Hannah Hidalgo cements her star status in Notre Dame's Sweet 16 win over Vanderbilt, Mikayla Blakes: 'Do whatever it takes'
Hannah Hidalgo was a defensive menace and offensive force as she led Notre Dame to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2018.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The most terrifying sound when playing Notre Dame is the footsteps of the smallest player on the court. The quickening booms of a rushing 5-foot-6 tornado hurry a ball handler. They send the mind into overdrive.
The mental spiral starts. Time condenses. Until it fully collapses under the pressure of Hannah Hidalgo, the defensive menace who lifted the weight off sixth-year head coach Niele Ivey and the Notre Dame program.
For the first time since 2018, the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish danced into the Elite Eight with a 67-64 win over No. 2 Vanderbilt in the Fort Worth 1 regional at Dickies Arena on Friday. Vanderbilt heard too many footsteps too often, reacting poorly at both perceived and real approaches.
The Commodores turned it over 10 times in the first quarter alone and a season-high 23 by the final buzzer. Not even dominating the boards could save them. Nor could their National Player of the Year contender.
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