WOMENS BASKETBALL

Notre Dame 71, Virginia Tech 58

CURT RALLO
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Freshman Hannah Hidalgo had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 17 Notre Dame beat fifth-ranked Virginia Tech 71-58.

Virginia Tech (23-5, 14-3 ACC) had its 10-game winning streak snapped, but ended up claiming its first ACC regular-season championship outright as No. 12 North Carolina State defeated No. 19 Syracuse 75-71 in overtime on Thursday. The Hokies won the ACC Tournament crown last season and reached the Final Four.

There was plenty at stake entering the game for both teams as they jockey for post-season advantages. The Hokies were ranked No. 5 in the NCAA reveal earlier in the night. Notre Dame (22-6, 12-5) is just outside of the Top 16 and a chance to host first- and second-round games.

Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 point guard who leads the ACC in scoring at 23.7 points a game, ignited an uptempo Fighting Irish offense that saw Notre Dame race to an 18-2 advantage in fastbreak points.

Sonia Citron added 21 points and Maddy Westbeld had 19 points for Notre Dame.

Georgia Amoore led Virginia Tech with 20 points. Matilda Ekh and Elizabeth Kitley scored 12 points each.

Notre Dame used a 12-0 run to go up 32-18 with 3:46 left in the second quarter. Virginia Tech shook off the scoring drought of 6:34 to close out the quarter with a 10-4 burst and close to 36-28 at halftime.

Virginia Tech once again fell behind by 14 points, 44-30, with 6:57 left in the third quarter. The Hokies narrowed the deficit to 46-42 with 3:02 left in the period.

Citron helped the Irish pull away in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of Notre Dame’s points in a 12-8 stretch that gave the Fighting Irish a 59-50 lead with 6:38 left.

BIG PICTURE

Virginia Tech: The Hokies will likely need to get some help to earn a No. 1 seed even if they close out the regular season with a win at arch-rival Virginia on Sunday and then win the ACC Tournament title.

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish still have some work to do in order to push into the Top 16 and host first- and second-round games, but the victory against the Hokies helps.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Notre Dame athletics press release

February 29, 2024