Irish unveil statue of Muffet McGraw then Hidalgo leads No. 14 team to 76-39 rout of Purdue

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers, 12/17/2023

Dec 17, 2023, 07:02 pm

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- — Star freshman Hannah Hildalgo had 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals and even threw in a blocked shot on a memorable Sunday that saw No. 14 Notre Dame dominate in-state rival Purdue 76-39 after the Fighting Irish unveiled a statue of legendary coach Muffet McGraw outside Purcell Pavilion.

McGraw retired in 2020 after 33 years as head coach with 936 wins, nine trips to the Final Four and national championships in 2001 and 2018.

After the unveiling, it was time for Niele Ivey's team to take over and they did with a dominating defense, holding Purdue to 25% shooting and forcing 21 turnovers. The Boilermakers were outrebounded 45-29 and outscored 44-14 in the paint.

Maddy Westbeld added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (8-1), who have won eight straight. Natalija Marshall continued her stellar play off the bench with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Notre Dame finished at 51% despite going 3 of 11 on 3-pointers.

Abbey Ellis scored eight points for Purdue (6-5).

The rivals, whose arenas are 111 miles apart, had not met in six years and Purdue was the opponent when McGraw's team won the national title in 2001, a 68-66 victory in St. Louis.

Westbeld had a pair of layups as the Irish scored the first 11 points of the game while the Boilermakers were missing their first five shots and turning the ball over five times before Ellis hit a jumper midway through the first quarter.

It was 20-11 after one quarter and Marshall and Westbeld combined for a 10-0 run in the second quarter to push the lead to 33-13. It was 35-18 at the break.

Marshall and Westbeld then combined for the first eight points of the third quarter when Notre Dame outscored the Boilermakers 26-7 for a 61-25 lead. Hidalgo started a 16-0 run with a three-point play and scored seven points in the surge that had the lead at 38. Purdue was 1 of 13.

Notre Dame is home against Western Michigan on Thursday. Purdue is home against Indiana State on Wednesday.

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