Following a 40-point win over Miami on Feb. 20, Notre Dame looked poised to make a run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Irish had earned a record of 24-2 with key wins over USC, Texas and UConn. The team boasted a four-headed monster with the likes of sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, graduate guard Olivia Miles, 6-foot-1 senior Sonia Citron and graduate forward Liatu King. When it was all said and done, all four of these stars averaged double-digit points.
It seemed to all be moving in the right direction until Notre Dame lost three out of the last five games to end the regular season and failed to get past TCU in the Sweet Sixteen. Less than three weeks after a brutal end to their season, Olivia Miles announced her entry into the transfer portal along with Sonia Citron and Liatu King declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft. In what seemed to be a title-contending year for the Irish in late February, had turned upside down and led to the Irish’s season ending and the band breaking up.
As Notre Dame approached the 2025-26 season, it was evident that head coach Niele Ivey and her staff would have to dip into the transfer portal. Coach Ivey did just that, successfully recruiting graduate guard Vanessa de Jesus (Duke), graduate student forward Gisela Sanchez (Kansas State), junior guard Kelly Ratigan (Loyola Maryland), graduate forward Malaya Cowles (Wake Forest), graduate student guard Iyana Moore (Vanderbilt) and graduate student guard Jordyn Smith (Holy Cross College).
With returning players of star Hidalgo (23.8 ppg), 6-foot-3 senior guard Cassandre Prosper (5.8 ppg) and senior guard KK Bransford rounding out the squad, the Irish were awarded a preseason rank of No. 15.
Leading up to Wednesday night’s season opener versus FDU, the Irish were coming off of a 119-54 exhibition win against Purdue Northwest. FDU began their season on Monday night falling at the hands of Purdue by a score of 67-48.
Bransford wasted no time in her return for the Irish scoring on a mid-range pull-up just five seconds into the game. Additionally, she recorded a steal and a layup on the other end which forced a FDU timeout less than three minutes into the game. Throughout the first quarter, FDU never seemed comfortable offensively, however, their scrappy play cut the deficit down to nine with 1:17 left in the first quarter. Hidalgo made it clear that the offseason had gone on long enough. She finished with 13 points in the first quarter. After a slow first quarter from both teams, the Irish led 27-13.
Transfer Sanchez showed off her shooting stroke all night long, including a pick-and-roll mid range jumper off of a graduate student guard Vanessa de Jesus assist to start the second quarter. Bransford continued to impress, including a sharp spin move to the basket to increase the lead to 20 for the Irish midway through the second quarter. De Jesus scored her first points as an Irish player with a fast break pull-up three. The backcourt duo of de Jesus and Hidalgo will fight to be one of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this year.
Hidalgo responded to sharing the backcourt with de Jesus, “Vanessa is a great player and she is a great leader so, playing alongside her is going to be very dangerous.”
Another backcourt contributor, Ratigan, scored her first points in an Irish uniform off an assist from Prosper. A steal from Prosper led to a layup on the other end for Hidalgo, which gave her 20 points and the Irish a 30-point lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, de Jesus continued to impress in her Irish debut. On back-to-back possessions, she recorded a three-pointer, steal and layup on the other end. Ivey called on a press with less than halfway to go in the third quarter immediately leading to a Ratigan steal and Hannah Hidalgo layup that prompted an FDU timeout. The Irish made nine out of their last 11 field goals to end the third quarter, including a short jumper in the paint by Sanchez at the buzzer. The Irish boasted a 42-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Irish continued to play with a sense of urgency highlighted by a beautiful transition bounce pass from Hidalgo to Bransford for a layup in transition to start the fourth quarter. A pair of threes from transfers Sanchez and de Jesus capped a successful opening night win for the Irish.
After losing many of her running mates to a combination of the transfer portal and WNBA Draft, Hidalgo’s return to the court was one to remember. Hidalgo recorded 27 points, six rebounds, alongside three assists and three steals. Despite being just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc, Hidalgo constantly found ways to get to the rim or stop and find her mid-range shot. Hidalgo has been thrust into a newfound leadership role. “Last year and the years that I’ve been here, I’ve been led by other people and I’ve figured out how to lead my teammates,” she said.
Sanchez recorded a double-double (14 pts, 12 rebounds) while shooting 6-for-8 from the field. When asked about what she saw in Sanchez when recruiting her, coach Ivey said Sanchez was “somebody that [the coaching staff] said was going to shock the world.”
Vanessa de Jesus finished with a career high 22 points, including four threes. With heavy experience on the court, she wasted no time fitting in with the Irish looking relaxed all night. Her four years of playing experience at Duke has crafted her into a player that coach Ivey loves. Ivey said “we played against [Vanessa] for the last four years so we knew what she was capable of.” It is plain to see that coach Ivey is instilling confidence and trusting these transfers despite being just one game in.
Transfers Cowles and Moore will only add to the already skilled transfer class that Notre Dame boasts. Both women are dealing with minor injuries and should return to the court soon. Coach Ivey described Moore as a “sharpshooter [who] is very smart” and on Cowles said, “gives [the Irish] presence inside.” The best is yet to come with this year’s Irish transfer class.
The Irish defense was suffocating tonight forcing 19 turnovers and capitalizing for 32 points off of them. There were a multitude of possessions where FDU would hoist up a shot with little time left on the shot clock due to the constant pressure from the Irish. Last season, the Irish gave up 84.4 ppg which ranked sixth-worst in the country.
Coach Ivey mentioned how this year’s mindset is different. With a new configuration of players this season, coach Ivey and the Irish are prioritizing defense as a focal point.
Notre Dame (1-0) returns to Purcell Pavilion on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. against the Cougars of Chicago State where the Irish will debut their new “The Bend” jerseys.