No. 2-seed Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball (29-5, 12-3 SEC) traveled to the Fort Worth Regional to face No. 6-seed Notre Dame (25-10, 12-6 ACC) in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 March 27. The matchup was highly anticipated as it would feature two of the best guards in the nation: Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, who average 27 and 25.2 points per game, respectively. The Commodores were looking for their first Sweet 16 win and Elite Eight appearance since 2002.
Vanderbilt got off to a less-than-desirable start, trailing by as much as 12 in the first half of play, amidst an astounding 16 turnovers. It also struggled to find any offensive rhythm or efficiency outside of freshman Aubrey Galvan (13 points) and Blakes (10 points). Meanwhile, Hidalgo had an almost flawless first half of play, coming away with seven steals herself while also adding 16 points.
The Commodores began to heat up in the third quarter, highlighted by three 3-pointers, but the Irish continued to cling to their lead. Vanderbilt did not give up, however, battling back to eventually take the lead in the fourth, which it continued to trade with the Fighting Irish, trailing by two points in the last minute of play.
Ultimately, the ‘Dores came up just short on two-game winner attempts from Galvan, falling to Notre Dame 67-64.
First quarter
Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph went with her usual starting lineup: Blakes, Aubrey Galvan, Justine Pissott, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Sacha Washington.
Hidalgo got the game’s first bucket when she picked the pocket of Galvan and transitioned it into a made layup on the other end of the floor. After the basket, Vanderbilt blanked the Fighting Irish on back-to-back possessions and finally got its first basket on a tough made layup from Washington, who was also fouled and made the and-one. Galvan would soon add two more when she made a pair of free throws. Notre Dame then made it a one-point game on a jumper from Cassandre Prosper and then, after a throwaway pass and missed layup from Blakes, took the lead back on a Hidalgo layup.
Ralph ran her first set of subs: Jada Brown and Aiyana Mitchell at the five-minute mark. However, the ‘Dores had yet to find an offensive rhythm at the first media timeout and even afterward. They turned the ball over six times in 5:20 of gameplay while also going on a 5:28 scoring drought. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish went on an 11-0 scoring run to separate themselves and take a 13-7 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. Vanderbilt finally broke the drought on a pair of free throws from Blakes, but ended the quarter having not made a field goal for the last 7:47 of the quarter until Galvan made a last-second rebound fadeaway shot to bring the ‘Dores within four.
Second quarter
Vanderbilt started the second quarter with a nice defensive stand, featuring not one but two blocks by Pissott. Ralph called a timeout around the seven-minute mark after her defense continued to struggle. However, after the timeout, it was more of the same: Hidalgo came away with two steals that transitioned into buckets, and Notre Dame went up by 10 points. Blakes made a basket while Ralph put in Mitchell and Ava Blak to try to mix up some lineups and look for her team.
However, Vanderbilt trailed by 12 at the five-minute media timeout. The Commodores started to find a resemblance to a rhythm with Black, Galvan, Pissott, Blakes, and Brown on the floor, bringing themselves within six points with just under three minutes remaining. The Vanderbilt run forced Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey to take a timeout, but Vanderbilt continued to roll. Galvan hit consecutive three-pointers to bring her team within two, and the Vanderbilt faithful went wild. But Hidalgo continued to impress, extending her total to 16 points on the game and pushing her team back to a six-point lead at the conclusion of the second quarter.
Third quarter
Galvan continued to impress in the third quarter, missing a 3-pointer but then rushing the basket to grab her own rebound. Mwenentanda then added another triple for the ‘Dores, and so did Brown. However, it failed to limit the Fighting Irish on the resulting defensive stands, and the Irish clung to a six-point lead. After Hidalgo turned the ball over, the game went to the five- minute media timeout. A pair of free throws from Galvan brought the ‘Dores within six, where the score would remain at the end of the quarter.
Fourth quarter
The Commodores and Fighting Irish traded buckets to start the fourth quarter, with Hidalgo making a layup and Blakes promptly making a jumper. When Blakes made a pair of free throws, the ‘Dores pulled within two. But Notre Dame built its lead back to six with a pair of buckets. Blakes had a layup, adding an and-one when she was fouled. Galvan tied the game for the ‘Dores on a 3-pointer and gained a stop, but once again, Hidalgo put the Fighting Irish out front. At the five-minute media timeout, the ‘Dores trailed by just one possession.
After the timeout, Pissott came up with a big block and transitioned it to offense, finding Mitchell for an easy layup under the basket. Mitchell then came up with a block of her own on the other end. On the next defensive stand, Blakes drew a charge, and Galvan just barely missed on a jumper that would have put Vanderbilt ahead. However, the relatively uncontested looks that Vanderbilt had forced Notre Dame to take a timeout.
Following the break, Notre Dame continued its scoring drought. But so did Vanderbilt, until it was broken on a free-throw from Blakes to give the ‘Dores a one-point advantage. After the Fighting Irish got a bucket, Blakes added another on a jumper. Galvan was fouled at half court, making both of her shots to knot the score at 62-apiece. A good defensive stand from the Commodores with the clock winding down resulted in Notre Dame taking a timeout with just 25 seconds remaining on the clock. The Fighting Irish would make a layup on the ensuing possession, and Vanderbilt then took a timeout to draw up a play of its own.
After Vanderbilt inbounded it in its own offensive end, Blakes turned the ball over while driving to the basket to give the Fighting Irish the Ball. Vanderbilt fouled to save time on the clock, sending Prosper to the line, where she would miss one of the two shots, extending her team’s lead to three. The Commodores, once again, took a timeout to draw up a play. On the ensuing inbound for Vanderbilt, Hidalgo knocked the ball out of Galvan’s hands. The freshman took another shot but couldn’t make it as time ran out, spelling a loss for the Commodores 67-64.
With the loss in the Sweet 16, Vanderbilt’s NCAA Tournament run will come to a close in what has been one of the best seasons in the program’s recent history.
