Hidalgo records her first triple-double in Notre Dame WBB's rout of Broncos
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Asked about her first triple-double 10 games into her college career, freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo responded with a shrug.
Her head coach, Niele Ivey, had a little different response after her freshman guard piled up 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Thursday night’s 84-47 rout of 5-5 Western Michigan at Purcell Pavilion.
“What she's doing is just phenomenal,’’ said Ivey, her 14th-ranked club at 9-1 heading into a 10-day break. “Just, I mean, not just being a freshman, just a basketball player. The way she competes and shows up, her consistency this year has just been phenomenal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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She totaled five steals, one below her nation-leading average, and now has three outings with at least 25 points and five assists, five rebounds and five steals. That’s two more than anyone else in the country.
There’s a lot of leader in her, too.
Her biggest celebration Thursday – a leap and a fist bump – came after former walk-on and crowd favorite Sarah Cernugel’s drive from the top of the key to the bucket with 2:28 to play.
Her reaction to her night?
“God has definitely blessed me with the talent and you know, I'm just having fun, honestly,” she said.
Despite the lopsided score, it was a relatively uneven performance for the Irish, who missed 16 layups, to finish at 45% from the field for the night, and were 12-for-19 (63%) from the free throw line. There were enough defensive lapses to cause problems against a better opponent, but Ivey wasn’t going to quibble.
“It's always a really hard game going into the holiday break,” she said. “I know they won't repeat some of the things that happened today.”
That would be wise with the heavy lifting starting at 10-1 Syracuse on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m.
The Irish got away with a lot Thursday because of their significant edge in height – they finished up 44-24 in points in the paint – and speed.
Off nights, though, don’t play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, where players are bigger, stronger and faster than the players ND faced in the majority of the pre-conference schedule.
And it’s still uncertain – at least to the public – if help is on the way.
Asked if any of the injured starters or rotational players – Sonia Citron, Olivia Miles, Cass Prosper and Emma Risch – would be ready to return against the Orange, Ivey was brief.
“Um, we still have no timetable, but hopefully we can add some of our players,” she said, before discussing facing the Syracuse zone, which figures to present a lot more challenges than the Broncos’ zone defense.
It will certainly help if grad student guard Anna DeWolfe, a 5-8 transfer from Fordham, continues to contribute from the perimeter.
She’s getting more minutes on the floor with Hidalgo, and the comfort level is growing accordingly.
Coming in averaging nine points a game and shooting 33% from the 3-point line (9-for-27), DeWolfe went 5-for-8 on 3s and finished with 17 points to match her best outing in a Notre Dame uniform. She also had three assists and just one turnover in 35 minutes.
“She's meant everything, and she's coming into her own,” Ivey said. “She has done everything that I thought she was going to do – with her leadership, her experience, the way that she can score.
“She plays with an edge. She plays with a chip on her shoulder, and she's just getting more and more comfortable. And I'm just so grateful that she chose to play here. She was my first phone call. I was like, ‘We have to get her. She's a Notre Dame kid.’ The team loves her. She's very unselfish and has an incredible heart.”
Against the Broncos, the focus may have been an issue at times, but the effort was fine.
Notre Dame held a 55-28 edge on the boards, 23-7 on the offensive side.
Senior Kylee Watson had a career-high 12 rebounds, and sophomore KK Bransford matched her career high with nine.
The Irish also had a 19-2 advantage in fastbreak points and limited Western Michigan to 33% shooting, 21% (5-for-24) from the 3-point line.
Senior Maddy Westbeld had 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Irish have built up some nice offensive numbers heading into ACC play, including averaging 90 points a game.
They entered Thursday’s game seventh in the country in field goal percentage, at 50.81, and 10th in rebound margin, at 15.1. They also are seventh in steals at 13.6 and 39th in blocks at 4.8.
All good stats, but it’s a different game in the ACC.
Can the Irish sustain the success with what was basically a six-player rotation against Western Michigan (Becky Obinma played eight minutes and Cernugel three)? They had just two fouls in the first half, and only 10 for the game, but those kinds of games are rare.
“I mean, whoever is available, I'm comfortable with it,” Ivey said about what she faces with a thin lineup. “I know that they're all going to step up whatever that number looks like.
“We'll adjust with our scouting and we’ll adjust with the game-planning, but I'm comfortable – I trust this team – so I'm comfortable with whoever's available. And, luckily, I've had experience (due to past injuries) to pivot depending on who's available.”
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