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It didn’t take long for the Notre Dame No. 3-ranked women’s basketball team to establish its dominance Sunday night.
Trailing 12-9 late in the first quarter, the Irish (15-2, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) put together a 27-5 run that left SMU (10-9, 2-5) in the dust with a 88-64 victory at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
It was Notre Dame’s 11th straight victory.
The amazing part of the equation was that Notre Dame did it with one hand tied behind its back. The top 3-point shooting team in the country (42.9%), the Irish managed to hit just two of 18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc.
Notre Dame made up for the off night by leading in rebounding (46-35) and forcing the Mustangs into 20 turnovers.
The 1-2 punch of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles led the Irish attack. Hidalgo, returning from a two-game absence with an ankle sprain, had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Miles had 17 points and 10 boards. Sonia Citron scored 11 and Liatu King had 10.
“We started out slow, but picked it up,” King said. “We just wanted to get stops. We were finally able to get some separation.”
“This group plays with a ton of grit, edge and a toughness about them,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “The way they defend, their activity on the ball, trying to impose their will.”
The Irish had just 12 turnovers and scored 24 points off the Mustangs’ miscues.
“We focused on taking care of the ball after having more turnovers than we wanted (21) in our last game [against Georgia Tech],” Ivey said. “That helped our offense execute better.”
Zania Jones led SMU with 20 points. Nya Robertson scored 16 and Jessica Peterson had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Irish trailed 12-9 late in the first quarter — then they caught fire.
Notre Dame went on a 27-5 run that finished the first quarter and consumed most of the second to grab a 19-point lead.
Miles, who twisted her left ankle late in the first quarter, came back and looked strong while rolling up 13 first-half points along with eight rebounds before the break. Hidalgo had 10 points at the break.
Notre Dame will be on the road for its next three games — Boston College (Thursday night), Virginia Tech (Jan. 30) and Louisville (Feb. 2).
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