Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey reflected on the “special moment” she shared with her team after the Fighting Irish claimed the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time since 2019.
The ranking was announced ahead of Notre Dame’s 64-49 win over No. 11 Duke on Monday, extending the team’s winning streak to 18 games and improving its record to 23-2 overall and 14-0 in the ACC. Despite the excitement surrounding their top ranking, Ivey emphasized the importance of staying focused.
“Then, I was like, ‘Okay, game.’ You can feel it for a second and then realize there’s a big task ahead of you. But that’s a special moment I’ll always have with this team,” Ivey said in the post-game press conference.
The Fighting Irish surged in the second half, outscoring Duke 21-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game. Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo led the way with 19 points, while Sonia Citron added 15 points and seven rebounds.
Notre Dame women’s basketball secures high-ranking seed
Notre Dame’s defense played a crucial role in the win, forcing 11 second-half turnovers and holding Duke to just 22 points after halftime. The Blue Devils struggled offensively, shooting 32% from the field after making five of their first six attempts.
The Fighting Irish also received a boost before tipoff when the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee revealed its initial top 16 rankings, listing Notre Dame as a No. 1 seed and No. 4 overall. If the season ended today, the team would be placed in the Spokane Regional rather than the more geographically convenient Birmingham Regional.
Notre Dame will look to maintain its top ranking with four games remaining in the regular season. The team heads to Miami on Thursday before facing another test at NC State on Sunday.
With championship aspirations in mind, Ivey stressed the need for continued growth.
“It’s definitely an honor to be the nation’s top team, but we are just focused on getting better every day,” she said, as reported by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press.
Notre Dame will next face Miami in Florida on Thursday.
Reporting from Curt Rallo of the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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