After following up a 19-game winning streak with two straight losses to ACC opponents, the Fighting Irish needed a bounce-back game Sunday.
It got that and then some against Louisville. After a down game from Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles against the Seminoles, the duo combined for a cool 35 points to claim a share of the ACC regular season title, led by Hidalgo’s 20.
It’s a huge win for a Notre Dame team that is looking to get back on the one-line for the NCAA Tournament. While it hardly clinches anything, it does give Notre Dame a fighting chance in the ACC Tournament.
The game looked like it might be a knock-em-down drag-em-out when Louisville limited Notre Dame to just 14 points in the quarter. However, 22 points in each of the middle frames gave Notre Dame a comfortable cushion heading into the fourth, where it completed its symmetrical board with another 14-point quarter to get a 72-56 win.
After Louisville’s initial onslaught, its physical game-plan saw guards Tajianna Roberts and Ja’Leah Williams get into first-half foul trouble. That was a hole it never dug itself out of, and now Louisville will prepare for the ACC Tournament on its back foot.
Look below to see a recap of Notre Dame’s win over Louisville, as covered by USA TODAY Sports.
Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville score updates
This section will be updated at tip-off
Final: Notre Dame 72, Louisville 56
Fourth Quarter
Hannah Hidalgo hits a dagger
Hidalgo has a killer instinct. Already up 69-52, Hidalgo squares up on a mismatch and buries a triple to make it a 20-point lead. Advantage: Irish. Those are the shots Notre Dame looks for.
Notre Dame takes timeout
Notre Dame still holds a decisive lead and looks to have this well in hand, but Ivey is still displeased. With the Louisville press on, Ivey takes a timeout, then the Fighting Irish turn it over anyways.
They still hold a double-digit lead, but this is still that will have to be cleaned up ahead of March.
Third Quarter
Olivia Miles hits buzzer-beater
Notre Dame is going to the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead on the heels of a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Olivia Miles.
After a Louisville bucket, Miles jets up the floor , fading to her right, hits a triple to make it a 58-40 game heading into the final quarter. Notre Dame needed this game from its stars.
Notre Dame extends lead
With a pair of free throws made at the line by Olivia Miles, Notre Dame extends its lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon at 45-35.
Notre Dame’s defense continues to cause struggles for Louisville’s offense, as the Cardinals have not hit a field goal in the last 3:28. The Irish have taken back all momentum in this one.
Kate Koval block
Notre Dame gets a big stop on defense with a block from forward Kate Koval, and there is a timeout on the floor for the under-five media timeout.
The Irish’s defense has been responded back nicely after Jayda Curry’s back-to-back 3-pointers, as Louisville has not scored over the last 2:07 of game time.
Louisville strikes back
The Cardinals take advantage of numbers with back-to-back triples from Jayda Curry in less than 16 seconds to cut their deficit to three.
A 6-0 run for Louisville has forced a timeout from Notre Dame, who now leads 37-34 with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter. Louisville has outscored Notre Dame 6-1 to open the third quarter.
Notre Dame on board
The Irish are the first to get on the board in the second half thanks to one of two free throws from Hannah Hidalgo.
Both teams have started the half 0-for-5 combined from the field.
Halftime
After a hard-fought first quarter, Notre Dame seems to be overwhelming Louisville both on defense and by attacking the rim.
With Roberts at three fouls, Williams at two, and Curry dealing with a shoulder injury (Curry did return), the Louisville backcourt is brutally thin coming into the second half.
While Hidalgo still doesn’t look like herself, Notre Dame is finding help elsewhere this time around. She does have 11 on 4 of 9 shooting and she looked much better in the second quarter than the first.
For Louisville, we’ll see how Curry’s shoulder impacts her here in the second half, but she leads her team at 11 points as well. While Notre Dame has shot itself up to 43.8% from the field, Louisville continues to struggle at 30.3% thanks to Notre Dame’s stifling defense.
Second Quarter
Roberts picks up third foul
Now things are getting tough for the Cardinals.
Roberts just picked up her third foul on a phantom call, and the Cardinals just can’ find any offensive rhythm as the Irish continue to thrive. With halftime approaching, Walz needs to be creative with both Williams and Roberts in foul trouble.
Notre Dame putting together a nice run
Notre Dame seems to have found some rhythm.
It has scored 20 points so far in the second quarter, while Louisville has just 13.
Louisville is also finding itself in a tough situation, with a shoulder injury to leading scorer Curry forcing Walz deep into his bench. Curry went straight back to the locker room with a towel over her head gripping her shoulder. 34-28 Irish.
