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FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 27: Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish drives to the basket in the second half of the third round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game between Vanderbilt University and University of Notre Dame at Dickies Arena on March 27, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Aric Becker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
ISI Photos via Getty Images
No. 6 Notre Dame defeated No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores 67-64 to advance to the Elite Eight. The Irish were led by junior guard Hannah Hidalgo who had a triple-double with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, and seven assists.
This was Hidalgo’s third career triple-double. In the Sweet 16 matchup, Hidalgo also set the NCAA record for career steals with 196 in the first quarter, and is now just shy of 200. Further, this was the first time that head coach Niele Ivey has been able to “get over the hump” and into the Elite Eight.
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 27: Niele Ivey head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after the third round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game between Vanderbilt University and University of Notre Dame at Dickies Arena on March 27, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Aric Becker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
ISI Photos via Getty Images
In the loss, Vanderbilt’s reigning SEC Player of the Year sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes had 26 points, and eight rebounds, alongside SEC Freshman of the Year guard Aubrey Galvan who contributed 24 points, and seven rebounds.
How Notre Dame Secured the Win and Berth to the Elite Eight
In the first half, it seemed the Commodores were outmatched and outpaced. They had 10 turnovers and shot under 17% in the first quarter alone. Vanderbilt was able to rally back from a once 12-point deficit in the first quarter to keep the game within five, 31-26 at the half.
In the second half, Vanderbilt was able to increase their field goal percentage dramatically to almost 47%, bringing the game within six, 50-44, going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter would go back and forth and come down to the wire for the win. Blakes had 12 points the fourth quarter alone, more than her first half total.
However, with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Blakes knocked the ball off her foot, a costly turnover when the score was tied. The Commodores would finish the game with 23 turnovers.
It would be Hidalgo’s defensive antics and consistent scoring, aided by free throws from senior guard Cassandre Propser in the last seconds of the game that solidified the win for the Irish. Additionally, Notre Dame converted 54 points in the paint, and 27 off fast breaks.
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 27: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate by slashing head coach Niele Ivey with water in the locker room after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores in a Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Dickies Arena on March 27, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
In the win head coach Ivey attributed a calm demeanor and focusing on the game plan in the final moments to be a key to walking away with the win and a berth to the Elite Eight. She said, “I talked about poise with the team. We knew they were going to go on their runs, and we had to make sure we were being solid and executing and getting stops. We had a couple lapses defensively and let Galvan get off a couple times and [Mikayla] Blakes got the the free throw line 13 times, so we had to lock in defensively and doing a better job of denying her. We got some consecutive defensive stops down the stretch, and we executed as well.”
She continued, “I talked about it being our defense. I talked about getting kills, which is three consecutive stops in a row. I wanted to make sure they had that composure because you can’t get too high or too low. They were very calm and very confident, which is a lot of growth. I think that is from the tough schedule we played this season.”
Ivey and the fighting Irish will be back on the court on March 29 and face the winner of UConn and North Carolina. The game will be aired on ABC.
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