Hidalgo, No. 6 Notre Dame take over down stretch to beat Cal 73-64 in ACC quarterfinals

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. California Golden Bears - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. California Golden Bears

Mar 7, 2025, 10:08 pm

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- — Hannah Hidalgo scored 25 points and No. 6 Notre Dame took over down the stretch to beat California 73-64 on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Olivia Miles added 14 points and six assists for the second-seeded Fighting Irish (26-4), the tournament's reigning champion. Notre Dame had won the regular-season meeting in a blowout, but trailed by six midway through the third quarter and led by just three with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Lulu Twidale scored 16 points and made four 3-pointers for the seventh-seeded Golden Bears (25-8). Marta Suarez added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Takeaways

California: The Golden Bears opened their first ACC Tournament by beating Virginia in Thursday's second round. That earned them a rematch with the Fighting Irish after losing 91-52 in South Bend nearly a month earlier, and they gave the Irish fits before fading as Notre Dame took over.

Notre Dame: Much like top-seeded and seventh-ranked N.C. State earlier Friday, Notre Dame had a tough grind to push through its tournament opener.

Key moment

Cal led 47-41 midway through the third quarter when the Fighting Irish ran off a 12-0 game-turning run. Miles and Hidalgo combined for 10 in the run, with Miles knocking down a stepback 3-pointer over a defender to put Notre Dame up 48-47 on the way to a six-point lead at the end of the burst.

Key stat

California shot 45.8%, but the Bears committed 28 turnovers that led to 28 points for the Fighting Irish.

Up next

The Fighting Irish advanced to Saturday’s semifinals to play No. 11 Duke, which beat Louisville in Friday's last quarterfinal. The Golden Bears await their NCAA Tournament destination.

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