No. 17 UNC women's basketball falls 76-66 to No. 3 Notre Dame

The No. 17 UNC women's basketball team (13-3, 1-2 ACC) lost its third ranked matchup of the season against No. 3 Notre Dame (12-2, 3-0 ACC), 76-66, on Sunday afternoon. 

Despite several second half comeback attempts, Notre Dame’s 62 percent shooting on 3-pointers was too much for the Tar Heels to overcome as Notre Dame’s leading scorer Hannah Hidalgo put up 24 points. 

North Carolina came out of the gates swinging. On the first possession of the game, senior center Maria Gakdeng grabbed graduate forward Alyssa Ustby’s missed layup and got the short putback. 

But Notre Dame’s leading scorer Hannah Hidalgo got to work. On the Fighting Irish’s second possession, she hit a short jumper through a foul on sophomore guard Reniya Kelly and drained the foul shot to complete the and-1. 

The Tar Heels struggled to complete short looks early on, but several Notre Dame turnovers kept them in the game. After one such turnover, initiated by graduate guard Lexi Donarski, Ustby dribbled towards the paint then sent a no-look pass back to Donarski on the perimeter, where she drained her second 3-pointer of the night. 

Three 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the quarter put Notre Dame up 20-16 at the break.

Hidalgo continued to punish UNC in the second quarter. Just a minute in she pulled up from the top of the arc and hit her third 3-pointer of night over the close out. 

After her shot, neither team scored for two-and-a-half minutes until Hidalgo hit yet another three and was fouled by Kelly. Where North Carolina lacked inside, the team made up for from midrange and from downtown, but five second quarter turnovers limited their opportunities. 

Shooting 67 percent from beyond the arc, Notre Dame led the game 42-28 at the half. 

The Tar Heels mounted a comeback early in the third. Two Fighting Irish turnovers aided a seven point swing for UNC. The second turnover came when Ustby stuffed Notre Dame at the rim, grabbing the ball and driving down the court. Once she reached the paint, she kicked the ball to Donarski outside, who passed the ball over to Kelly in the corner. Kelly’s 3-pointer swished in to cut the lead to seven. 

Both teams traded baskets for several minutes, and the lead hovered around eight points halfway through the quarter. 

Gakdeng’s presence inside kept UNC in the game, as she drew several fouls under the basket, but the Tar Heels didn’t have an answer for Notre Dame’s shooting from downtown. The score was 61-52 after three quarters. 

Trying yet again to make a comeback, Donarski and first-year guard Lanie Grant hit two quick 3-pointers after a rare miss from Notre Dame to cut the lead back to eight. 

But it was too little too late for North Carolina. 

The Tar Heels will be back in action against rival Duke on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Carmichael Arena. 

@BeckettBrant