No. 3 USC vs No. 6 Notre Dame | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.23.24 скачать в хорошем качестве

No. 3 USC vs No. 6 Notre Dame | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.23.24

LOS ANGELES, California | November 23rd, 2024 Written by Isabel Gonzalez | CBSsports.com No. 6 Notre Dame took down No. 3 USC 74-61 in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. The Irish were led by star Hannah Hidalgo, who put on a clinic while leading the team with 24 points. "Big time player, big time stage," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. "Not at all shocked at what she did today. From the beginning, I told my team, she guarded everybody on the court one time. Just so feisty, so energetic. It's contagious for our group. So unselfish." Hidalgo got the first two buckets of the game and set the tone early. She had 16 points by halftime, helping the Fighting Irish enter the break with a 35-28 advantage. She kept her foot on the gas and opened the second half with a steal and a jumper. However, the Trojans were not going to just give this one away. Watkins had a quiet first two quarters with only five points, and Sonia Citron had a lot to do with it. "Sonia had the tall task of guarding one of the best players in women's basketball with JuJu," Ivey said. "I thought she did a great job early on. ... Everybody knows Sonia from her offense, but now you know how great of a defender she is." Hidalgo also had a lot of praise for her teammate. "What I take away from this game for Sonia is that she can guard anybody in the nation, honestly" she said. "I think Sonia is one of the best defenders in the nation." Watkins came alive in the third quarter while trying to get something going for her team. Unfortunately of the Trojans, they couldn't maintain any success and did not get any closer in the third quarter. Then, the Irish started to pull away in the fourth and made it clear they were not going to be denied. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said she hoped to see a better effort in the fourth quarter. She also talked about her team needing to be more disciplined and figure out how to play fast and be aggressive while also taking care of the ball. One obvious stat was the Trojans giving up 22 points from their 21 turnovers. "I just told the team, you don't schedule this game because you are thinking it's going to be a 40-point win," Gottlieb said. "You schedule it because you have an opportunity to have a great crowd, play well and give yourself an early signature win. Or you get exposed. "And I would have chosen option 1 if that was my decision to make. But given the fact that it was option 2, our only choice is to be exposed, stay together and get better." Besides her 24 points, Hidalgo also contributed with six rebounds, eight assists and five steals. It was Hidalgo's 10th career game with at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals, which is the most by a D-I player in the last 25 years, according to ESPN. Olivia Miles has been looking strong since her return from a knee injury, and she flirted with a triple-double, putting up 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Watkins finished the day with 24 points, while Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen contributed with 15 and 10 points, respectively. USC was playing without freshman Kennedy Smith, who underwent surgery and is out indefinitely. USC was ranked higher, but Notre Dame's stats ahead of this weekend showed this was not a team to overlook. The Fighting Irish arrived to Los Angeles with the second scoring offense in the nation, and Hidalgo with the fifth best average in points per game. Up next, Notre Dame (5-0) has another tough challenge on the road with a game against No. 19 TCU on Friday. Meanwhile, the Trojans (4-1) will try to bounce back when they take on Seton Hall on Wednesday in Palm Springs. https://www.cbssports.com/womens-coll...