SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Fighting Irish fourth-quarter comeback came up short, as Clemson claimed a 65-58 win over Notre Dame inside Purcell Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Irish are now 13-7 on the season and 5-4 in ACC play. The game was presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Hannah Hidalgo carried the Irish with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. The junior also recorded eight steals, six assists and four rebounds. Iyana Moore also finished in double figures with 16 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening 10 minutes was a defensive affair, as the Irish held a 12-9 lead following the first quarter and neither side led by more than three points for the entirety of the frame. Hidalgo scored six of Notre Dame’s 12 points and added four steals to help the Irish gain the early advantage.
The Tigers connected on back-to-back threes to open the second quarter and take a 15-12 lead. Notre Dame responded by scoring 16 of the next 20 points to open up a nine-point advantage at 28-19 with a little over a minute remaining in the half.
Clemson managed to hit two straight three-pointers to cut the Irish lead to three before Hidalgo finished at the rim right before the halftime buzzer to put the Irish up by 30-25 at the break.
The visitors controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Irish 25-9 to take an 11-point lead into the final 10 minutes of play. Clemson used a 15-3 run over the final 5 minutes of the period to build its lead.
Clemson scored a layup for the opening points of the final frame to open up its largest lead of the day but the Irish refused to go away. Notre Dame responded by going on an 11-3 run to cut the Tigers’ lead to just five at 55-50 with 5 minutes left in regulation.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, it was as close as it would get for the remainder of the game as Clemson held on to win by a score of 65-58.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish head out west for a two-game California road swing on the coast, as they take on Cal at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Berkley. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.