SOUTH BEND ― Consistency has been what Notre Dame women’s basketball junior Hannah Hidalgo and head coach Niele Ivey have preached all season. Particularly urging the Irish to have more of it.
After beating Miami (11-9, 3-6 ACC) Thursday and leading Clemson 30-25 at halftime Sunday, January 25, it seemed like Notre Dame was finally reaching that goal. It would’ve only been two wins in a row, but it would’ve been the first time the Irish beat back-to-back Power-5 opponents with winning records all season.
It would have been the next step the Irish needed to get back to playing the level of basketball expected of them in one of the most prestigious women’s basketball programs in the country.
Advertisement
The Tigers then erased all of those “woulds” with a 25-9 third quarter, leading to a 65-58 loss for Notre Dame on its home floor.
In the postgame press conference, Ivey tried to take responsibility for the Irish’s shortcomings.
“There’s things I could try to do to try to make them be more accountable and maybe make them be a little more disciplined,” Ivey said.
A few seconds later, once Ivey had finished her response, Hidalgo quickly went to bat for the sixth-year head coach.
“To be clear, it’s nothing that coach Ivey can do to bring a level of toughness to us; this is an individual thing that everybody has to bring consistently,” Hidalgo said. “I think it’s up to us as players ― because this is supposed to be a player-led team ― to bring it out of each other and not rely on coach Ivey or any of the other coaches to bring it out of us.”
Advertisement
More: Follow here for Notre Dame women’s basketball 2025-26 season coverage
Hidalgo has been clear that she is tired of drawing inspiration from losses. She has been clear that she expects nothing less than for Notre Dame to start stacking wins, just as it did her first two seasons in the program.
In her freshman and sophomore years, the Irish won at least 28 games both years and lost a combined 13 games. She tried all she could against Clemson to will the Irish to a victory with 30 points, eight steals and six assists.
Hidalgo’s effort was not enough, but the 20-year-old ― who has publicly made it her mission to become a better leader above all else this season ― showed growth after the loss.
Advertisement
“You wouldn’t look at any other team and they say, ‘We looked at our coach to bring that toughness out of us.’ That’s not a thing, and that’s not what we’re trying to do,” Hidalgo said.
In that third quarter, Hidalgo scored seven of the Irish’s nine points. Yet the more apparent issue was one that has been Notre Dame’s kryptonite all year.
More: No bench, no chance for Notre Dame women’s basketball in this one | Noie
The Tigers grabbed 13 rebounds in comparison to the Irish’s one in the third period. Overall, Clemson won the rebounding battle 40-20. Fourteen of those Tigers rebounds were on the offensive end, leading to a 20-4 disparity in second-chance points.
Advertisement
Of the six players the Irish play consistently, three battled foul trouble Sunday. Still, Ivey said Notre Dame’s issues in the paint boil down to a lack of fire.
“Some of them were just missed boxouts or them making the extra effort to go get the ball,” Ivey said. “I think rebounding is a mindset. It’s an energy, it’s an effort. I felt like they were just tougher on the boards.”
The same thing to which she attributed Clemson’s 16-point third quarter advantage.
“It’s not always all about your offense; you have to get the stops defensively,” Ivey said. “That’s where the toughness part comes in.”
The Irish outscored the Tigers in three of four quarters, but it didn’t matter. Clemson beat Notre Dame (13-7, 5-4 ACC) for the first time since it did so twice in the 2020-21 season, and the Irish failed to defend home court against the Tigers for the first time since 2019.
Advertisement
Clemson (14-7, 5-4 ACC) may lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in fewest points allowed per game with less than 58, but that was no excuse for Notre Dame’s performance to Ivey or Hidalgo.
More: Hannah Hidalgo stars in Notre Dame women’s basketball win over Miami
With a road trip to The Golden State on the horizon next week, playing California (11-9, 2-5) Thursday, January 29 and Stanford (15-5, 4-3 ACC) Sunday, February 1, one of the sports brightest stars knows exactly what the Irish can’t lack if they want to come back to South Bend with their heads held high.
Grit.
“It was nonexistent today,” Hidalgo said.
Advertisement
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.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame women’s basketball lacks consistency, fire in Clemson loss
