| GAME 12 | No. 3 Notre Dame (9-2) vs Loyola MD (5-4) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Dec. 22 | 12 p.m. |
| WHERE | South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center |
| WATCH: | ACCNX |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — After disappointing starts to the 2023-24 conference season, No. 16 Notre Dame (9-2, 0-1) and Pittsburgh (6-8, 0-1) will face off on Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center.
The Irish suffered a loss to now-No. 25 Syracuse on Sunday, 86-81. Hannah Hidalgo scored 32 points and had 7 steals en route to a sixth ACC Rookie of the Week award. That ties the program record for conference Rookie of the Week honors.
Pittsburgh is led by first-year head coach Tory Verdi, who arrived after seven years at UMass. He earned one berth in the NCAA Tournament while there, an appearance that was ironically ended by Notre Dame in the 2022 NCAA First Round. The Panthers lost their ACC opener on Sunday, a 91-41 game at Virginia Tech.
Liatu King is pacing the Panthers in nearly every category. She leads Pittsburgh in the following categories: scoring (19.6), rebounds (9.5), field goal percentage (54.4), steals (2.1), blocks (1.6) and minutes (35.2). King had 19 points and went 7-10 from the floor against the Hokies.
The last time Notre Dame saw Pittsburgh, the Irish won 83-43 on Feb. 19. It was the eighth-largest conference margin of victory in program history. Seven players had at least 8 points, and Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron led the way with 13 each.
Citron is questionable for Thursday at Pitt, as she is dealing with a knee sprain. She has begun practicing and is slated to return soon. On the injury front, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey announced on Wednesday that freshman guard Emma Risch will have hip surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.
Thursday’s game tips off on the ACC Network at 6 p.m. Notre Dame is 34-4 all-time against Pittsburgh and 17-2 on their home court.