The Notre Dame women’s basketball team went into Winston-Salem, N.C., on Thursday and took down ACC competitor Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons entered play at 13-13 overall and 3-11 in conference competition, good for 15th in the league. With the goal of consistency in mind for the weeks leading up to March Madness, this game was another opportunity to bolster the Irish’s resume. Controlling the game from the opening tip, the Irish won 78-54, moving them to 17-9 and 9-6 in the ACC.
In a pregame interview, head coach Niele Ivey mentioned that her team needs to remain focused for the rest of the season. She stated that her team needs to leave everything out there, especially her graduate students. Ivey also wants her team to be more consistent. ”Some games on the road, we started off too slow and only put together a couple of good quarters. We have to play all 40 minutes on the road,” Ivey said.
Before the game, Irish forward Malaya Cowles, a transfer from Wake Forest, noted her excitement to return not only to play against her former team but also to play in her home state. She discussed that she will be juggling remaining focused with the excitement of playing at home. Cowles also mentioned that she shared insight with her teammates and coaches about her former program, which helped with the preparation in practices this week. Cowles put up six points and five rebounds in her 30 minutes on the court, adding to the Irish output on both ends of the floor.
To no surprise, junior guard Hannah Hidalgo had a standout game. Hidalgo shot 10-for-20 to finish with a total of 26 points. She also tallied three steals and five rebounds. Senior guard Cassandre Prosper also had a strong game with 10 points and four rebounds. Prosper remains Ivey’s most versatile wing option, having substantially improved her shooting ability since the start of the season. Lastly, senior guard KK Bransford came off the bench to get the Irish 13 points, going 6-for-7 from the field. As a team, the Irish were a blazing hot 52%, improving their mark of 48% in last Sunday’s win over NC State.
To their standards, the Irish played decently in the first half. They entered the intermission up 35-23 with Hidalgo leading the way with 16 points. The Demon Deacons were trailing by only a couple of points just into the second quarter, and Hidalgo widened that lead to 12 points with a pair of threes over the span of just two minutes.
From the third quarter on, the Irish turned up the heat. Notre Dame’s lead was always increasing for the remainder of the game. Ivey also made the decision to take out Hidalgo in the 4th quarter. This decision highlighted her complementary pieces well and proved to be a good decision that helped increase the Irish lead while also preserving Hidalgo’s long-term health. Notre Dame’s finish was impressive, considering they won the second half by 12 points.
The Irish now enter a tie for eighth place in the ACC. After two days off, Notre Dame will play SMU in Dallas in another ACC road game this Sunday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
