SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and Kate Koval finished with 14 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks as No. 6 Notre Dame beat James Madison 92-46 on Wednesday night.
Hidalgo also had six rebounds and four steals for Notre Dame (3-0). The sophomore point guard’s tenacious defense triggered a 25-2 advantage for the Fighting Irish in fastbreak points.
Koval, a 6-foot-5 freshman, helped Notre Dame to a 44-20 advantage in points in the paint. The Irish finished with a 54-43 edge in rebounds.
Olivia Miles scored 16 points and Liatu King and Cassandre Prosper each had 11 in the win. King left the game in the fourth quarter after hitting the floor hard during a battle under the basket.
Kseniia Kozlova had 14 points and 10 rebounds for James Madison (3-1).
Takeaways
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish turned in a dominant defensive effort, but will need to step up their long-range shooting with Southern Cal, Texas and Connecticut on their schedule.
James Madison: The Dukes struggled offensively, particularly in the paint against a talented and tall Notre Dame team. The Dukes’ defensive effort validates its selection as the preseason contender in the Sun Belt Conference.
Key Moment
Hannah Hidalgo swished a 3 after a steal to give Notre Dame a 30-17 lead and snap an 0-for-5 drought from beyond the arc.
Key Stat
Notre Dame blocked nine shots and limited James Madison to 21.7% shooting (15 of 69).
Up next
The Fighting Irish hit the road to play at Lafayette on Sunday, while the Dukes host Gardner-Webb, also on Sunday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
