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Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo delivered an impressive all-around performance, but it wasn’t enough as the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell 76-68 to the No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs in the Cayman Islands Classic on Friday.
Hidalgo led all players in points and minutes, finishing with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. She shot 9-of-22 from the field, 1-of-4 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Despite her strong showing, she committed two turnovers and four fouls.
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The reigning AP National Player of the Week recorded her fifth consecutive 20-plus point game and was the only player on either team to play the entire 40 minutes. Coming into the matchup, she was averaging 24.8 points per game, ranking fourth in the nation.
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Hidalgo was called for an early technical foul, but her offensive dominance showed in the second half, where she scored 19 of her team-high 27 points. Through six games, Hidalgo is averaging 25.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.8 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field, 39.3% from 3 and 78.3% from the free throw line in 36.3 minutes per game.
The Fighting Irish standout was not able to get the win this time after a strong showing against No. 3 Southern California on Saturday, posting 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals in Notre Dame’s dominant 74-61 victory. Hidalgo has also earned ACC Player of the Week honors twice this season.
Notre Dame learns tough lesson in first loss of the season
Friday’s loss highlighted the competitiveness of the 2024-25 season, even in its early stages. Notre Dame, ranked in the top 10 at the start of the season, raised expectations after defeating then-No. 3 USC Trojans in Los Angeles on Nov. 23.
The Irish led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter against TCU, but a disastrous fourth quarter saw them outscored 31-12. Notre Dame shot just 5-of-20 in the final frame, struggling to find an offensive rhythm.
Agnes Emma-Nnopu’s 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining gave TCU its first lead since the opening minute, 64-63. The Horned Frogs capitalized on an Irish scoring drought that stretched from Olivia Miles’ shot at 4:05 to Hidalgo’s bucket with just 44 seconds left.
Notre Dame will look to bounce back in their Cayman Islands Classic finale against Utah on Saturday.
