USC (No. 3) became the highest-ranked team to lose so far during the 2024-25 women's college basketball season, falling 74-61 at home to No. 6 Notre Dame. Here's everything you need to know about the biggest game of the season so far:
Hidalgo's star shines brightest in showdown
Notre Dame sophomore star Hannah Hidalgo tied for the game high with 24 points, including 11 after a quarter (USC had 10) and 16 in the first half (no other player had more than six). She added eight assists and five steals, giving her at least 24 points and four steals in four straight games. Star teammate Olivia Miles added 20 points with seven assists and three steals, while the Irish came away with 17 steals as a team.
The Irish jumped out to a 19-8 lead and never gave it back, maintaining a cushion of at least three points the rest of the way. They scored 14 of the first 16 points in the final frame to erase any hope of a USC comeback after leading by seven after both two and three quarters. Notre Dame snapped a seven-game road losing streak against AP top five opponents, earning their first such win since Nov. 2017 at No. 3 South Carolina.
JuJu Watkins led USC with 24 points, though she got off to a slow start with 5 points in the first half on 2-9 FG before scoring 19 after the break on 8-16. Kiki Iriafen added 15 points and eight rebounds, but went 5 for 15 from the field. USC was shorthanded and will be indefinitely after announcing pregame that five-star freshman Kennedy Smith is sidelined following a surgical procedure, though she's expected to return this season.
MORE: Watkins, Hidalgo and Miles were featured in this week's Star Watch
Where do the Irish and Trojans go from here?
USC will travel to nearby Palm Springs for the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, where they'll face Seton Hall on Wednesday followed by Saint Louis on Black Friday. The Trojans return home on Dec. 3 to face Cal Baptist before briefly dipping into Big Ten play for a tough conference opener at No. 23 Oregon on Dec. 7. They'll host Fresno State and Elon after facing Oregon, then wrap up non-conference play with another huge game at No. 2 UConn on Dec. 21.
Notre Dame will be off until Black Friday, when it faces No. 19 TCU in the Cayman Islands Classic. The Irish will finish up that event against Utah next Saturday, then head home for a huge game against No. 4 Texas on Dec. 5. The Irish, like the Trojans, have an upcoming clash with UConn, though Notre Dame's will come at home on in their final notable non-conference test.
MORE: see where Iriafen and Miles were projected to go in the latest WNBA Mock Draft
