This was always a deceptive game on paper ― New Year’s Day, on the road, sub .500 opponent.
That doesn’t excuse No. 18 Notre Dame women’s basketball’s 95-90 overtime loss to Georgia Tech Thursday. Especially not when junior Hannah Hidalgo goes for 26 points, 10 assists and eight steals, or when senior Cass Prosper goes for 19 points and 10 rebounds.
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The fact is, no matter what your opponent’s record is (Yellow Jackets are now 6-9), it’s tough to consistently play six players and be successful. When junior KK Bransford went down with a right knee injury December 11, the Irish’s already lacking depth was bound to be exposed at some point.
Notre Dame didn’t need much firepower vs. opponents like James Madison, Bellarmine or Pittsburgh, beating each by at least 13 points, but going six deep finally caught up to the Irish New Year’s Day against the Yellow Jackets.
Hidalgo, who averages 25.5 points and 6.1 steals per game, played 44 of the 45 minutes against Georgia Tech. While she still looked like the best player on the court even when Yellow Jackets sophomore Talayah Walker dropped 33 points and 10 rebounds, Hidalgo was slow to get up after crashing to the floor on two separate occasions.
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And yet, she shook both instances off and didn’t leave the floor. In years past, or maybe even earlier this season, Notre Dame could’ve afforded to sub her out for a quick breather. Not in 2026.
“My team needs me, simple as that,” Hidalgo said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m getting beat up or on the floor. I’m small, so I expect that throughout the whole game.”
Prosper also sat for most of the fourth quarter with four fouls, putting her at risk of fouling out. Grad transfers Vanessa de Jesus, Malaya Cowles and Iyana Moore played their most minutes of the season.
Fellow grad transfer Gisela Sanchez earned the start and played 24 minutes just three days after missing Notre Dame’s 94-59 win over Pittsburgh Monday, December 29 due to illness.
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The Irish’s lack of post presence cost them again as Georgia Tech outrebounded them 42-36 and outscored them in the paint 52-40. Even with Notre Dame finishing with a 14-11 offensive rebounding advantage.
The biggest issue for the Irish was a lost identity on defense. Their 19 forced turnovers are less than their 23.5 per game average, and allowing 95 points to a Yellow Jackets offense that previously averaged 66.4 is not up to the standard head coach Niele Ivey has preached all season.
Granted, the Yellow Jackets earned an extra five minutes to do so, but their 95 points is the most Notre Dame has allowed all season. That includes in a 39-point loss to No. 6 Michigan.
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It was evident out of the gate that Georgia Tech was not going to make it as easy for Notre Dame as it may have looked, holding a lead until 4:23 left in the second quarter. By halftime, the Irish led by three and their biggest lead grew to 14 points midway through the third period.
From the point Notre Dame led 51-37, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Irish 58-39. The unranked loss ended up being Notre Dame’s first since November 30, 2024 vs. Utah, and it was its first unranked Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) loss since February 8, 2024.
“Didn’t feel like we came out ready to play today; It’s my job to get this team ready,” Ivey said. “We never adjusted to putting more pressure on them defensively … We did a poor job of containing the ball.”
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This will end up most likely being Georgia Tech’s best win of the 2025-26 season, and Notre Dame must do its best to make sure it doesn’t suffer one worse. The Irish (10-3, 2-1 ACC) stay on the road for another tough ACC game vs. Duke (8-6, 3-0 ACC) Sunday, January 4 at noon.
After that, they should find recluse in a home game vs. Boston College (4-12, 0-3 ACC) Thursday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. before a three-game stretch against ranked opponents with No. 16 North Carolina, No. 13 Louisville and No. 1 UConn.
“It’s on to the next ― we can’t sit and mope,” Hidalgo said.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
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This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Georgia Tech shocks Notre Dame women’s basketball on New Year’s Day
