Hidalgo’s 30 points not enough as Clemson tops Notre Dame women 65-58

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame women’s basketball took a home loss to Clemson on Sunday, falling 65-58 at Purcell Pavilion for its fourth conference loss of the season.

Hidalgo led the Irish with 30 points, eight steals, six assists and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Iyana Moore added 16 points.

The game opened as a defensive battle with Notre Dame leading 12-9 after the first quarter, and the score stayed close early in the second.

Clemson hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the quarter, but the Irish responded with a 16-4 run to take control.

Notre Dame led 28-19 late in the half before Clemson closed the gap. Hidalgo scored at the rim at the buzzer to give the Irish a 30-25 lead at halftime.

Clemson took over in the third quarter, outscoring Notre Dame 25-9 to build an 11-point advantage. The Irish then made a late push and used an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to five, but the Tigers held on down the stretch to take the win.

“I thought we were prepared — but playing 40 minutes of Irish basketball, we’re just not doing that right now,” head coach Niele Ivey said.

“We got to get back to work, but again — just disappointing and apologies to the fans for that performance.”

Notre Dame will head back on the road next, traveling to the West Coast to face Cal on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 10 p.m. ET.