Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
One player for Notre Dame is on the list.
College basketball is entering the final full week of January. Not to worry about the games ending anytime soon though. We still have a long way to go this season, and there are many things to decide. There’s no sense in missing any of it.
Here are the leaders in the ACC right now:
The Irish really will need to step up their game soon.
Notre Dame is preparing for some heavy duty this coming week. A rematch with Syracuse, which it already lost to, and a road game at UConn means good efforts will be absolutely necessary. First though, visiting Wake Forest, the worst team in the ACC was on the schedule. While the Irish won, 75-56, they didn’t always play like the better team.
The Irish (14-3, 5-2) never trailed in the game, and the final score indicated their biggest lead. However, it also never felt like the Demon Deacons (4-15, 0-7) ever really went away despite trailing by double digits the entire second half. With the difference between these teams, the Irish should have been able to leave the Deacons in the dust. That barely felt like the case.
Maybe this sounds like an overly critical analysis, but that’s only because the Irish are held to such a high standard being ranked in a tough conference. Scoring fewer than 20 points in the third and fourth quarters as they did hear won’t cut it against the Orange and Huskies. [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] needs to emphasize that to her players, or they could be in for a rude awakening over these next couple of games.
[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had another nice game of 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] continued to make up for lost time from earlier the season with 18 points and joining Hidalgo with four rebounds and four assists. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored 10 points and was a rebound short of a double-double. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] also scored 10 coming off the bench.
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The Irish have enough to finish off the Cavs.
With Notre Dame being one of the better ACC teams, those that aren’t so great are gunning for them. While that doesn’t necessarily mean an opponent win, it’s a sign the Irish can’t think any game they play is in the bag at any time. They were reminded of that in an 86-76 win over host Virginia.
The Irish (13-3, 4-2) led by as much as 20 in the third quarter and entered the fourth in front by 17. But the Cavaliers (8-9, 0-6), looking for their first conference win, refused to quit and slowly chipped away until they cut the deficit to six late in the quarter. It didn’t help that the Irish didn’t make a field goal for over five minutes.
The last couple of minutes showed which team is better and thus more deserving of the win. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] made a layup to put the Irish up eight with 1:12 to go. From there, the Irish made six free throws, and they had their third straight win.
[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] led all scorers with 28 points, and that included making all 12 of her free throws. One of those free throws made her the 43rd player in Irish history to score 1,000 career points. She briefly checked out late in the game after being shaken up on a physical play but returned before the contest ended.
Hidalgo scored 23 points, picked up six steals and finished one assist shy of a double-double. This was a historic game for her, too. Now with 91 steals, she broke [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag]’ Irish record for steal by a freshman. This also was her ninth game with at least six steals and 14th game with at least 20 points, both of them program freshman records.
[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] still wore a mask from the injury she suffered earlier in the month but continued to prove that she only needed to miss one game. She scored 14 points, came a rebound short of a double-double and blocked two shots.
The Irish also were resourceful once again, scoring 26 points off 23 Cavaliers turnovers.
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Great times are ahead for hoops fans who support the Gold and Blue.
Notre Dame is a very mixed bag when it comes to basketball. The women are nationally ranked, and the men are rebuilding. One thing they have in common though is a plethora of young talent. Now, both programs have been recognized by the ACC at the same time as they both had players named the ACC Rookie of the Week.
The less surprising selection was [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who extended her program conference rookie of the week record to eight. In two Irish wins, she averaged 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 steals. She figures to win this award a few more times before the season ends.
For the men, [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] earned his first such honor. While his team split two games, he averaged 16.5 points a game and shot of 14 from 3-point range. He is the second player on his team to win the award this season after [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag].
The future of Notre Dame basketball indeed is looking bright.
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Hannah Hidalgo is her.
[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] is getting to the point where she’s breaking Notre Dame records. It’s only a matter of time before she starts threatening national records, too. She’s been that good, and she has no concerns about slowing down anytime soon. So let’s see how she ranks among the national scoring leaders and add in the steals averages that Hidalgo continues to impress with:
One Notre Dame player continues to tear up the conference.
