In a clash of Catholic Universities, it was No. 13 Notre Dame who got the best of Villanova, 99-75, from Italy on Sunday morning.
This game was competitive through one quarter of play, but ND pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back.
As expected, Hannah Hidalgo dominated in the team's season opener but the Irish also had two players excel in their first ever game with the blue and gold.
Nothing new here, but Hidalgo did her thing. The senior guard finished with a game-high 32 points and also tallied eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
Higaldo knocked down 11 of her 19 shots from the field, eight of her 10 free throws, and was hands down the best player on the court.
I mentioned in my game preview
that I wasn't sure whether Hidalgo would play primarily point guard or off the ball primarily, but that question was quickly answered. Hidalgo is going to play point guard and was most effective in the pick-and-roll game.
Hidalgo did a great job of not settling for three-pointers -- something she struggled with last year -- and got downhill, attacking the basket or pulling up from mid-range. And when ND is in the halfcourt, that's where Hidalgo is at her best.
She can certainly knock down the open three, but she's at her best when she's trying to score inside the three-point line off the dribble, and she proved that on Sunday against Villanova.
Notre Dame didn't have just one player shine in their Fighting Irish debut, they had two. ND landed Madison St. Rose in the transfer portal out of Princeton, and the shooting guard didn't disappoint in her season debut.
St. Rose finished with 17 points on six of nine shots from the field, including four of seven from three-point range.
St. Rose was known for her shooting skills in the Ivy League, and she did exactly that on Sunday. St. Rose gives ND a much a needed second option on the perimeter and should take some pressure off Hidalgo on the offensive end.
Freshman Leah Macy missed all of last season due to a knee injury she suffered in high school, but she didn't disappoint in her ND debut. Macy finished with a double-double -- 27 points and 14 rebounds -- and looks to be the Irish's go-to option in the paint.
Macy was a highly touted high school recruit and if she stays healthy, could play a vital role in ND making a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Louisville transfer Anaya Hardy made her Notre Dame debut after not playing in ND's exhibition game against Truman State. Hardy started at forward and finished with two points, two rebounds, a steal and a block in 21 minutes of action.
Obviously it's only one game, but so far, so good. The Irish are still at their best in transition, but look to be much better both offensively and defensively in the half court.
And that's crucial for Notre Dame. You can't play fast every second of every game, so being efficient on both ends in the halfcourt set is a must for ND.
The Irish don't play next until Friday, when ND hosts Stonehill in its home opener. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and is viewable via the ACC Network.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as Notre Dame's Women's Hoops Dominates Villanova in Season Opener From Italy .
