LOS ANGELES — Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and No. 6 Notre Dame defeated JuJu Watkins and No. 3 USC 74-61 on Saturday in a marquee matchup on the West Coast.
Watkins and the Trojans (4-1) fell behind early and were down 21 points in the fourth quarter. She had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists.
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Hidalgo came out shooting well, hitting 5 of 8 from the floor in the first quarter and had 16 points at the break. She added six rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo’s backcourt mate, Olivia Miles, added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Fighting Irish (5-0).
Even though Hidalgo outshone her, Watkins’ imprint was all over the game. A documentary about her life aired on NBC leading into the nationally televised game.
A buzz arose when Snoop Dogg walked in shortly before tipoff wearing a jacket in USC colors with Watkins’ name and number on the front and back. Her sister, Mali, sang the national anthem.
The takeaway
Notre Dame: The Irish struck quickly, racing to a 20-10 lead in the opening quarter. Even after cooling off a bit, they never trailed and stayed poised when the Trojans pulled within three in the second and third quarters.
USC: The Trojans were without starting guard Kennedy Smith, whose defense on Hidalgo would have proved valuable. The school announced shortly before tipoff that she had a surgical procedure and will return at some point this season.
Key stats
Notre Dame’s defense forced the Trojans into 21 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Irish. Watkins, Kaleigh Heckel and Talia von Oelhoffen had five each. USC was just 1 of 13 from 3-point range
Up next
Notre Dame: Vs. TCU in the Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 29.
USC: Vs. Seton Hall in the Women’s Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Nov. 27 in Palm Desert, Calif.