The college basketball regular season might be half over but not the ACC season. No, we’re still getting warmed up, and the conference action continues to heat up with each passing game. The next couple of months promise to live up to the conference’s billing as one of the best in the country. You won’t want to miss it.
Here are the players to watch as of this moment:
Hear from the victors.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It was all smiles for Notre Dame after it defeated Miami, 70-59. Niele Ivey had nothing but praise for both her team at the folks who came out to Purcell Pavilion over the course of the Irish’s three-game homestand, especially those who braved freezing temperatures and bitter wind chills to come to this game.
Praise especially was reserved for [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who had another amazing game of 25 points and seven steals and even rewrote the program’s record books with this performance, and [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag], who made a difference with 10 points in the first half.
The Irish now will hit the road for four of their next five games, which includes a break from ACC play, though it’s a game at UConn that promises to be no less challenging. That’s why it was important for them to play well in these past three games, of which they won two.
Here’s what they had to say after this latest victory:
The Irish warm up a chilly day in South Bend.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It probably shouldn’t have taken this long for Notre Dame to earn back-to-back ACC wins. Then again, this is a conference that is stacked with winning teams, and a couple of them took advantage of the Irish’s depth being cut into by injuries.
While not all the way back on the health front, the Irish have had more bodies available lately, and that translates into easier games. Such was the case when they soundly defeated Miami, 70-59, on a freezing cold day in South Bend. It was their first time this season in which they beat consecutive conference opponents.
Throughout the game, the Irish (12-3, 3-2) went through some dry spells that allowed the Hurricanes (11-5, 1-4) to stay within an arm’s length of making it a contest again. However, the Hurricanes couldn’t overcome a second quarter in which the Irish went on a 10-0 run and ultimately had a 25-11 scoring advantage. So while it wasn’t the toughest win for the Irish this season, it wasn’t the easiest either.
[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] reached seven steals for the fifth time this season while also scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing seven rebounds. She also drew fouls, led fast breaks and knocked shots away out of bounds. In short, her dream freshman season added another chapter.
[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] continued to show she’s recovered from her earlier knee injury enough to make a difference. Still wearing a knee brace, she scored 15 points, including a game-high three 3-pointers.
Off the bench, [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] contributed 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
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Important info regarding Sunday’s game.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – I picked one heck of a wintry weekend to come to South Bend and cover the two Notre Dame basketball games. Without going into details, I’ve been exposed to the snowy and windy elements that have hit the areas and am thawing in my hotel room as I’m writing this. Outside, the snow and wind continue to blow without mercy.
In light of this and the wind chill advisory about to go into effect for St. Joseph County, Notre Dame has announced changes for those who planned or are planning to go to Purcell Pavilion for the women’s basketball game against Miami. These are necessary with wind chills that could fall to 25 degrees below zero.
Anyone who previously bought tickets and is unwilling or unable to attend the game can exchange those tickets for tickets to any remaining regular-season home game. However, no refunds will be given.
Additionally currently without a ticket who wishes to attend will be admitted free of charge. If you have not seen the Irish yet this season and haven’t bought a ticket yet but wish to see them, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. You’ll have to brave some nasty elements to get there though.
Whether you’re attending the game or not, if you’re in one of the many areas around the country currently affected by winter weather, stay safe. We don’t want anything to happen to our readers, and it won’t if you’re smart enough about your safety.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
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That’s more like it.
Notre Dame had a shaky first three games to begin ACC play, losing two of them. It needed a good performance against Boston College in the worst way to get back on track. Only time will tell with that’s the case, but for one night at least, the Irish what they’re capable of in a 98-48 smothering of the Eagles.
Every player who entered for the Irish (11-3, 2-2) got in the scoring column, and five of them reached double figures. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] amazed again with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], back after missing one game with an injury, had an even double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds to go with two blocks.
Dontavia Waggoner was the only player for the Eagles (9-8, 1-3) to get to double figures with 12 points. She and her teammates trailed the Irish by only three after the first quarter before the bottom completely fell out.
Here are a few images to remember the Irish’s latest domination:
