Irish put end to Hokies’ 10-game winning streak

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Freshman Hannah Hidalgo had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 17 Notre Dame beat fifth-ranked Virginia Tech 71-58 on Thursday night.

Virginia Tech (23-5, 143) had its 10-game winning streak snapped, but ended up claiming its first ACC regular-season championship outright as No. 12 North Carolina State defeated No. 19 Syracuse 75-71 in overtime on Thursday. The Hokies won the ACC Tournament crown last season and reached the Final Four.

There was plenty at stake entering the game for both teams as they jockey for post-season advantages. The Hokies were ranked No. 5 in the NCAA reveal earlier in the night. Notre Dame (22-6, 12-5) is just outside of the Top 16 and a chance to host firstand second-round games.

Hidalgo, a 5-6 point guard who leads the ACC in scoring at 23.7 points a game, ignited an uptempo Fighting Irish offense that saw Notre Dame race to an 18-2 advantage in fastbreak points.

“We knew that we needed to have better starts, so I knew that had to start with me,” Hidalgo said. “I knew I had to pick up the pressure and stay locked in.”

Sonia Citron added 21 points and Maddy Westbeld had 19 points for Notre Dame.

Georgia Amoore led Virginia Tech with 20 points. Matilda Ekh and Elizabeth Kitley scored 12 points each. Notre Dame’s physical defensive attack on Kitley held her well below her 23.3 scoring average.

Virginia Tech couldn’t put the brakes on the dangerous Notre Dame transition.

“I feel like this team, when we push pace, we’re at our best,” Notre Dame Coach Niele Ivey said. “I wanted to put a lot of pressure on Virginia Tech. I felt like, even in the zone, I stressed pace in the half court, pace in the full court. I think that’s where our identity lies, with our speed, our ability to have shooters around the floor. All of our guards can get downhill.”

NO. 7 SO. CALIFORNIA 95, ARIZONA 93, 2 OT

TUCSON, Ariz. — Kayla Padilla hit a tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation and made another key three-pointer in the second overtime, lifting No. 7 Southern California to a over Arizona.

The Wildcats (16-13, 8-9) were blown out by USC less than a month ago, but used a big run to take a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans (22-5, 125) fought back despite star freshman sensation JuJu Watkins fouling out, scoring five points in the final 16 seconds to force overtime. Kaitlyn Davis hit a jumper after an offensive rebound and Padilla hit a tying three-pointer with 7.6 seconds left after two more offensive boards.

Neither team could take control until Padilla hit a corner three-pointer to put USC up 92-89 in the second overtime. Helena Pueyo made two free throws with 6.3 seconds left to pull the Wildcats within 94-93 and Rayah Marshall hit 1 of 2 free throws.

Arizona’s Jada Williams had a good look at the buzzer, but her three-pointer clanged off the back of the rim.

NO. 8 UCLA 70, ARIZONA STATE 41

TEMPE, Ariz. — Lauren Betts had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Kiki Rice added 14 points when No. 8 UCLA beat Arizona State.

Rice added seven assists and seven rebounds for the Bruins (23-5, 12-5), who will finish the series between the teams with a 16-game winning streak.

The Bruins conclude the regular season at Arizona on Saturday with a chance to take the No. 2 seed in the Pac12 Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Sun Devils’ 41 points was an opponents’ season low.

Jalyn Brown had 14 points and Trayanna Crisp had 13 points for Arizona State (1118, 3-14), which has lost three in a row.

NO. 9 LSU 80, GEORGIA 54

ATHENS, Ga. — Angel Reese scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and No. 9 Louisiana State beat Georgia for its seventh consecutive win.

LSU (25-4, 12-3) was dominant in the matchup of the league’s No. 1 and No. 14 scoring offenses. The Tigers, who average 88.5 points per game, stretched their lead to 20 points late in the first half over Georgia, which averages 64.3 points.

Halley Van Lith sank four three-pointers and led the Tigers with 18 points.

With the win, LSU clinched the No. 2 seed, behind top-ranked South Carolina, in the SEC Tournament to be played March 6-10 in Greenville, S.C.

Javyn Nicholson led Georgia (12-16, 3-12) with 17 points.

NO. 12 N.C. STATE 75, NO. 19 SYRACUSE 71, OT

RALEIGH, N.C. — Saniya Rivers scored 22 points, including the clinching free throws with 10.9 seconds left in overtime and No. 12 North Carolina State defeated No. 19 Syracuse.

The win gave the Wolfpack a shot at the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament next week and handed Virginia Tech the out-right title. The Orange are assured a top four seed, which means a double-bye in the tournament.

Syracuse finishes the regular season at 13-5, a halfgame ahead of the Wolfpack, who have the tiebreaker. The Wolfpack get the second seed with a win over Wake Forest on Sunday.

Mimi Collins had 15 points for the Wolfpack (24-5), now 7-2 in Top 25 games, and River Baldwin had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Dyaisha Fair scored 21 points for Syracuse (23-6).

NO. 18 UTAH 82, WASHINGTON STATE 67

SALT LAKE CITY — Kennady McQueen scored 22 points to tie a career high, Alissa Pili had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 18 Utah beat Washington State.

McQueen made Utah’s fourth three-pointer of the opening six minutes to take a 21-8 lead. The Utes led by 16 points, 38-22, midway through the second quarter before Washington State scored 12 of the next 14. But McQueen scored the final five points of the half to regain a double-digit lead.

McQueen finished the first half with 15 points and Pili added 12 as Utah built a 45-34 lead after making 7 of 14 from three-point range.

Four Utah players scored during an 11-0 third-quarter run to extend the lead to 6442.

Ines Vieira had 13 points, six assists, and just two turnovers for Utah (21-8, 11-6). Lani White added 11 points and Dasia Young scored 10. McQueen made four of Utah’s 11 three-pointers.

Bella Murekatete led Washington State (17-13, 6-11) with 14 points. Kyra Gardner scored a career-high 13 and Tara Wallack added 11.

NO. 22 LOUISVILLE 70, FLORIDA STATE 55

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sydney Taylor scored 10 of her 16 points in a game-changing run in the second quarter and No. 22 Louisville defeated Florida State.

Kiki Jefferson broke a tie at 24 with consecutive baskets before Taylor hit a free throw and drilled three consecutive three-pointers. By the half, the Cardinals led 43-26 after a 19-2 run.

Louisville can earn a topfour seed and double-bye in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with a win over No. 17 Notre Dame in the regular-season finale on Sunday. The Cardinals, Irish and North Carolina State are all 12-5 in league play.

OHIO VALLEY WOMEN UALR 68, TENNESSEE STATE 46

Despite playing with a depleted roster due to injury and illness, Arkansas-Little Rock got off to a quick start and cruised to a victory over Tennessee State on Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

For the third consecutive game, Jordan Holman led the Trojans in scoring with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The junior made 2 of 3 shots from three-point range and also pulled down seven rebounds.

UALR (11-17, 10-7 Ohio Valley Conference) set the tone early, outscoring the Tigers 18-6 in the first quarter. Faith Lee finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds, while AnneMarie Batista provided a spark off the bench by hitting 3 three-pointers and scoring 13 points.

Tennessee State (9-18, 6-11) was led by Sanaa St. Andre, who scored a team-high 16 points. Zyion Shannon finished with eight points for the Tigers and Diamond Cannon chipped in seven points off the bench.