Hidalgo scores 29 as No. 8 Notre Dame holds off No. 2 UConn 79-68

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — 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 night.

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.

Notre Dame forced UConn into 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point range, while the Fighting Irish were 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 Notre Dame’s exhibition game against Davenport. Karlen, who averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds last season for Marquette, missed Notre Dame’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

UConn cut an 11-point Notre Dame halftime lead to 53-52 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, but Hidalgo made a 3 at the buzzer. Notre Dame 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

UConn was 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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Curt Rallo, The Associated Press