Notre Dame retakes the lead
Notre Dame has claimed a 24-20 lead coming into the second quarter, as the Irish shoot their way through it and Louisville slumps.
Both teams are now below 35% shooting for the game, and Notre Dame holds the edge in free throws 6-2 so far (Notre Dame has made all six).
Louisville has made 3 of 7 3-point attempts. Notre Dame is 2 for 6.
First Quarter
Louisville leads after first
The Cardinals were not informed they’re huge dogs in this game.
While much of the discussion has centered around Notre Dame and its prospects of a 1-seed and championship aspirations, the Cardinals close the first quarter with a lead behind a physical game-plan.
While neither team is playing poorly, defense has won the day thus far. That pace is going to be hard to keep up, but with Olivia Miles already showing signs of frustration, Louisville may be able to exploit a flustered Fighting Irish offense.
Hidalgo gets on the board
After Louisville went up one on a free throw from Olivia Cochran, Hidalgo hits a triple to give Notre Dame the lead back and make it 12-10. This game has high shootout potential, and if that does happen, Notre Dame is going to need its shooters Hidalgo and Miles to put it over.
Notre Dame, Louisville tied at 9 for under-five
Both teams are playing fast, and there seems to be an emphasis on pace for both Ivey and Jeff Walz.
Hidalgo is yet to score here in the first quarter, and Roberts leads all scorers with five. Olivia Miles seems to be taking a lot of time on the ball for the Irish, as Notre Dame looks to break open the Louisville defense.
Louisville’s backcourt is spending a lot of time with the ball in the backcourt, with Williams and Roberts doing the lion’s share of ball handling.
Louisville opens the scoring
Roberts picks up where she left off with a triple to open the scoring in this one. Louisville will undoubtedly look for a big game out of its budding freshman.
Entire panel picks Notre Dame
Freeman was never in doubt, but Duncan, Carter, and Ogwumike all picked the Irish as well. Notre Dame is heavily favored. Can the Cardinals pull off an upset?
Marcus Freeman joins ‘College GameDay’
Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has joined Duncan, Carter, and Ogwumke on the ‘College GameDay’ desk and immediately draws chants from the crowd. Freeman led Notre Dame to a national championship runner up finish last season.
‘College GameDay’ split on Notre Dame title chances
During an exercise on ‘College GameDay’ in which Elle Duncan pulled team names and Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike said if they were a title team, Carter and Ogwumike were split on Notre Dame’s odds when its name was pulled. Carter was skeptical of Hannah Hidalgo’s shot selection, and Ogwumike was adamant the Irish could ultimately be a title team.
What channel is Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville on today?
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming option: WatchESPN | Fubo (free trial)
ESPN will televise Sunday’s ACC women’s basketball game between Notre Dame and Louisville in South Bend, Indiana. Streaming options for the game include WatchESPN and Fubo, the latter of which carries ESPN and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Notre Dame vs Louisville women’s basketball time today
Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: Noon ET
Location: Joyce Center (South Bend, Indiana)
Notre Dame and Louisville are scheduled to tip off at Noon ET on Sunday, March 2 from the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana.
Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville history
Series record: Notre Dame leads 21-14
Notre Dame’s last win: 2024 (89-71)
Louisville’s last win: 2023 (73-66)
As noted by Louisville’s website, the Irish lead the all-time series 21-14 against the Cardinals and are 8-5 at home. The Irish enter this game on a three-game winning streak in the series.
Notre Dame vs Louisville women’s basketball betting odds
Game lines and odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, March 2
Spread: Notre Dame (-18.5)
Total: 148.5
Moneyline: N/A
Notre Dame women’s basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at Notre Dame’s last five results. To view the Irish’s full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
Thursday, Feb. 13: Notre Dame 88, Pitt 57
Monday, Feb. 17: Notre Dame 64, Duke 49
Thursday, Feb. 20: Notre Dame 82, Miami 42
Sunday, Feb. 23: NC State 104, Notre Dame 95
Thursday, Feb. 27: Florida State 86, Notre Dame 81
Louisville women’s basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at Louisville’s last five results. To view the Cardinals’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.
Sunday, Feb. 9: Louisville 74, Stanford 65
Thursday, Feb. 13: Louisville 83, Florida State 69
Thursday, Feb. 20: Louisville 70, Duke 62
Sunday, Feb. 23: North Carolina 79, Louisville 75
Thursday, Feb. 27: Louisville 78, Clemson 52
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