Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Women's Basketball Dominates Virginia in ACC Home Opener

Notre Dame uses 28-0 first half run to route Cavaliers in ACC home opener
Nick Shepkowski|
Dec 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Niele Ivey watches in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies at the Purcell Pavilion.
Dec 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Niele Ivey watches in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies at the Purcell Pavilion. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Kymora Johnson made a layup to tie Saturday's Notre Dame vs. Virginia game at nine just over midway through the first quarter tied the Cavaliers with the Fighting Irish but from there out it was all Notre Dame.

Hannah Hidalgo then hit a three-pointer to give Notre Dame a 12-9 lead and kickstart what would end up being a 28-0 run by the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame took a 43-19 lead to halftime in what was a dominating ACC home opener on Sunday afternoon.

The Irish cruised to a 95-54 victory and moved to 11-2 overall on the year and 2-0 in ACC play.

Hannah Hidalgo led the Fighting Irish with 28 points while Sonia Citron had a big afternoon as well, putting up 25 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Olivia Miles recorded a triple-double for the second game in a row.

Career Win No. 100 for Head Coach Niele Ivey

The Notre Dame victory was the 100th in the head coaching career of Niele Ivey, who took over at the start of the 2020-21 season.

The three-time Sweet Sixteen coach reached the 100-win mark faster than any coach in Notre Dame women's basketball history and ACC women's basketball history.

Notre Dame Women's Basketball: Next Game

Notre Dame now has a bit of a break as it does not play for another week. Next Sunday the Fighting Irish travel to Chapel Hill where they will take on North Carolina (12-2) at 1:00 p.m. ET.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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