Notre Dame Upsets UConn Women 82-67 in Battle in Storrs

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into Storrs, Connecticut on Saturday and upset the eighth ranked UConn Women’s basketball team by a score of 82-67, snapping a 13 game winning streak by the Huskies this season.

While both teams had a number of runs throughout the game, the Fighting Irish outscored the Huskies 22-10 in the fourth quarter after UConn point guard Nika Muhl fouled out with nine and one half minutes left in the game.

The star of the game was Notre Dame freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo, who scored a season high 34 points, hitting 14 of 24 of her shots, including 3 of 5 three pointers and had 10 rebounds.  Forward Maddy Westbeld scored 23 points and guard Sonia Citron scored 15 points against the Huskies.

The Huskies began the game slowly, falling four points behind the Fighting Irish before coming back to score eight consecutive points in the second part of the first quarter.  UConn pulled ahead in the beginning of the second quarter, but the Irish began a 26-5 run against the Huskies, ending the second quarter leading UConn by a score of 44-35.

Hidalgo dominated the first half, scoring 19 points while UConn star guard Page Bueckers struggled with her shooting, scoring just four points in the first half.

UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards was the star for the Huskies, scoring 23 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Ashlynn Shade scored 12 points while freshman guard KK Arnold contributed 11 points to the Huskies’ efforts.

Bueckers began the third quarter with a three point shot and found Edwards four times with passes inside leading to four straight shots, but both teams then traded shots for the remainder of the third quarter.

While UConn point guard Nika Muhl struggled to contain Hidalgo, Muhl committed four fouls, finally fouling out and scoreless with nine and one half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.   Head Coach Geno Auriemma brought in freshmen Ice Brady and Qadence Samuels from the bench, but they combined to score only four points in the fourth quarter.  Bueckers finished the game with only 17 points after she fell to the ground following a collision in the first half.

 Following the game, Coach Auriemma noted that the Huskies’ defense during the last dozen games had been spot on, “but tonight we weren’t”.

Prior to the start of the game, UConn honored the 2003, 2004, 2013 and 2014 National Championship teams.   Twenty-three former players attended the ceremonies, including former UConn and retired Seattle Storm player Sue Bird and current WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.