just the fourth time in 27 instances in which Watkins failed to make at least one triple while attempting five or more of them. "We were trying to make everything hard for her," Citron said. "That's what I came in thinking about. She's going to get her points; she's a great player. We just wanted to make her work for it." "She can guard anybody in the na- tion," Hidalgo said of Citron. Hidalgo and backcourt teammate Olivia Miles — who flirted with a tri- ple-double with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists to go along with Hidalgo's 24 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals — garner most of Notre Dame's headlines. Citron, though, would be the best guard on 90-plus percent of teams across the country, and that might be lowballing the estimate. She's certainly appreciated by her Irish teammates because, as Koval said, defense is priority No. 1 for this Notre Dame team. Citron embodies that, passes the mentality down to younger Irish players, and everyone reaps the rewards. "Defensively, I feel like we are a phe- nomenal team," Hidalgo said. "I feel like nobody really understands how good we can be defensively. A lot of people focus on our offense, but we definitely can handle our defensive side too." ✦ IRISH DROP BOTH GAMES IN CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hi- dalgo stood in front of a small collection of reporters in South Bend Nov. 26 and told them no team in women's basketball is invincible. Anybody can be beaten, Hidalgo said, includ- ing her own Fighting Irish. That came to fruition over Thanksgiving week in the Cayman Islands Classic. Notre Dame lost both of its games in the holiday hoops event, first falling to No. 17 TCU 76-68 Nov. 29 and then to Utah 78-67 Nov. 30. The back-to-back losses dropped Notre Dame's record to 5-2 ahead of a date with undefeated No. 5 Texas (6-0) Dec. 5. The Irish blew leads in both games. They held an 11-point advantage over the Horned Frogs going into the fourth quarter only to be outscored 31-12 in the final frame. Head coach Niele Ivey's team couldn't hang onto a nine-point first-half advantage against the Utes, meanwhile. Both games also exposed the Irish's lack of depth due to injuries in the front court. Fresh- man center Kate Koval was a combined 0 of 12 shooting with 0 points across both games. She also had 9 combined turnovers. The Irish's guards were good as usual, with sophomore Hannah Hidalgo scoring 27 against TCU and senior Sonia Citron having a season- high 22 versus Utah, but with a seven-player rotation they weren't able to do enough to get the Irish over 70 points in either contest — and, more importantly, over the hump in either game as well. — Tyler Horka Hannah Hidalgo Wins Another ACC Player of the Week Award For the third time in as many weeks to begin the 2024-25 season, the ACC Player of the Week hailed from Notre Dame. And for the second consecutive week, it was Fighting Irish sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, now the owner of five ACC Player of the Week honors as of Dec. 1. Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 24 points in the only game the Irish played in the week for which the award was issued — and it was a mighty big one at that. The Irish went to Los Angeles and came away with a wire-to-wire 74-61 victory over No. 3 Southern Cal. Hidalgo added 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals on 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line in the win. You can't calculate or quantify emotional impact on a game, but if you could, Hidalgo would be among the nation's best at that, too. She went into a city of stars and shined the brightest that Saturday afternoon. If you were there or watching on TV, you couldn't take your eyes off the 5-foot-6 bundle of enthusiasm that is No. 3 in blue and gold. "I bring that energy, and I know my team feeds off of that," Hidalgo said. "They feed off of when I'm diving on the floor, when I'm getting stops, when I'm running in transition. I know my team needs that. And then everyone else raises their level of intensity." In the first five games of her second collegiate season, Hidalgo averaged 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 3.6 assists per game on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 77.8 percent accuracy from the free throw line, both of which are better percentages than she posted as an All-American in her freshman season. "The biggest improvement is her composure," head coach Niele Ivey said. "She has the experience. Everyone is seeing a more composed Hannah. Athletically, her shot looks a lot better. Her left-handed finishes are what she's really focused on, and it's a lot better. You're seeing a more poised point guard. — Tyler Horka In the first five games of her second collegiate season, Hidalgo averaged 24.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 3.6 assists per game. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS