Defense leads Longhorns past Gonzaga in women’s Sweet 16

A stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday.

Three Texas Longhorns women’s basketball players scored in double figures as a stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday at the Moda Center.

Aaliyah Moore led Texas with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while battling injury throughout the contest.

Shaylee Gonzales added 15 points while Shay Holle registered 12 points.

The Longhorns used a 10-0 run to take a 14-7 lead just past the halfway mark of the first quarter. Madison Booker picked up her second foul with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter and was held to two points in the first half. Moore picked up the slack, leading Texas with nine points in the half.

Texas ended the half on a 10-2 run to lead 37-18. The Longhorns held Gonzaga to 14% from the field with only three field goals made.

Gonzales made a three pointer to halt a 9-0 Zags run in the third to get Texas a 44-29 lead. The Longhorns stretched the lead out to 19, 54-35, at the end of the third.

Texas held Gonzaga to 26.5% from the field in the game.

The Longhorns will face No. 3 NC State in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo named AP First Team All-American

What a season she’s had.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had a special freshman season at Notre Dame, and now, we know exactly how special. She has joined USC’s JuJu Watkins as the fourth and fifth freshmen to be named to the AP All-American First Team since it began during the 1994-95 season. They join Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley and Texas’ Madison Booker.

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Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb obviously has seen Watkins up close and personal throughout this season, but she reserved praise for Hidalgo, too:

“We’ve had a front row seat to JuJu, but what Hannah’s done is unbelievable Coach Niele (Ivey) has done an incredible job.”

Ivey also was quoted in the AP story and said this about Hidalgo, the nation’s steals leader at 4.6 a game and its third-leading scorer at 23.3 points a game:

“She deserves to be listed amongst the best in women’s basketball. Hannah is a fierce competitor and an elite performer who rises to the occasion and has been extremely consistent and dominant this season.”

What has to be scary to opponents is that Hidalgo only is getting started. She likely will hold many Irish records by the time she’s done with the program. Irish fans will be anxious to find out how many of those records she holds in the end.

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