UConn women vs Notre Dame live: Winner advances to Final Four – CT Insider

Lead

On March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas, No. 1 UConn and No. 6 Notre Dame met in the Elite Eight with a Final Four berth at stake. The game, played at Dickies Arena and broadcast on ABC, arrived with UConn unbeaten in blowouts and Notre Dame riding a momentum surge led by Hannah Hidalgo. At halftime UConn held a 32-25 edge thanks to a late buzzer basket and bench scoring. The contest remained live at halftime with both teams jockeying for the decisive runs that decide March outcomes.

Key Takeaways

• Halftime score: UConn led Notre Dame 32-25 at the break in the Fort Worth regional final on March 29, 2026.
• UConn reached the Elite Eight after a 63-42 Sweet 16 win over North Carolina, marking a third straight dominant tournament victory.
• Notre Dame advanced with a 67-64 upset of Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16; Hannah Hidalgo produced a 31-point effort that included a reported triple-double and 10 steals.
• Blanca Quiñonez paced UConn in the first half with 14 points and five rebounds off the bench, providing a major scoring lift.
• Azzi Fudd struggled early, shooting 2-for-5 and committing four turnovers through halftime, limiting UConn’s primary ball-handling production.
• UConn coach Geno Auriemma used timeouts to manage Notre Dame spurts; his bench responded with consecutive baskets that stretched the lead late in the half.
• Betting markets opened heavily in UConn’s favor: DraftKings listed the Huskies as ~29.5-point favorites and prediction markets showed UConn with a roughly 97% win probability pregame.

Background

The matchup continued a high-profile rivalry between two premier women’s programs. UConn entered as the tournament’s top seed after a season that positioned Geno Auriemma’s squad among national favorites, while Notre Dame came in as the No. 6 seed following a midseason slump and a strong rebound after KK Bransford’s return on February 1.

Notre Dame’s late-season surge included efficient offense and disruptive defense: across the ACC Tournament and the first three NCAA games the Irish averaged roughly 73.6 points, 34.6 rebounds, 11 assists and 11.6 steals per game, numbers that underlined their transition-oriented, high-pressure style. UConn’s path through the bracket had been more one-sided; the Huskies posted comfortable margins and few close tests prior to Fort Worth.

Off the court, the regional final came as Connecticut’s women’s basketball ecosystem was in flux. Reports confirmed the Connecticut Sun were sold for $300 million to the Fertitta family and slated to relocate to Houston after a final year at Mohegan Sun Arena, a development Geno Auriemma addressed publicly as leaving a local void despite strong fan support for women’s basketball in the state.

Main Event

The game opened with a cautious tempo from both sides. Notre Dame struck first when Cassandre Prosper banked a layup, but early offensive possessions were characterized by missed opportunities as both teams adjusted to defensive pressure. UConn forced turnovers and converted transition chances, and the contest remained close through the first media stoppage.

Blanca Quiñonez emerged as a decisive bench factor in the first quarter, scoring eight of UConn’s final 10 points and hitting a buzzer-beating layup to cap the period, giving the Huskies a 20-11 advantage. That sequence was set up in part by an Azzi Fudd steal, illustrating UConn’s situational ball-hawking despite some personal turnover issues for Fudd.

Notre Dame countered in the second quarter as Hannah Hidalgo took over offensively. Hidalgo scored nine unanswered points during a stretch that pulled the Irish within four, forcing Geno Auriemma to call a timeout to stem her run. UConn’s bench again supplied momentum—Allie Ziebell and Sarah Strong converted consecutive inside baskets—and Kayleigh Heckel drilled a buzzer shot to push the halftime score to 32-25.

Key in-game patterns through the half included Hidalgo’s rebound activity despite her 5-foot-6 frame, collecting multiple boards and generating extra possessions, and UConn’s reliance on role players to offset a relatively quiet outing from star guard Azzi Fudd. Defensive intensity and turnover margins remained central to who would claim control after intermission.

Analysis & Implications

Tactically, the matchup presented a classic clash: UConn’s size, depth and disciplined half-court execution versus Notre Dame’s speed, ball pressure and March surge. If the Huskies can contain Hidalgo’s creation and limit Notre Dame transition chances, they can exploit interior advantages; conversely, the Irish live on chaos and steals, which can flip possession and quick-score skews in their favor.

UConn’s bench scoring—most notably Quiñonez’s burst—was a decisive factor in establishing separation when UConn’s primary scorers cooled. That depth is likely to matter more as the tournament progresses: sustained bench contributions reduce load on starters and help guard against single-game shooting slumps.

For Notre Dame, Hidalgo’s tournament run is transformational for the Irish’s postseason hopes. Her ability to contribute across scoring, playmaking and defensive disruption compresses match-up problems for opponents. However, relying heavily on one hot player can be volatile; defensive game-plans that force other Notre Dame players to make shots could blunt the upset potential.

Nationally, the result will influence the Final Four picture and bracket narratives. A UConn win would be widely expected given pregame markets and season form; a Notre Dame upset would cement another high-profile March turnaround and alter semifinal matchups and betting markets across the board.

Comparison & Data

The January meeting was a lopsided 85-47 UConn win when Notre Dame was in a slump. The March 29 game showed a tighter matchup through halftime, with UConn’s bench providing a different scoring profile than the dominant starting-five output in January. Contextually, Notre Dame’s form improved markedly after early-season struggles, making the rematch more competitive.

Reactions & Quotes

“Man, I don’t think I’ve seen a performance like what she had yesterday in a long, long time. She’s just a unique player that comes along once in a lifetime.”

Geno Auriemma, UConn head coach (on Hannah Hidalgo)

“Notre Dame is playing its best basketball of the year in the postseason, and Hidalgo is central to the Irish’s turnover and transition attack.”

Maggie Vanoni, CT Insider reporter

Both remarks frame the contest as a duel between Hidalgo’s momentum and UConn’s institutional depth. Public reaction in Fort Worth showed packed sections and notable alumni in attendance, underlining the matchup’s local and national interest.

Unconfirmed

• The final result of the March 29 Elite Eight game is not reported here; halftime stood at UConn 32, Notre Dame 25 and the outcome remained pending.
• Specific component totals of Hannah Hidalgo’s reported triple-double in the Vanderbilt game vary across descriptions; official box score confirmation is required for exact assists/rebound breakdowns.
• Market probabilities (DraftKings line, Kalshi percentage) are subject to change and reflect pregame conditions rather than definitive outcomes.

Bottom Line

This Elite Eight meeting distilled familiar themes: UConn’s depth versus Notre Dame’s disruptive, high-energy March play. At halftime UConn’s balanced offense and bench scoring provided a modest cushion, but Hidalgo’s capacity to generate turnovers and quick points keeps the Irish firmly in contention.

The decisive second-half questions are clear: can UConn limit Hidalgo’s transition opportunities and get more efficiency from Azzi Fudd, and can Notre Dame produce secondary scoring when Hidalgo is contained? The winner earns a Final Four berth and significantly alters the national bracket narrative; the impact will be felt in matchups, media coverage and postseason projections.

Sources

• CT Insider (local news coverage)
• NCAA (official tournament information)
• DraftKings (sportsbook odds)
• Kalshi (prediction market)