Refs made Hannah Hidalgo remove her nose stud mid-game vs. Oregon State despite wearing it during the season

That nose stud was just minding its business, but the refs weren’t having it.

We never thought we would be typing this sentence, but freshman sensation Hannah Hidalgo had to stop mid-game to have her nose stud removed during the women’s NCAA tournament.

During the season, Hannah Hidalgo has been picking pockets and dropping buckets with a small stud in her left nostril. It’s barely noticeable to the naked eye and hasn’t slowed her down or caused any issues. She even played with it in previous games during March Madness while concealing it with a Band-Aid.

However, officials in Friday’s Oregon State-Notre Dame Sweet 16 matchup alerted the Fighting Irish that they had to remove it per the NCAA women’s basketball rules handbook. The rule surrounding player equipment states that head decorations, headwear, helmets and jewelry are illegal. Hidalgo missed four minutes and ten seconds of the second quarter before rejoining the team.

RELATED: Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo slammed refs for making her remove her nose piercing mid-Oregon State loss

Here’s how social media reacted (Warning: NSFW language):

UPDATE: Per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey was informed by officials that jewelry would be a point of emphasis during the Sweet 16.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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