Notre Dame’s season opener offered an early glimpse of how dangerous the Irish could be this season. The No. 13 Fighting Irish pulled away from Villanova for a 99-75 victory at the Eternal City Tip-Off, opening their campaign with a dominant offensive performance as Hannah Hidalgo picked up right where she left off last season.
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The senior guard spearheaded the offensive explosion, leading all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, alongside seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. But alongside her was Leah Macy, who made her collegiate debut after redshirting what was supposed to be her freshman season last year because of her knee injury.
Macy posted 27 points, making 11 of her 14 field-goal attempts. She also contributed 14 rebounds, one assist, and two steals. It was a performance from a player who had been aching to get on the court.
Notre Dame set the tone early, taking a 20–13 lead after the first quarter before stretching the advantage to 45–26 by halftime. Villanova outscored the Irish 27–25 in the third quarter, but Notre Dame maintained its cushion and eventually closed out a 24-point victory.
Apart from Hidalgo and Macy, Madison St. Rose provided another reliable scoring option, connecting on four of seven attempts from three-point range to finish with 17 points. Jacy Abii added 10 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while Jenica Lewis contributed 11 points and four assists.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play their next regular-season game against the Stonehill Skyhawks on Friday, November 6, at 4:00 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana. On paper, it should be a comfortable victory for Notre Dame given the significant gap in talent, division stature, and overall team metrics between the two programs.