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Notre Dame had all the parts to compete with Syracuse.

Cassandre Prosper matched Uche Izoje as a dominant rim runner. Gisela Sanchez could test Sophie Burrows from beyond the arc. Iyana Moore could level Laila Phelia from the elbow. And Hannah Hidalgo, well, forget about her. No one matches her.

This was it. One final chance for the Orange to get that much-anticipated second Quad 1 win. But the four players mentioned above wouldn’t make it easy. And they certainly didn’t, handing SU a 72-62 loss, its sixth Quad 1 defeat of the year.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (21-7, 11-6 Atlantic Coast) 10-point loss at Notre Dame (19-9, 11-6 ACC) Thursday evening:

Eyes on No. 3

Felisha Legette-Jack refrains from calling opposing players by their names. If she does, it means she’s fallen in love with their game. On Wednesday, Legette-Jack named Prosper “eight.” Sanchez was “30.” But Hidalgo was “Hidalgo.” She was always going to be in the spotlight. She showed why early.

Through five minutes, Hidalgo’s two points, two rebounds, one block and one steal pushed Notre Dame to a 9-6 lead. She’s a near-impossible player to match, with her 24.9 points ranking third in the nation and her 5.6 steals leading the NCAA. Syracuse had to keep its attention on her at all times.

She ran rim-to-rim after forcing her second steal of the evening on Journey Thompson and converted a layup to put the Fighting Irish ahead 13-12 as the first quarter waned. SU found ways to match ND, but one way or another, Hidalgo would emerge.

She did at the end of the first frame, scoring six points in the last two and a half minutes to give Notre Dame a three-point advantage. With Hidalgo leading the way, the Fighting Irish’s lead grew to seven points in the second quarter. Although SU battled back to force a five-point halftime deficit, Hidalgo had 14 points, four rebounds and four steals.

Hidalgo started the second half with two boards and a layup in the first four minutes. Amid a 10-minute field goal drought for SU, Notre Dame took a 10-point lead. Though Syracuse got back within seven points, Hidalgo stripped the ball from Hawkins midway through the third quarter for her fifth steal.

Hidalgo finished with seven fourth-quarter points, resulting in her game-high 27 points. She did what Legette-Jack expected of her all game, but the Orange still had no answers.

Put it in the paint

Against a high-octane offense like Notre Dame’s, Syracuse had to play to its strengths. It’s a non-negotiable. So that meant SU had to attack the paint. Syracuse ended Thursday’s matchup with 36 points in the paint.

The Orange scored 12 of their first 16 points inside. As Notre Dame looked to Hidalgo — the six-time ACC Player of the Week — Syracuse searched for Izoje, who’s earned seven ACC Rookie of the Week awards.

At first, it worked. The Fighting Irish took a slim three-point lead into the second quarter, a reasonable start for a Syracuse team that’s recently crumbled in first quarters. SU was 0-for-5 from 3 in the first frame, so it had to rely on 2s.

While Notre Dame shot a horrid 0-for-8 clip from 3 through 20 minutes, Syracuse wasn’t much better at 2-for-9. But the game took place inside the paint, where the Fighting Irish outscored SU 24-22 in the first half. Izoje had six points and six boards, while Prosper had 10 and five.

Both teams went right back to the key in the second half, with ND’s Malaya Cowles turning the ball over inside before Hawkins matched it with a miss to start the third quarter. Prosper got on the board first with a putback layup before Hidalgo ran crosscourt for another bucket inside.

Izoje finally ended a 10-minute field goal drought with a fadeaway jumper from inside the key, but SU wouldn’t score in the paint again until 1:20 to go in the third quarter, when the Nigerian added another bucket.

Dominique Darius and Phelia combined for six more points inside with just five minutes remaining in the game. But at that point, Notre Dame’s lead had stretched back out to eight, and therefore, Syracuse began to look to the perimeter but couldn’t hit.

Scott gets the start

Over the last month, it seemed as though Legette-Jack had found her lineup. There were the undisputed four in Darius, Phelia, Burrows and Izoje. And Hawkins’ 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds were exactly what SU needed from her. But for the first time since Syracuse’s loss to North Carolina on Jan. 25, Hawkins was replaced in the starting five.

Keira Scott, who’d scored just 2.8 points in 9.2 minutes per game, made her first start of the year. She’d scored in double figures just once and nabbed five-plus rebounds twice. So what did Legette-Jack see in her?

Maybe she’d done something in practice to give her an edge over Hawkins. Maybe Hawkins lacked confidence, though it was unlikely after a big boost in her second season. But whatever Scott had on Hawkins didn’t translate to the game.

Through one half, Scott was 0-for-1 from the field in seven minutes, while Hawkins recorded two points, two assists and a rebound in 10 minutes. Scott’s first-half performance wasn’t enough for Legette-Jack to insert her back in until 7:26 left in the fourth quarter.

Hawkins started the third quarter but continued to struggle to find a rhythm. Finally, with 5:38 to go in the frame, she hit her first 3-point attempt of the year to bring the Orange within seven. But Hawkins’ glory didn’t last long, with Hidalgo stripping the ball from her on SU’s next possession.

With just 10 minutes to go, Hawkins had five points in 18 minutes. Scott added zero points with one personal foul. Neither scored again, but it poses an intriguing question: who will Legette-Jack go with as tournament play begins?

Syracuse’s 3rd-quarter run

Syracuse looked out of it. Nothing was going its way, and Notre Dame’s lead had grown to 10. Five minutes and 57 seconds remained in the third quarter, and the Fighting Irish were in control. If they’d played how they had for the previous two and a half quarters, they’d likely blow their lead open.

But, instead, they quieted down. And as they did, the Orange ignited. Syracuse finished the third quarter on a 13-4 run, even taking its first lead since 3:28 to go in the first half with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.

Hawkins opened the run with her first 3-point attempt — and make — of the year. Phelia followed with four straight free throws after Hidalgo and Moore fouls. A Hidalgo layup halted the unanswered run, but Izoje then nailed two free throws after a Cowles turnover and Hidalgo’s second foul.

All of a sudden, Syracuse trailed by three. Then, it trailed by one with an Izoje layup, her sixth point of the quarter. Forty-seven seconds later, SU jumped in front after a Prosper missed jumper. Izoje hauled in the rebound, finding Phelia to put the Orange ahead.

Although Notre Dame’s lead returned in the fourth quarter, Syracuse’s third-quarter run was an encouraging sign. While it didn’t last the entire game, it proved SU has what it takes to compete with the nation’s top squads — even if it’s just for a few minutes.

Published on February 26, 2026 at 9:08 pm
Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_