| GAME 21 | No. 3 Notre Dame (18-2, 9-0) at Louisville (15-6, 8-2) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Feb. 2 | 12 p.m. |
| WHERE | KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky. |
| WATCH: | ESPN2 |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 3 Notre Dame (18-2, 9-0) will play its third road contest in as many games on Sunday, closing out the swing away from Purcell Pavilion with ACC rival Louisville (15-6, 8-2). Notre Dame is seeking a 10-0 start in ACC play for the first time since the team went undefeated in conference play in 2015-16, and the last ACC team to do so was NC State in 2021-22 before Notre Dame beat the Wolfpack.
The Irish are coming off of a 77-61 victory at Virginia Tech on Thursday night. All-American Hannah Hidalgo dropped 30 points for the third time this season and eighth time in her career, passing Jewell Loyd for second all-time in 30-point games. She trails only Irish legend Arike Ogunbowale (11).
Against the Hokies, Liza Karlen had her best ACC game to date. She went 5-5 from the floor and knocked down two 3-pointers, finishing with 12 points and a win over her former head coach Megan Duffy, who is now in Blacksburg.
Turning to this weekend, the Irish and the Cardinals have become one of the nation’s top women’s basketball rivalries. Louisville has been a dangerous but hot and cold team this year.
Junior forward Nyla Harris has been Louisville’s most consistent shooter, leading the team with a 60.8 field goal percentage and a 64.9 mark in ACC play. Harris, Tajianna Roberts and Jayda Curry are all averaging double-figure points, and Roberts leads the group with 13.7. The freshman was the No. 25 recruit in the country in the 2024 class and played her high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida.
Irish veterans Sonia Citron, Olivia Miles and Maddy Westbeld have had great success recently against Louisville, as Notre Dame has won four of the last six meetings. In eight career games against the Cardinals, Citron has averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. The last meeting came in the quarterfinals of last year’s ACC Tournament, and Citron had 26 points and 10 made free throws.
Notre Dame is 20-14 all-time against Louisville and 6-6 at their place. Sunday’s game starts at noon and will be on ESPN2. Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe will be on the call.