Hannah Hidalgo’s clutch game-winner delivered No. 24 Notre Dame a comeback victory over No. 11 USC

7 hours ago7 min read3 comments

In a game that felt like it was ripped straight from a Hollywood script, Hannah Hidalgo cemented her status as a walking bucket with a cold-blooded game-winner that delivered No. 24 Notre Dame a stunning 61-59 comeback victory over No.11 USC. Forget the rankings; this was a pure, unadulterated March Madness-level thriller happening in November, a testament to the electric state of women's college basketball.The entire contest was a heavyweight fight with eight lead changes and nine ties, a back-and-forth affair where neither team could land a knockout blow until the final seconds. With the game deadlocked and the clock bleeding down, Hidalgo went into her bag, isolating against USC's formidable Kennedy Smith.What followed was a masterclass in clutch gene. Despite Smith playing textbook, in-your-jersey defense, Hidalgo created just enough space to get her shot off, the ball ripping through the net with less than two ticks left, sending the home crowd into an absolute frenzy.The drama wasn't over, though. USC's ensuing inbound play turned into a nightmare, as Cassandre Prosper, the unsung hero, read the pass like a book and came up with the game-sealing steal, putting a defiant exclamation point on a win that looked improbable just a quarter earlier.Hidalgo finished with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds, the undeniable alpha, while Vanessa de Jesus provided crucial support with 13 points. For the Trojans, Kara Dunn was spectacularly efficient, dropping 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, but the story for them was the struggle of their prized freshman, Jazzy Davidson.While she stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points and eight boards, her eight turnovers were a glaring issue, a telling stat in a game decided by the slimmest of margins. The Irish defense was the unsung hero, switching between zone and man with disruptive effect, forcing USC into a crippling 21 turnovers and holding them to single digits in the pivotal fourth quarter.For USC, this loss exposes some early-season concerns; relying so heavily on a freshman in high-leverage moments is a gamble, and getting a shocking zero points from a veteran like Londynn Jones in 13 minutes is a hole too deep to climb out of against a top-tier opponent. This wasn't just a win for Notre Dame; it was a statement. In a sport where guard play is king, Hannah Hidalgo just announced she's ready for the throne, delivering a performance that will be on her highlight reel for years to come and proving that in South Bend, they've got a star who isn't afraid of the moment.

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