On Tuesday, against Detroit Mercy, the Fighting Irish took control early, scoring 22 consecutive points to open the game and accounting for 32 of the contest’s first 36 points. The 108-60 win ultimately pushed their regular-season record to 3-0.
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This means that in its first three games of the season, Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by 155 points. This ranks as the fourth-largest scoring margin over a three-game span in Atlantic Coast Conference history, per ESPN Insights.
Notre Dame has started its season with wins over Villanova and Stonehill, led by Hannah Hidalgo’s ACC-best 29.5 points per game. The Fighting Irish defeated Villanova in Rome, Italy, behind Hidalgo’s 32 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. In Friday’s victory against Stonehill, Hidalgo recorded 27 points, six rebounds, and 10 steals, surpassing 2,500 career points to become the sixth player in ACC history to reach the milestone.
Against Detroit, Hidalgo scored 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the win. She converted 7 of 13 field goals and 8 of 8 free throws, and a third-quarter foul shot marked the 564th free throw of her career, breaking Skylar Diggins’ program record.
Six players for the Fighting Irish finished the game in double figures. Notre Dame shot 59.4 percent from the field and scored 62 points in the paint. ACC Freshman of the Week Jacy Abii posted 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks.
Additionally, Madison St. Rose scored a season-high 19 points and added seven rebounds. Leah Macy scored 17 points and grabbed five steals, and reserve Jenica Lewis added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and chipped in with two three-pointers.
Notre Dame’s defense held Detroit Mercy to 31.4 percent shooting and a four-point first quarter. Center Anaya Hardy posted a career-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and one block in 24 minutes. The 6-foot-3 Detroit native graduated from Renaissance High School, just three miles from the Detroit Mercy campus.
However, in stark contrast to Hidalgo, Hardy converted only one of her six free-throw attempts. She dropped to 2-of-15 (13%) for the season. During her previous two years at Louisville, she recorded a 36 percent conversion rate from the foul line.
However, she hopes to get better from the foul line going forward.
“Just keep getting more comfortable on the floor,” Hardy said. “And getting these free throws together is probably the biggest thing.”
Maybe, Hardy can also adopt a pre-free-throw ritual like Hidalgo?
Hidalgo Reveals Her Free Throw Ritual
Hannah Hidalgo’s improvement from the free-throw line has been quite noticeable. Hidalgo has already converted 20 of 22 attempts from the free-throw line this season, recording a 91 percent success rate. It seems that there is a deliberate ritual behind it all, and it all started with Sonia Citron.
“It actually started with Sonia Citron,” Hidalgo said while explaining her pre-shot routine. “Going to her and grabbing her hands, because Sonia was our calm presence. I’m like, ‘Whatever you’ve got, Sonia, give that to me.’ I used to grab her hands, and then it helped. So, I just kept it going.”
It’s a good sign that Hidalgo has adopted the positives from Citron’s game. It will only help this team push for a deeper run in this year’s tournament.
“Lord willing, we’re just dominant,” Hidalgo said, per On3.com. “I expect this team to be really dominant. We’re talented, and we have a deep bench, and I hope that we continue to grow. There’s still a lot of growth, and that’s the good thing.
“We haven’t reached our ceiling yet. The sky’s the limit for us, and so hopefully we continue to grow, and we continue to improve, and that’s what I expect from this team. And I think we will because everybody’s a sponge, and everybody’s picking up everything fast.”
Notre Dame faces a tough schedule starting Nov. 26, when they play the No. 24-ranked West Virginia at Imperial Arena in The Bahamas. Then, on Dec. 3, they play the No. 8-ranked Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, TN. After playing Florida State on Dec. 6, the Fighting Irish play the No. 4-ranked UConn on Dec. 9 at the Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana.