It was a matchup everyone had been waiting for, and did it deliver!—just not in the way UConn fans hoped. Notre Dame came in as the No. 8 team and completely outplayed the No. 2 Huskies. The Fighting Irish controlled the game in every aspect, dictating the pace, dominating in the paint, and taking over the three-point line easily. Meanwhile, UConn struggled to keep up for the full 40 minutes, ultimately falling 79-68 in a packed Purcell Pavilion. Coach Geno Auriemma who had expected the tough fight, had a few takeaways.

The energy in the arena was electric, with a sea of green filling the stands and iconic alumni like Marina Mabrey sitting courtside. Even WNBA scouts were in attendance, watching closely. For Notre Dame, this wasn’t just a win; it was a statement. For UConn, however, it marked their third straight loss to the Irish—a streak they hadn’t endured since the 2012-2013 season.

So, what went wrong for the Huskies? Geno Auriemma summed it up in the postgame press conference: “Clawing your way back takes so much life out of you.” While he praised his team for their effort in a tough environment, he didn’t shy away from admitting that their offensive struggles were a huge factor. And he wasn’t wrong.

Notre Dame forced UConn into six turnovers in the first quarter alone. Then for the shooting beyond the arc, the Huskies went zero for 7 in the first half while their opponents soared ahead with 6 of 9. This would leave Geno’s squad 11 points behind before they headed on to the third quarter. So as the HC says, it took everything of the Huskies, who had lost their top scorer Sarah Strong to three personal fouls, to close the gap.

By the end of thrid quarter, Paige-led Huskies had managed to a 53-52 miracle. But that was the extent of it. After Fighting Irish standout Hannah Hidalgo made a 3-pointer in the final seconds, there was no recovering for the Huskies. Paige was being the sole scorer, with second-most points coming from Strong – 14 – who had exited early.

But Notre Dame’s offense was something Geno had excepted and the Huskies still failed to overcome the threat.

UConn Huskies fail to overturn Geno’s fear

The Huskies often looked stuck, unable to stop the Irish from moving the ball around the arc for open shots. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame’s star of the night, was everywhere, scoring 29 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out eight assists.  She made history too, tying Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu for the most games with 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in the last 25 years.

She was one of the big threes Auriemma was cautious against. “I think their three guards are so, so good. They’re so aggressive offensively, they put so much pressure on you,” he had said prior to the game, referring to Hidalgo, Olivia Miles, and Sonia Citron, with whom, the Fighting Irish have now defeated 3 teams ranked higher than them.

We know the destruction #3 caused, but Miles, despite being out for a supposed ankle injury, managed 16 points while Citron was limited to 7. So it is not as if the Huskies lacked efforts.

Bringing in Jana El Alfy for Ice Brady gave Sarah Strong more freedom on offense and even sparked a 7-0 run. But Notre Dame refused to let the lead slip. By the final minutes, the Huskies tried to rally, with contributions from players other than Bueckers and Strong finally coming in, but it was too little, too late. The crowd made sure UConn felt the sting, chanting “OVERRATED” as Bueckers stood at the free-throw line with 15 seconds left. She made the first one, but the game was lost regardless.

So, what’s next for the Huskies? They’ll need to regroup, find consistent scoring beyond Bueckers, and tighten up defensively if they want to bounce back. What do you think—can they turn it around?