GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — No. 3 Notre Dame (5-2) failed to find a rhythm in its Saturday game against Utah (6-2), as the Irish fell 78-67 in the second of two games in the 2024 Cayman Islands Classic.
Notre Dame led 37-32 at the break with Sonia Citron’s 13 points leading all scorers, just a notch shy of her season-high 14 entering Saturday’s game. Citron and Hannah Hidalgo played all 20 minutes of the first half. Hidalgo had 8 points and a pair of steals.
Utah had a 15-0 run going from the end of the first half into the start of the second before a pair of Hidalgo free throws broke it. Notre Dame went 0-9 from the floor to begin the third quarter before a Citron 3-pointer and a Hidalgo driving layup brought the Irish to within 5 points by the start of the final quarter.
A 25-19 fourth quarter in favor of Utah gave the Utes the victory. Citron finished with a season-high 22 points and added 4 steals.
Notre Dame now heads back to South Bend to host No. 5 Texas in the SEC-ACC Challenge on Dec. 5.