Duke women’s basketball holds off Notre Dame, headed to ACC championship

DULUTH, GA — No. 1 seed Duke held off No. 5 Notre Dame, 65-63, in the ACC semifinals on Saturday.

‘Let’s go!’ Blue Devils guard Taina Mair said with a flex as the Blue Devils walked off the court following a down-to-the-wire win over the Fighting Irish.

Duke advances to the ACC Tournament championship for the second season in a row after stopping Notre Dame three times on the final possession of the game. The Blue Devils will play the winner of the second semifinal, No. 3 UNC vs. No. 2 Louisville, at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Blue Devils defense saved them when it counted most. Duke crashed the glass with 47 rebounds, forced 14 turnovers and had nine steals, making life tough for Notre Dame. Duke finished with three scorers in double-figures and shot 40% from the field. Taina Mair had 16 points and eight rebounds and Toby Fournier 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Hannah Hidalgo had a game-high 24 points to lead all scorers. Unfortunately, her Herculean effort, even hitting a massive pull-up transition 3-pointer with seconds left, wasn’t enough.

Notre Dame struggled to move the ball against Duke and couldn’t string enough possessions to pull off the upset. The Fighting Irish finished shooting just 38% from the floor.

Duke making a fourth-quarter push vs. Notre Dame

With just four minutes remaining in regulation, No. 1 seed Duke has scraped and clawed its way back to take the lead 59-56 with a chance to advance to the ACCA Tournament championship on the line. Still, Notre Dame isn’t going away. It’s gotten late contributions from Vanessa De Jesus and Cassandre Prosper to keep the Fighting Irish within an arm’s reach.

Third quarter: Notre Dame 49, Duke 46

Notre Dame held Duke to just eight points in the third quarter despite seven different players scoring throughout the matchup. The Blue Devils are shooting 37% after shooting 25% in the period. Duke also had six turnovers, giving Notre Dame 12 points from those turnovers.

Notre Dame hits back-to-back 3-pointers to take lead vs. Duke

Notre Dame’s Vanessa De Jesus and KK Bransford hit huge 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter to take a one-point lead over Duke, 41-40, at the 6:20 mark. It was just the Fighting Irish’s second and third made 3-pointers of the game.

Halftime: Duke 38, Notre Dame 31

Duke hasn’t been afraid to shoot the ball as it rides a seven-point lead into halftime. The Blue Devils are shooting 40% on 42 shots. Most of that work has been done in the paint (28 points). Duke has only made two of its 10 shots from deep. What’s keeping Duke ahead is the team’s defense, with 10 fastbreak points and seven steals.

Notre Dame has tried to keep pace with Duke by also shooting 40% from the field, but has found itself in foul trouble. The Fighting Irish can’t seem to get away from giving Duke and-1 opportunities. What’s more, starter Malaya Cowles has three fouls already and has only played 12 minutes. She did not score in her time on the court. Something else to keep an eye on: Notre Dame only has 1 assist to Duke’s 12 through the first half.

Hannah Hidalgo leads all scorers with 13 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Duke turning transition defense into offense

The Blue Devils’ defense is causing several issues for Notre Dame. Midway through the second quarter, Notre Dame has nine turnovers. Duke has scored eight points from the giveaways. The Blue Devils also have six steals.

First quarter: Duke 17, Notre Dame 11

Duke got out to a fast start, forcing Notre Dame to scramble defensively. However, the Fighting Irish eventually settled in to cut the Blue Devils’ once 10-point lead down to as little as two. Duke finished the quarter by adding to its lead, behind six points from Toby Fournier.

The Blue Devils are shooting 42% from the field with five turnovers. Notre Dame is led by Iyana Moore, who has nine points. The Fighting Irish are shooting 25% from the field with six turnovers.

Notre Dame responds to Duke’s run with quick points

Notre Dame finally got on the board with some quick scoring from Iyana Moore (7 points) and Hannah Hidalgo (4 points). The Fighting Irish cut into Duke’s lead, closing the score gap, 15-11.

Duke adds to scoring with 10-0 vs. Notre Dame

Duke opened the contest with a 10-0 run, forcing four Notre Dame turnovers.

Duke opens with a 6-0 run against Notre Dame

Less than two minutes into the contest, Duke scored six points. Taina Mair scored the game’s opening points with a putback basket, and Toby Fournier scored back-to-back layups, forcing a Notre Dame timeout with 8:21 remaining in the first.

Duke and Notre Dame get loose

The Blue Devils and Fighting Irish are preparing for today’s semifinal matchup. Both teams are getting up shots and getting loose as the game draws near.

Duke vs. Notre Dame starting lineups

These are the starting lineups for Duke and Notre Dame women’s basketball.

Duke Blue Devils starting lineup

Head coach: Kara Lawson

Notre Dame Fighting Irish starting lineup

Head coach: Niele Ivey

Duke vs. Notre Dame Rosters

Here are the complete rosters for Duke women’s basketball and Notre Dame.

Duke Blue Devils Roster

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Roster

What time is Notre Dame vs. Duke?

Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: Noon ET
Location: Gas South Arena (Duluth, Georgia)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish play the Duke Blue Devils in the first ACC semifinal game at noon ET Saturday, March 7 at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.