Tag: Liatu King

Notre Dame plays without Hannah Hidalgo again but beats Georgia Tech

The victories continue to pile up in all circumstances.

With [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] still out with a sprained ankle, Notre Dame needed to rely on other players to defeat Georgia Tech. An Irish win would have showcased just how deep the team is. If that was indeed the goal, the Irish accomplished it with an 81-66 victory.

Despite never trailing, the Irish (15-2, 6-0) saw the Yellow Jackets (15-3, 3-3) tie the game early in the second half, completely erasing what had been a 13-point lead. The Jackets were intent on proving they could give the Irish a challenge, especially with Hidalgo out, and even if they didn’t win, this game looked like it wouldn’t be decided until late.

Finally, the Irish found the wind they needed to bring the win home. Nursing a four-point lead late in the third quarter, they went on a 19-4 run that lasted into the fourth. Although the Jackets never showed any quit even after that stretch, the Irish continued to answer them until the clock ran out on this convincing victory:

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] led all players with 21 points and six assists. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], starting in place of Hidalgo in only her fourth game of the season, made up for lost time with 20 points. [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] came off the bench and just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.

This wasn’t one of [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag]’ better games, at least not at the start. However, she came alive in the second half with 11 of the 13 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] grabbed a game-high 12 boards.

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Notre Dame has to grind out tough win vs. Clemson without Hidalgo

This one wasn’t always easy.

Notre Dame never trailed Clemson after the first four minutes of the game. But the Irish were missing their best player in [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. That was the result of her rolling her ankle in their previous game, so she was ruled out for this one.

The result was a game that almost never truly felt safe. At least the Irish won, 67-58.

The Irish (14-2, 5-0) didn’t reach their biggest of 12 until there was just over a minute left in the contest. That was the result of Hidalgo’s absence disrupting the flow on both ends, and the Tigers (10-7, 3-3) were only too happy to stick around to the point where they nearly tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The good news was the Irish had the clear edge in talent, and the remaining healthy players proved to be enough to carry them across the finish line.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] showed why the Irish valued her this past offseason, leading all players with 23 points and 11 rebounds:

Without Hidalgo to help her in the backcourt, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] came close to her own double-double thanks to 17 points and nine assists.

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Notre Dame beats North Carolina for fourth win over ranked opponent

The Irish simply have more talent than the Tar Heels.

Typically, ACC play signifies tougher competition for Notre Dame. But the Irish have played so many quality teams already that they might be on the easy part of their schedule now.

That said, the Irish had to fight hard against North Carolina to earn their fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season, 76-66. Then again, that should be expected in such a game.

The Irish (12-2, 3-0) never trailed after the Tar Heels (13-3, 1-2) scored the first four points of the game, but even their biggest lead of 14 never truly felt safe. Perhaps energized by playing on their home court, the Heels went on a few second-half runs that prompted [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] to call timeouts.

This game ultimately came down to talent, and the Irish have women’s basketball’s best backcourt in [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], who scored 24 and 19 points respectively with five 3-pointers apiece. Miles’ five 3s represented a career high for her.

[autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] and [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] scored nine points apiece, and [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] tied her season high with 15 rebounds while also collecting eight points:

The Irish also got a boost from the return of [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], who made her season debut after recovering from a foot injury. She had one rebound, one steal and one block in 13 minutes off the bench.

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Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld makes season debut

Welcome back, Maddy!

As impressive as Notre Dame has been during the first two months of the season, it has been without a key contributor. In fact, the injury bug hit the Irish early and often. By Sunday’s game at North Carolina, only one player not already ruled out for the season had yet to debut. That no longer is the case.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], who announced in September that she would miss the start of the season to deal with a lingering foot injury, entered as a substitute with 3:02 left in the first quarter against the Tar Heels. She now will try to make up for lost time coming off a 2023-24 season in which she averaged 14.4 points, 1.1 blocks and a career-high 8.7 rebounds.

Although the Irish have been able to offset Westbeld’s loss with the additions of transfers [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] and [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] as well as freshman [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag], they will be welcome to have this addition to their frontcourt. Irish fans undoubtedly will be, too.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball reaches milestones in win over Virginia

A lot was accomplished in this game.

It’s hard to pinpoint the most impressive part about Notre Dame’s ACC home opener against Virginia. So we’ll just say everything was great. Still, we’ll talk about what made this 95-54 win so great.

Initially, the Irish (11-2, 2-0) appeared they would get a competitive game from the Cavaliers (8-6, 0-2), who scored the first four points and deadlocked the score at 9 midway through the first quarter. It was all Irish after that though as they rattled off 28 consecutive points. The Cavaliers didn’t score again until near the halfway point of the second quarter.

The game was never remotely close after that, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] became the fastest coach in both Irish and ACC history to reach 100 career victories. That only was the tip of the iceberg for the Irish’s accomplishments though.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] recorded the sixth triple-double of her career with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, which tied a career high. She also became the third player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Only [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] had done it before her.

Miles also tied the ACC record for career triple-doubles. Alyssa Thomas was the first to reach that total during Maryland’s final years in the conference.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] tied her season highs with 25 points and 11 rebounds. She also set her season with five 3-pointers.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led all scorers with 28 points. [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] scored 12 points and blocked three shots before fouling out, and [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] came close to a double-double with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

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Olivia Miles has fifth career triple-double in Notre Dame win

This is routine for her now, or so it seems.

Even though Notre Dame is better known for [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] now, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] frequently reminds us that she was the face of the Irish first. The latest example of that came in the Irish’s 97-54 win over Loyola (Maryland), which accounted for the final game of their nonconference schedule.

Miles recorded the fifth triple-double of her collegiate career to the tune of 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. That’s the most for any Notre Dame basketball player, men or women. There’s a reason she’s projected to be a lottery pick in the next WNBA draft.

Miles wasn’t the only impressive Irish player in this game though. Hidalgo set a season scoring high with 33 points and also had five steals. [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards, and [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] scored 15 points.

Irish fans will want to get out to Purcell Pavilion and watch Miles play for their team while they still can. If you need any convincing to do so, here’s her highlight reel for this game:

The Irish now will take a week off for the holiday before beginning their ACC home schedule against Virginia in front of a sellout crowd. Now, the games really will count.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball cruises to record-setting win against Eastern Michigan

Notre Dame flew by the Eagles with ease.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team had a bit of a slow start on offense against the Easter Michigan Eagles.

Fortunately for the Fighting Irish (9-2, 1-0), so did the Eagles (1-6). Notre Dame did finally settle in with its second basket with 7:18 left in the first quarter — and once the shots started falling, they never stopped. The Irish would have a 15-0 run before EMU finally got a point. Notre Dame would go on to win 118-49.

The Irish rocketed out to a 33-9 lead and essentially had the game in hand once the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the first quarter. Notre Dame would lead 61-20 at halftime.

Not that there was any real doubt, even in the first few minutes when the score was 2-0 in favor of the Irish. Even as the Irish’s first few shots didn’t fall, it was clear Notre Dame was in command of the game — unless the Eagles got on an early run, the Irish would be fine.

Of course, it was Notre Dame that then had the early run. And the mid-game run. And the late run.

The Irish crossed the century mark with more than six minutes remaining in the game. Eastern Michigan had yet to reach 40 points, and the Eagles of course finished with just 49.

Notre Dame set a team record with 17 made three-point shots during the contest — breaking the old record of 15. The Irish scored the fifth-most points in team history.

Fighting Irish guard [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led all scorers with 27 points while fellow guard [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] had 17 and forward [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] had 15. Guard [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] was also in double figures with 11.

King also had 15 rebounds for a double-double.

[autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was a huge story for the Irish — the guard came off the bench and had 23 points, including 7-of-9 from three-point land. Guard [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] had 20 off the bench.

Next up for Notre Dame, after a brief break for final exams, will be a visit from Loyola Maryland at noon EST on Dec. 22.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball defeats UConn for third straight season

That’s three wins over top-five teams, too.

