Hannah Hidalgo's dominance keys Notre Dame's first-round tourney romp over Fairfield

Junior All-American flirts with a quadruple-double as Irish advance to face Ohio State in second round

Mar. 21, 2026 at 10:12pm

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Hannah Hidalgo was dominant in Notre Dame's 79-60 win over Fairfield in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, flirting with a quadruple-double before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter. Hidalgo finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 steals, setting a new Notre Dame record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game. The win sets up a second-round matchup between Notre Dame and host Ohio State, coached by Hidalgo's former assistant coach Kevin McGuff.

Why it matters

Notre Dame is looking to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament after a 23-10 regular season, and Hidalgo's dominant performance shows the team has the talent to be a bracket disruptor. The second-round matchup against Ohio State will be a highly anticipated game, pitting two top teams and coaches with a history together.

The details

Hidalgo essentially took control of the game early, as Notre Dame rolled past Fairfield, the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the country. The Irish couldn't play zone defense because of Fairfield's 3-point shooting, so 6-3 guard Cass Prosper stepped up with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Vanderbilt transfer Iyana Moore added 18 points with four 3-pointers. Defensively, Notre Dame held Fairfield to 38% shooting and forced 19 turnovers.

  • Notre Dame jumped out to a 36-24 halftime lead.
  • The Irish opened the second half with an 11-2 run to take a 47-26 lead.

The players

Hannah Hidalgo

A junior All-American guard for Notre Dame who flirted with a quadruple-double in the win, finishing with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 steals, setting a new Notre Dame record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game.

Cass Prosper

A 6-3 guard for Notre Dame who stepped up with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, playing a key role in the post with Notre Dame's bigs in foul trouble.

Iyana Moore

A Vanderbilt transfer who added 18 points with four 3-pointers for Notre Dame.

Niele Ivey

The head coach of Notre Dame, who previously served as an assistant coach under Kevin McGuff at Notre Dame, making the second-round matchup against Ohio State an intriguing one.

Kevin McGuff

The head coach of Ohio State, who was an assistant coach at Notre Dame when Niele Ivey played there, making the second-round matchup an intriguing one.

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What they’re saying

“There's not a lot of people out there like her. She's very one-of-a-kind. But we love playing against players who are going to make us make better decisions and challenge us and bring some adversity.”

— Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield coach

“I love my team, and I think it was a great opportunity this year to play inside more and develop my game in that sense. I knew that I was going to get mismatches inside, whichever way that I was going to be used. So, taking advantage of that and then making sure that I can help my teammates whenever I need to do that.”

— Cass Prosper, Notre Dame guard

“What we wanted to do today was punch 'em in the face first. So we want to do the same thing [Monday] and make sure that we take their confidence away from the start. So, that's going to take a lot of defensive intensity.”

— Cass Prosper, Notre Dame guard

What’s next

Notre Dame will face Ohio State in the second round on Monday at a time to be determined. The matchup will pit Niele Ivey against her former assistant coach Kevin McGuff, adding an intriguing storyline to the game.

The takeaway

Hannah Hidalgo's dominant performance shows Notre Dame has the talent to be a bracket disruptor in the NCAA Tournament. The second-round matchup against Ohio State will be a highly anticipated game, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16.