North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
· NCAA Women's Basketball
Nivar scores 10 of 16 in 4th, UNC women get first win at No. 16 Notre Dame 61-57
North Carolina (11-4, 3-0 ACC), which is 5-10 all time against the Irish, won for the first time in six tries at Notre Dame.
Sonia Citron returned from a nine-game absence due to a knee injury and scored 18 points for Notre Dame (10-3, 1-2) and Hannah Hidalgo added 17 points and 11 rebounds. KK Bransford scored 12.
Nivar made a layup, hit a jumper in the lane 22 seconds later and then converted a three-point play before Deja Kelly hit a jumper that capped a 9-0 run to open the fourth quarter and give North Carolina a 54-46 lead with six minutes to play.
Bransford answered with a 3-pointer and added a layup as the Irish scored nine of the next 10 points to tie it at 55-all when Citron hit two free throws with 3:41 left. Maria Gakdeng made 1 of 2 free throws about a minute later, UNC got a stop on the other end and Kelly missed a jumper from the elbow, but Alyssa Ustby grabbed the offensive rebound. Nivar kissed a running left-hand layup high off the glass to make it 58-55 with 1:44 to go.
Kelly missed two free throws with 15 seconds left, but Gakdeng grabbed the offensive rebound and Nivar made 1 of 2 from the foul line to make it a two-possession game. Hidalgo missed a pair of free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining, Donarski hit two from the charity stripe and Anna DeWolfe hit a jumper with 0.6 seconds left to cap the scoring.
The Irish have lost two of their last three games following a nine-game win streak.
Paulina Paris and Donarski each hit a 3-pointer in a 14-0 run that gave the Tar Heels a 12-point lead late in the first quarter. Ustby made a layup to make it 22-12 early in the second. Hidalgo made a layup and then, after she was fouled on a 3-point shot, hit two free throws to cut Notre Dame's deficit to a point with 4:33 left in the first half.
North Carolina plays its third consecutive game against a ranked opponent when the Tar Heels visit No. 22 Florida State on Thursday. Notre Dame takes on Boston College in the second of three consecutive home games Thursday.
How can I watch Tar Heels vs. Fighting Irish?
- TV Channel: Tar Heels vs Fighting Irish 2021 College Basketball, week 9, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Recent Plays
| 4th 0:00 |  |
End of Game | 61 - 57 |
| 4th 0:00 | |
End of 4th Quarter | 61 - 57 |
| 4th 0:00 |  |
North Carolina Timeout | 61 - 57 |
| 4th 0:00 |  |
Anna DeWolfe made Jumper. Assisted by Sonia Citron. | 61 - 57 |
| 4th 0:04 | |
Lexi Donarski made Free Throw. | 61 - 55 |
Statistics
 UNC |
ND |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-62 | FG | 19-61 |
| 39 | Field Goal % | 31 |
| 4-15 | 3PT | 5-18 |
| 27 | Three Point % | 28 |
| 9-19 | FT | 14-21 |
| 47 | Free Throw % | 67 |
| 47 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 13 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 34 | Defensive Rebounds | 28 |
| 9 | Assists | 10 |
| 12 | Steals | 7 |
| 5 | Blocks | 2 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 13 | Points Off Turnovers | 7 |
| 7 | Fast Break Points | 11 |
| 36 | Points in Paint | 20 |
| 15 | Fouls | 15 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 7 |
Game Information
Location: South Bend, IN
Attendance: 6,418 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 3-0 | - | 13-3 |
| Virginia | 3-0 | - | 11-3 |
| NC State | 3-0 | - | 10-4 |
| Duke | 3-0 | - | 8-6 |
| Syracuse | 2-1 | 1 | 12-2 |
| North Carolina | 2-1 | 1 | 13-3 |
| Wake Forest | 2-1 | 1 | 12-3 |
| Notre Dame | 2-1 | 1 | 10-3 |
| Miami | 2-1 | 1 | 10-4 |
| Stanford | 1-1 | 1.5 | 12-3 |
| Virginia Tech | 1-2 | 2 | 11-4 |
| Clemson | 1-2 | 2 | 10-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 1-2 | 2 | 6-9 |
| California | 0-2 | 2.5 | 9-6 |
| SMU | 0-3 | 3 | 7-8 |
| Pittsburgh | 0-3 | 3 | 7-9 |
| Florida State | 0-3 | 3 | 5-10 |
| Boston College | 0-3 | 3 | 4-12 |