Notre Dame Women's Basketball defeat Duke 64-49

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame Football Head Coach Marcus Freeman was at Purcell Pavilion Tonight, catching the Notre Dame Women's Basketball team tip off, as Fighting Irish come in ranked at number one in the Country... the first time since 2019.

The team tipped off against 11th ranked Duke tonight, getting things off to a slow start but in the lead at 29-27 at the half.

Irish forward Maddy Wesbeld went out with a bloody nose after getting hit, though she'll come back to knock down some big shots, and the Irish came alive in the third quarter, elevating their defense.

Irish Point Guard Hannah Hidalgo finally connecting from the outside, with a little help from Olivia Miles, pushing the Irish further in the lead by as many as 18 points.

"I'm so proud of this group of managing and navigating the pressure that we have, and we celebrate it. I celebrate them because they are so special, and they just are playing just great basketball. I love the way that we're sharing the ball. I love the way that they're we're playing together, and I know we're going to continue growing and, you know, getting better. But I'm just super, super grateful for this group and where we are, you know, you gotta, you gotta kind of embrace where we are," stated Head Coach Niele Ivey. 

The Fighting Irish Women's Basketball team dominated Duke 64-49, led by Hannah Hidalgo with 19 points and two other players in double figures.

Notre Dame heads back on the road to face Miami this week on Thursday, and then NC State on Sunday.