By CURT RALLO Associated Press

The Wolfpack, ranked 6th, defeated the Fighting Irish, ranked 16th, with a score of 59-43 thanks to 16 points from Madison Hayes and a strong defensive performance on Thursday evening in South Bend, Indiana.

The Wolfpack limited Notre Dame to their lowest score of the season and also contained the third highest scorer in the country, Hannah Hidalgo, to a personal low of 10 points on 4-for-19 shooting.

The lowest score Notre Dame has achieved this season was 57 points, which occurred in a 61-57 defeat against North Carolina on January 7th. This marks the fewest points scored by the Fighting Irish since their 64-38 loss to Louisville in the previous ACC Tournament.

River Baldwin scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Saniya Rivers added 10 points and 10 rebounds for N.C. State.

Maddy Westbeld was the top scorer for Notre Dame with 14 points, while Sonia Citron contributed 13 points.

The Wolfpack currently holds a record of 22-3 and a conference record of 9-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are currently one game behind Virginia Tech, who holds the top spot in the conference standings.

NC State quickly took control of the game, jumping out to a 16-2 lead in the first quarter. They maintained their dominance and ended the quarter with a 19-7 lead. The Wolfpack defense put pressure on Notre Dame (18-6, 8-5), causing them to miss most of their shots and commit seven turnovers in the early minutes.

N.C. State’s head coach, Wes Moore, commented that playing at this location can be challenging. He acknowledged the skill of their opponent, Notre Dame, and expressed pride in his team’s strong start and assertiveness. He believes this early momentum may have boosted their confidence.

Moore stated that their team will have a busy schedule in the upcoming weeks, facing Georgia Tech, Norht Carolina, Duke, and Syracuse. He believes that their recent win against a tough opponent on the road was a significant accomplishment and sets the tone for the challenging stretch ahead.

Hidalgo, a standout freshman for Notre Dame with a record-setting 11 ACC Rookie of the Week awards, did not score in the first half of her collegiate career for the first time.

Hidalgo, who held the highest scoring average of 25.1 points per game in the ACC, struggled in the first half, missing all nine of his shots and not scoring until the 7:17 mark of the third quarter.

Hayes explained that they observed the player’s preference for driving to the right, so they attempted to encourage her to go towards her left side without committing any fouls. They were simply following the scouting report and acknowledged that Hannah Hidalgo is a highly skilled player, even as a freshman. It would be a mistake to underestimate her scoring abilities.

Ivey, the head coach of Notre Dame, acknowledged N.C. State’s strong defense, but expressed disappointment in her team’s lack of focus and 27% shooting (18 of 67).

Ivey expressed disappointment with our performance at the beginning of the game. She felt that we were not mentally prepared and lacked motivation throughout the entire game. She acknowledged the strength of N.C. State as a team, but was disappointed in our lack of effort and fight. It was unusual for only two players to score in the first half.

Westbeld scored 12 points while Citron had six.

Westbeld blamed herself.

Westbeld admitted to a deficiency in leadership and took responsibility for it. She acknowledged that it is her responsibility to ensure her team is prepared and that the smaller details are attended to. She also acknowledged the need to hold herself and her teammates accountable.

BIG PICTURE

The Wolfpack of North Carolina State secured their fourth straight victory on the road as they aim to secure a double-bye in the upcoming ACC tournament.

The Notre Dame basketball team, known as the Fighting Irish, showed improvement in their rebounding skills. They were able to out-rebound their opponents, North Carolina State, with a total of 47 rebounds to their 40, and also scored 13 second-chance points compared to their opponent’s 7.

UP NEXT

On Sunday, North Carolina State will be hosting Georgia Tech.

Notre Dame will be playing against Duke on Monday.

Source: wralsportsfan.com