No. 3 USC welcomed its first sell-out crowd of the season Saturday, looking to build off the excitement of its first Pac-12 title in a decade and first Elite Eight appearance in three years.
Instead, No. 6 Notre Dame came into USC’s house and poured cold water all over the Trojans’ early ambitions. In a game between top-10 teams, USC appeared overmatched by the Fighting Irish, falling behind early and losing contact in the fourth quarter, as Notre Dame won 74-61 and collected arguably the most impressive win of the young college basketball season.
The nation’s two best sophomores showed out, as Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish with 24 points and eight assists and JuJu Watkins had 24 points and five assists for the Trojans. However, it was Notre Dame’s defense that set the tone. The Irish flew all over the court, limiting USC to 10 first-quarter points and 35.8 percent shooting for the day.
Hannah Hidalgo steal ➡️ Hannah Hidalgo bucket. 🔥
Doing it ALL for @NDWBB.
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/pD8FCc2Kve
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) November 23, 2024
Notre Dame forced 21 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those miscues, and was particularly effective in slowing down Kiki Iriafen. The preseason All-American was repeatedly bothered by Kate Koval at the rim and could often barely hold on to the ball into the post due to digs from the Irish guards.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame got a stellar performance from its second star, as Olivia Miles controlled the tempo, had three steals and created multiple looks for her teammates on drives and kicks. Miles added 20 points, including four 3-pointers, as she showed off her jumper in front of the many WNBA personnel in attendance.
A WALKING BUCKET @oliviamiles06 with a tied career-high of 4⃣ 3-pointers, her 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 game with 4 of them
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/OuEqRDCVls
— Notre Dame Women’s Basketball (@ndwbb) November 23, 2024
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
