Notre Dame outlasts Ohio State to end Buckeyes’ season, 83-73

3 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish played an entertaining and thrilling game in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament’s Round of 32, which had stars shining on both ends. Both the Buckeyes and Irish went on double-digit runs at different times throughout the game; however, it was ND who had more moments, as the visiting Irish knocked off the Buckeyes, 83-73.

Both teams’ point guards came into the game as All-Americans, and both Jaloni Cambridge and Hannah Hidalgo showed why on Monday. The Buckeye sophomore finished the game with 41, while Hidalgo exited with 26 in a near-triple-double performance. The difference was that Hidalgo got help with four teammates hitting double-digits, while the younger Cambridge was the only one in scarlet and gray to score 10 or more.

Notre Dame’s victory moves them into the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight year, while the Buckeyes failed to advance to the second round of the tournament for the third straight season, losing at home to lower-seeded teams in all three tournaments. Not only are the two squads traditional Midwest powers, but there are deep and personal ties between the coaching staffs. Ohio State’s Kevin McGuff — and his wife Letitia — coached Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey to a national championship as an Irish player.

Letitia and Ivey have remained close ever since , talking nearly every day. In fact, Ivey is godmother to the McGuffs’ daughter Lily. So not only was a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line in this one, but there were complicated emotions at play as well.