SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 19 Fighting Irish returned to Purcell Pavilion for the first time in over two weeks and put on a dominant display, defeating Morehead State by a score of 97-48 to comfortably secure the victory. Notre Dame improves to 7-2 on the season, including a mark of 6-0 at home.
Hannah Hidalgo set the tone on the offensive end, scoring a game-high 26 points to go along with her season-high 11 rebounds (one shy of her career high), six steals, three assists and a block.
Cassandre Prosper joined Hidalgo with a double-double of her own, marking the first of her career. The junior posted 20 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and three steals.
Vanessa de Jesus also finished in double figures, scoring 16 points while dishing out five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame jumped out to a 12-point lead at 20-8 following the opening 10 minutes of play, as all seven Irish players registered at least one point. Notre Dame finished the first frame on an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of play to open up the double-digit lead.
The Fighting Irish continued to grow their advantage over the course of the second quarter, taking a 40-17 into the halftime break. In the middle of the second stanza Notre Dame went on a 15-0 lead to blow the game wide open.
Hidalgo led all scorers with 20 points after the first half, marking the third time this season she has scored at least 20 points in the first half of a game.
The Irish carried their momentum into the second half, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter to extend the lead to 31 points at 48-17. Notre Dame kept pushing the tempo and held a 66-26 lead by the end of the third.
Prosper and de Jesus combined for 17 points in the quarter to carry the offense in the third quarter.
Notre Dame outscored the Eagles 31-22 over the final 10 minutes of play to secure the 97-48 win.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish buried 13 threes in the victory, which is tied for the fourth most makes from beyond the arc in a game in program history. Notre Dame was led by de Jesus who finished with four three-pointers followed by three from Gisela Sanchez.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- Notre Dame improves to 2-0 against Morehead State in the all-time series.
- The Irish have now won 26 straight non-conference home games.
- Notre Dame has recorded double-digit steals in eight of nine games this season.
- The Fighting Irish have recorded 10 or more steals in 52-of-78 games since the start of the 2023-24 season.
- Hidalgo has now finished in double figures for scoring in 76 consecutive games (every game of her career), which ties Katryna Gaither’s program record of 76.
- With 26 points in the victory, Hidalgo is now 11th for career points in program history with 1,784, passing Alicia Ratay (1,763) and Sonia Citron (1,774).
- Hidalgo now has 58 career 20-point performances and is two shy of tying Arike Ogunbowale (60) for the program record.
- Prosper’s double-double was the first of her career, finishing with 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds
- De Jesus tied her career high for three-point makes in a game with four
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish head back on the road, traveling to Harrisonburg, Virginia, for a matchup against JMU on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.