Irish go to Chapel Hill and beat #17 North Carolina

Another double-digit ranked win for Ivey’s squad

Notre Dame looks like an unstoppable force right now, and it’s a real head-scratcher that they have lost any games this season. The Irish went down to Chapel Hill for an ACC matchup against the #17 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, and Niel Ivey’s squad turned in another double-digit win over a top 25 opponent.

No. 3 Irish Earned Double-Digit Road Win Over No. 17 UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — That’s four double-digit ranked wins for the Irish.

On Sunday, No. 3 Notre Dame (12-2, 3-0) earned a hard-fought 76-66 victory over No. 17 North Carolina (13-3, 1-2). It is the first win in Chapel Hill since 2017 and avenges back-to-back losses from the previous two seasons.

The stars were out for Notre Dame, as Hannah Hidalgo paced the game with 24 points. Olivia Miles had five 3-pointers, a career-high, finishing with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Miles entered this season with a lifetime 3-point percentage of 24.6. She is shooting 47.8 percent from downtown this year.

“Truthfully, it’s been my confidence,” Miles said of the improvement in her shooting from beyond the arc. “I feel like before I got hurt, I was thinking too much when I shot the ball, teams were going under me, I was just in my head,”

“Being injured, you look at things so differently. Not everything matters [as much]. You miss a [3-pointer], it doesn’t matter. I used to hang on to those misses so much, and it would make me miss more. Now I have the mindset to just let it fly.”

In keeping with the air attack theme, it started early. The Irish had averaged 11.5 triples per game over their last four games, and Notre Dame went 5-8 from downtown in the first quarter. Hidalgo and Miles each had a pair and scored Notre Dame’s first 12 points of the game.

Hidalgo started Q2 with another triple and completed the first 4-point play for the Irish since 2015. The visitors then started to heat up, making five of six shots in a stretch midway through the second quarter. UNC was 2-10 during that stretch.

The Irish ended the half 8-12 from the floor from deep. They entered the game averaging 8.6 made treys per game this season. Liatu King had 11 first-half boards, giving her double-figure boards in every game this season with the exception of the JMU game, which she left early due to a concussion.

UNC’s halftime adjustments showed early, as the Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run to start the half before Liza Karlen hit a jumper and a triple, her first 5 points of the game.

UNC won the third quarter 24-19, but the Irish carried a 61-52 lead into Q4. Cassandre Prosper was quietly Notre Dame’s leading scorer with 7 points in the frame. The attack became more balanced as the game went on. Karlen led the Irish with 9 points in the second half.

In total, Notre Dame had 20 second chance points, tying a season-high. The Irish went 13-21 from deep (61.9). UNC entered the game with the top 3-point defense in the league (23.8).

Also of note, Notre Dame played with Maddy Westbeld for the first time this season. She played 13 minutes and had a rebound, a block and a steal.

“We’re just trying to get her comfortable,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said. “She’s done a phenomenal job getting herself ready, so kudos to Coach [Carlos] Knox and our performance team on getting her ready and strong.

“Every game she will get more comfortable and be able to play more minutes.”

The Irish are back in action on Thursday against Wake Forest. The game is at 5 p.m., which is a change from the previous 7 p.m. scheduling due to Notre Dame football’s Orange Bowl game against Penn State.