Notre Dame Battles Back To Beat Cal In ACC Quarterfinals, 73-64

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Second-seeded Notre Dame (26-4) topped No. 7 California (25-8) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday, 73-64. The Golden Bears had a 6-point lead with 5:08 to play in the third quarter before the Irish offense came alive and battled back to advance to the ACC semifinals.

It was a collective effort from an Irish team with four 2024-25 All-ACC selections. ACC Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 25 points, and Olivia Miles had 14, 12 of which came in the second half. The floor general also had 6 of Notre Dame’s 12 assists.

The Irish opened up play with a 4-0 start before starting to trade baskets with the Golden Bears, who took a 10-8 lead with 5:04 to play in the first quarter.

That would be their last lead of the period, as the Irish defense held Cal scoreless in the final 5 minutes of the quarter, while Notre Dame closed it out with an 8-0 run for a 16-10 lead heading into the second. Six different Notre Dame players scored, and Hidalgo and King were the only Irish players with multiple baskets.

While King opened the second with a fast break layup, the Golden Bears responded with a 7-0 run to bring Cal within one at 18-17 with 7:48 until halftime. Hidalgo dropped six straight points to extend the Irish lead to 24-17, but the Notre Dame offense was struggling to get going as a whole.

Another 5-0 Cal run would lead to an even slate at 28-all, but the Irish would send home one last field goal and free throw to lead 31-28 at halftime. The Irish knocked down just four field goals in the quarter shooting 28.6 percent from the floor in comparison to Cal’s 54.6 percent, but turnovers doomed the Golden Bears. Their 19 giveaways were the most in a half this season.

Hidalgo led all scorers at the half with 12 points.

The third quarter was one of runs, one for each team. A 14-3 Cal run was followed by a 12-0 Notre Dame run sparked by a triple each from Miles and Hidalgo. They combined for 19 of Notre Dame’s 24 points in the quarter, 10 from Miles and 9 from Hidalgo.

The Irish returned to balanced scoring in the final frame; seven players notched a bucket, including a reverse lay up for Liza Karlen off an offensive rebound.

Up next, Notre Dame will play the winner of the Duke and Louisville semifinals. The game starts at 2:30 and will air on ESPN2.