No. 6 Notre Dame’s defense shines in knocking off No. 3 USC Trojans

        USC Trojans #12 JuJu Watkins (G) is being guarded by Notre Dame Fighting Irish #10 Hannah Hidalgo                                                  (G) and #11 Sonia Citron (G). Photo by Darwin Walker/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ACC) lived up to their name after slugging it out with the No. 3 USC Trojans (Big10) came away with a 74-61 at the Galen Center, with Hannah Hidalgo scoring 24 points and Olivia Miles with 20 points.

"I just told the team, you don't schedule this game because you are thinking it's going to be a 40-point win," Gottlieb said. "You schedule it because you have an opportunity to have a great crowd, play well, and give yourself an early signature win. Or you get exposed.

"And I would have chosen option 1 if that was my decision to make. But given the fact that it was option 2, our only choice is to be exposed, stay together, and get better."

The Fighting Irish Sonia Citron was in lock-down mode and clamped down on defense against Juju Watkins, who was 10 for 25 shooting with 24 points, and Kiki Irafen, 5 for 15 shooting with 15 points, and Tailia von Oelhoffen with 10 points.

Notre Dame scored 22 points off of USC's 21 turnovers was a major factor for them being able to knock off the No. 3 team in the country.

"Big-time player, big-time stage," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. "Not at all shocked at what she did today. From the beginning, I told my team, she guarded everybody on the court one time. Just so feisty, so energetic. It's contagious for our group. So unselfish."

        Notre Dame Fighting Irish #3 Hannah Hidalgo (G) is going up for a layup against USC Trojans #44 Kiki                                                                          Iriafen (F). Photo by Darwin Walker/TGSportstv1.

Notre Dame took a 4-0 lead in the first quarter after back-to-back baskets by Hannah Hidalgo. Juju Watkins tied the game 6-6 with a jump shot. The Irish went up 14-6 with a three-pointer by Hidalgo.

The Trojans trailed 19-8 after Notre Dame's Kate Koval's layup. The Irish led 20-10 at the end of the quarter.

USC trailed in the second quarter 22-14 with a driving layup by Talia von Oelhoffen. Notre Dame had to call a timeout after USC cut the lead to 22-19 with a layup by Oelhoffen.

Watkins would pull up for a jump shot, and the Trojans now trailing 26-21 with 4:02 left before halftime. Rayah Marshall's jump shot at the top of the key had the Trojans down 29-26.

   USC Trojans #44 Kiki Iriafen (F) is going strong towards the basket. Photo by Darwin Walker/TGSportstv1.

Notre Dame led 35-28 with a basket by Cassandre Prosper before the buzzer went off.

Marshall, Iriafen, and Oelhoffen all had 6 points to lead USC in scoring in the first half, and Hidalgo led Notre Dame in scoring with 16 points.

Notre Dame went up by ten points in the third quarter, 40-30, with a three-pointer by Citron. Watkins would cut into the Fighting Irish's lead 44-41 after being fouled on her layup and made her free throw.

USC found themselves down 49-41 after Olivia Miles knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:23 left in the quarter. Notre Dame led 52-45 at the end of the third quarter after Watkins made two free throws.

The Fighting Irish led by fourteen points in the fourth quarter, 61-47, with another three-pointer by Miles. USC was down twenty-one points, 72-51, after Kate Koval pulled up for a jump shot from the right side of the basket.

The Fighting Irish would close out the game to improve their record to (5-0), and the Trojans fell to (4-1).