Hidalgo’s 31-point triple-double leads Notre Dame past Vanderbilt
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo had 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and the assist on the go-ahead bucket in the final minute, leading Notre Dame to a 67-64 victory over higher-seeded Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
The junior sparkplug made a leaping grab between two defenders and fed a bounce pass to Cassandre Prosper under the basket for a two-point lead with 22 seconds to go.
The sixth-seeded Fighting Irish (25-10) advanced to the Elite Eight in March Madness for the first time since 2019 in a matchup of two of the top three scorers in Division I, Hidalgo and Mikayla Blakes.
Notre Dame will play either top-seeded and undefeated UConn or North Carolina in the Fort Worth Regional 1 final Sunday.
Blakes, the national scoring leader, rallied from a rough shooting start to finish with 26 points for Vanderbilt, but lost the ball out of bounds on the dribble after Prosper’s go-ahead shot, then missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
The No. 2 seed Commodores (29-5) were in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
In a game full of big plays from Hidalgo as she set an NCAA single-season record for steals, the biggest didn’t have anything to do with the categories in her unusual triple-double, the third of her career. Although it did lead to her team-leading seventh assist.
FORT WORTH 1 REGIONAL
NO. 1 UCONN 63, NO 4. NORTH CAROLINA 42
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Sarah Strong had 21 points and 10 rebounds as defending national champion UConn overwhelmed North Carolina, sending the Huskies to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the 30th time.
Strong, a sophomore forward, is a North Carolina native and AP All-American alongside teammate Azzi Fudd. Strong made four consecutive field goals in a two-minute span right after Blanca Quiñonez put UConn (37-0) ahead to stay with a layup early in the second quarter.
Quiñonez scored 16 points and Fudd had 10 for the Huskies, who are seeking their 13th national championship. They extended their overall winning streak to 53 games.
Indya Nivar had 20 points for fourth-seeded North Carolina (28-8), which hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 since 2014, which was 20 years after its only national title.
SACRAMENTO 2 REGIONAL
NO. 1 UCLA 80, NO. 4 MINNESOTA 56
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Kiki Rice scored 21 points and Lauren Betts added 16 to help UCLA beat Minnesota.
UCLA led 34-29 at the half before outscoring Minnesota 19-12 in the third quarter to take a double-digits advantage the Bruins wouldn’t relinquish.
The Golden Gophers (24-9) were making their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005. They were led by Grace Grocholski with 12 points. Sophie Hart added 11.
NO. 3 DUKE 87, NO. 2 LSU 85
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted Duke to a win over LSU.
Jackson’s shot from the wing right in front of Duke’s bench rolled around the rim before dropping in, setting off a wild celebration by the Blue Devils. She caught the ball on the wing and after faking LSU defender Flau’Jae Johnson put up the shot.
Duke (27-8) will face top-seeded UCLA in the Elite Eight of Sacramento 2 Region on Sunday. The Bruins beat Minnesota in the other regional semifinal.
LSU (29-6) had rallied from an 11-point deficit to go ahead on two free throws by Mikaylah Williams with 9.2 seconds left.
Taina Mair missed a 3-pointer from the corner with 5 seconds left. The ball went out of bounds off an LSU player with 2.6 seconds left, setting up the fantastic finish.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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