SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Interstat) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 31 points to lead Notre Dame to a 73-50 victory over North Carolina in Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball Sunday at a sold-out Joyce Athletic Center. The Fighting Irish used a decisive 22-5 third-quarter run to break open a game that was tied 27-27 at halftime. Hidalgo added eight rebounds and six assists for Notre Dame. Cassandre Prosper contributed a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Tar Heels were held to five points in the third quarter and shot just 34.5% from the floor for the game. Nyla Harris led North Carolina with 14 points and eight rebounds. Notre Dame improved to 12-4 overall. North Carolina fell to 13-5.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Interstat) — A dominant third-quarter surge, fueled by a stifling defense and the dynamic play of Hannah Hidalgo, propelled Notre Dame to a decisive 73-50 victory over North Carolina in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at a sold-out Joyce Athletic Center. The game, witnessed by 8,101 fans, was a tale of two halves, with the third quarter serving as the definitive turning point. After a competitive first half that saw Notre Dame take a 33-27 lead into the locker room, the Fightin’ Irish unleashed a 22-5 run in the third period to break the game wide open. North Carolina’s offense, which had managed just 27 points in the opening 20 minutes, completely stalled after halftime, scoring only five points in the decisive quarter on 2-of-15 shooting while committing seven turnovers. Notre Dame’s defense was the catalyst, converting North Carolina’s mistakes into easy offense. The Tar Heels finished the game with 21 turnovers, which the Fightin’ Irish parlayed into 27 points. Conversely, Notre Dame’s 14 turnovers yielded only five points for North Carolina. The efficiency gap was stark: Notre Dame scored 73 points on 70 possessions for an offensive rating of 104.1, while North Carolina managed only 50 points on the same number of trips, an offensive rating of 71.2. Hannah Hidalgo, the star guard from Merchantville, New Jersey, was the engine for Notre Dame. She played 39 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a block. Her scoring outburst was complemented by a double-double from forward Cassandre Prosper of Montreal, who contributed 17 points and 14 rebounds. Vanessa de Jesus added 16 points for the Fightin’ Irish, including four 3-pointers. North Carolina was led by Nyla Harris of Orlando, Florida, who scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Lanie Grant added nine points and Elina Aarnisalo of Helsinki, Finland, chipped in seven. But the Tar Heels struggled mightily from the field, shooting just 34.5% overall and 28.6% from 3-point range. Their offensive struggles were epitomized in the third quarter, where a nearly five-minute scoring drought allowed Notre Dame to extend a six-point halftime lead to 20. The most important sequence of the game encapsulated the afternoon. With Notre Dame leading 35-27 early in the third, the Fightin’ Irish defense forced a shot clock violation. On the ensuing possession, Hidalgo drew a foul and made two free throws. After another North Carolina miss, Hidalgo found de Jesus for a 3-pointer. Following a Tar Heel turnover, Hidalgo assisted on another de Jesus three, capping a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 45-27 and effectively ended the contest. Notre Dame’s lead never dipped below 16 points the rest of the way. With the win, Notre Dame improved to 12-4 overall and evened its ACC record. North Carolina fell to 13-5. The victory was a bounce-back performance for the Fightin’ Irish, who had lost two of their previous three conference games. For North Carolina, the loss halted a positive start to league play and highlighted persistent offensive challenges. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Notre Dame entered with a 71.4% probability to win, though North Carolina had been installed as a slight 1.5-point pregame favorite. The combined score of 123 points fell well under the over/under line of 145.5. Notre Dame looks ahead to a Thursday home matchup against Louisville. North Carolina returns to Chapel Hill to host Miami on Thursday.

Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Fighting Irish SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Interstat) — Two Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball teams looking to build momentum will meet Sunday when the North Carolina Tar Heels visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Athletic Center. The Tar Heels (13-4, 3-2 ACC) aim to rebound from a tough 77-71 overtime loss to Stanford on Jan. 4. North Carolina had won three straight prior to that defeat, including a 71-55 victory over California on New Year’s Day. Notre Dame (11-4, 3-2) is coming off a dominant 94-60 home win over Boston College on Thursday, which snapped a two-game skid that included an overtime loss at Georgia Tech and a defeat at Duke. The matchup features two of the conference’s standout performers. North Carolina will lean on forward Nyla Harris, who is averaging 16.3 points and 5.2 rebounds over her last six games. She posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over California. Notre Dame counters with guard Cassandre Prosper, who is averaging 20.5 points over her last six contests. She exploded for a season-high 27 points in just 34 minutes against Boston College in her last outing. North Carolina’s defense, which has held opponents under 40 points twice this season, will be tested by a Fighting Irish offense that has scored 90 or more points in four games. The Tar Heels won the only meeting last season, 60-50, in Chapel Hill on Jan. 7, 2025. This game begins a critical stretch for both teams. North Carolina hosts Miami next Thursday, while Notre Dame begins a two-game homestand against Louisville on Thursday before a marquee non-conference showdown at Connecticut on Jan. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.