Notre Dame and UConn is as anticipated a matchup as you’ll find in women’s basketball. With numerous former Irish players on hand along with a sellout crowd at Purcell Pavilion, not to mention [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], all eyes were on whether the Irish could beat a top-five opponent for the third time this season.

With the university nearing final exams, the Irish passed its own exam and won, 79-68, for their third victory over the Huskies in as many seasons. That means UConn, Texas and USC are a combined 0-3 against the Irish but 26-0 against everyone else.

The Irish (8-2) led the Huskies (8-1) for most of the game but never by more than 13 points. That lead was cut to one in the waning seconds of the third quarter, but [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] hit her career-high sixth 3 at the buzzer, and the Irish proceeded to score the first six points of the fourth quarter to go back up 10.

Although the Huskies got within six with 3:12 left, the Irish doubled their lead over the next two minutes, and that was that. This was the latest in a series of statement wins:

Hidalgo led all scorers with 29 points to get the better of fellow All-American Paige Bueckers, who had 25 points. She achieved a double-double with 10 rebounds and also had a game-high eight assists.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] had her own double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] overcame an early ankle injury to also score 16 points.

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Notre Dame breaks two-game losing streak with overtime win over Texas

Back on track in a big way.

Notre Dame and Texas was billed as a game to watch in this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The problem with that was the Irish needed to sweat it out to try and overcome its disastrous two games in the Cayman Islands Classic.

The Irish took all they could handle from the Longhorns, but it was enough to get them back on track. They’ll head into their ACC opener against Syracuse coming off an 80-70 overtime victory.

The Irish (6-2) were in control for much of the game after the first quarter, but the Longhorns (7-1) came alive to begin the fourth, and the teams engaged in a back-and-forth throughout that frame.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] broke a tie with what appeared to be the game-winning layup in the final seconds, but [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] fouled Rori Harmon with one second left and the Irish in the penalty. Harmon hit both free throws to tie it back up. The Irish called a timeout to set up a game-winning shot, but [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]’s corner 3 missed everything, necessitating free basketball.

Kyla Oldacre scored the first basket of overtime 15 seconds in, but that proved to account for the Longhorns’ final points of the game as they missed their final 10 shots. Four of those misses came from Madison Booker, who wasted a 20-point effort.

The Irish were happy to take advantage as their overtime showing was highlighted by 3s from Hidalgo and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag]. The Longhorns couldn’t answer as they simply had run out of gas:

Hidalgo scored a season-high 30 points. Miles and Citron both scored 18 with Citron collecting a career-high seven steals. King achieved a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball gets biggest win of young season vs. USC

This was a monster win for the Irish.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Everyone wanted to see the Notre Dame and USC women’s basketball teams play each other. The biggest reason was to see [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and JuJu Watkins go up against each other.

We got the first of what will be at least two meetings between the teams Saturday in Los Angeles, and the Irish emerged victorious over the Trojans, 74-61. With both teams expected to be national championship contenders, this was the biggest win of the season so far.

The Irish (5-0) never trailed against the Trojans (4-1), who only tied the game twice and not at all after the 4:07 mark of the first quarter. That was the result of the Irish beating the Trojans with superior defense and a high-paced offense that took far more advantage of its opportunities. Their 17-9 steals advantage contributed mightily to their 20-8 advantage in fast break points.

The Irish’s biggest lead was at 21, and the Trojans scored eight straight points at the end to make the final score closer.

Hidalgo scored 16 of her 24 points in the first half. She also had a game-high five steals, but [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] made up for missing the Irish’s last game by collecting four of her own steals as well as a game-high 11 rebounds.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] collected 14 of her 20 points in the second half. That included hitting a career-high four 3-pointers for the third time in her collegiate career and the second straight game in which she reached that mark.

Watkins also scored 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Talia von Oelhoffen, who helped Oregon State eliminate the Irish in last season’s NCAA Tournament, added 10 points.

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