Duke women’s basketball heads to ACC title game as Blue Devils top Notre Dame

Not one, not two, but three defensive stops preserved Duke women’s basketball’s ACC Tournament title defense.

The Blue Devils advanced to Sunday’s championship game for the second year in a row after a thrilling 65-63 victory over Notre Dame, forcing three Notre Dame missed shots on the final possession of the game when the Fighting Irish had an opportunity to tie the game or win it on a 3-pointer.

“We were able to make one more play and get the separation that we needed,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “It felt like that last play was about two minutes. When you see the shots going up and the scramble on the offensive boards, we couldn’t grab it so they got a couple of them, but we just continued to fly around and try to make the shots tough.”

It was only fitting a game with so many twists and turns came down to the final buzzer. Duke (23-8) darted to a 10-0 lead and led by as many as 13 in the first quarter, smothering Notre Dame (22-10) on both ends and appearing to pick up right where it left off in Friday’s dominant victory over Clemson.

But Notre Dame slowly worked its way back into the game, largely thanks to the efforts of national player of the year candidate Hannah Hidalgo. The junior point guard had 24 points and eight rebounds, helping her team back into striking distance in the second quarter and eventually into the lead by the end of the third quarter.

It was a 10-1 Fighting Irish run, but the Blue Devils had reasons for optimism even through the dry spell.

“We were down three,” Lawson said. “If you zoom out and look at that you’re down a possession with a quarter to go to play for a title. I think most teams take that.”

Duke’s physical advantage was a key reason it built its lead, and manifested itself again down the stretch. With Notre Dame big Malaya Cowles in foul trouble most of the game — she eventually fouled out in the final minute — Duke doubled Notre Dame 20-10 on the offensive glass and had a +15 rebounding advantage overall.

Duke all-ACC forward Toby Fournier took advantage with four crucial paint points in the fourth quarter, the last off her 14 on the day to go with eight rebounds. It all set the stage for Fournier’s all-ACC first team counterpart Taina Mair, who flirted with a triple-double at 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Hanging on to a 61-60 lead in the final two minutes after Hidalgo and Fournier exchanged four point spurts, Mair knocked down a clutch 3-pointer from the right wing to make it a two-possession game.

“I passed up two threes in the second half where I knew I should have shot it,” Mair said. “When I got the ball I just knew I had to shoot it.”

Riley Nelson split a pair of free throws to make it 65-63 Duke, setting Notre Dame up for one last possession it came up empty on.

Cassandre Prosper, Hidalgo and Iyana Moore all got off shots during the frantic finish, but Fournier got her hand to the last one to swat it away for a game-clinching block.

“It’s really hard to beat a team of this quality in the regular season and have to play them in the tournament and have to beat them,” Lawson said. “It’s just hard. To be in the championship game in back-to-back seasons for us is something that we’re very proud of, and we’re excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”

Duke’s win marks its 17th trip to the ACC Tournament title game in program history, and gives it an opportunity to go back-to-back for the first time since 2010-2011.

The Blue Devils will take on North Carolina or Louisville at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 2:14 PM.