Friday, March 21
South Bend, Ind.
1:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
University of Notre Dame
Showdown in South Bend: Ladyjacks March Madness Run Begins Against Fighting Irish
3/20/2025 12:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin vs University of Notre Dame
Date: Friday, March 21st
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN
Arena: Purcell Pavilion
Series: First Meeting
SOUTH BEND, Ind.- The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (29-5, 16-4) turn their attention to the madness of March as they look to start dancing to the tune of an Irish Jig against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (26-5, 16-2 ACC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjacks completed the gauntlet of the Southland Conference tournament as they knocked off the top two seeds in the tournament, outlasting two-seeded Lamar in the semifinals and pulling away late from top-seeded Southeastern Louisiana in the championship to be crowed Southland champions for the 17th time in program history. The championship came just one year after losing by just one point to CBU in the WAC championship, seeing five starters depart from last season and carrying over a roster that featured six new faces and an entirely new starting five, while being picked to finish fourth in the Southland preseason poll. SFA started conference play with a 4-4 record losing their four conference games by a combined 19 points, however, they were determined to put their past behind them and show it is not about how you start a season but more so how you finish as they finished the regular season winning their last 12 regular season games and gritted out three straight wins in the tournament to reach the summit of the Southland Conference. SFA now looks to keep the luck of the Irish on their side past St. Patrick's Day as they look to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament since the 1999-2000 season.
Fighting Irish at a Glance:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had a chaotic last three weeks as the Fighting Irish have had their fair share of attention from the media as of late. Notre Dame was cruising at the end of February, ranked as the number one team in the nation, winning their 19th straight game with an 82-42 win over Miami, and knocking off a bevy of top-ranked schools that included no. three ranked Connecticut, no. four ranked USC, and no. five ranked Texas. However, the Fighting Irish lost two of their final three games and fell in the ACC semifinals to the Duke Blue Devils. Despite the shocking end to their season, the Fighting Irish still boast an impressive resume from this season and will have the benefit of playing on a home court where they were nearly untouchable as they posted a 14-1 home record, while also having no shortage of experience playing late into the month of March as they look to return to the form of the number one team in the nation from one month ago.
Scouting Report-Ladyjacks:
The Ladyjacks own one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the nation as all five starters for SFA average double-digit points/game. This "everyone eats" identity on offense has helped lead the Ladyjacks to a top-25 scoring offense in the nation and a top-10 three-point shooting offense in the country. Faith Blackstone turned into one of the most prolific scorers in the Southland as she led the team with 508 points scored and her 14.9 points/game ranked her third in the conference, while Ashlyn Traylor-Walker was feared as one of the best defenders in the conference as she led the Southland in steals with 78 and was named to the SLC All-Tournament Team after scoring 31 points over SFA's three tournament games. Trinity Moore stuffed the stat sheet on a nightly basis as she led the team in rebounds with 226, and was a force to be reckoned with defensively as she led the Southland with 51 blocks, while being named the SLC All-Tournament MVP after recording 46 points and 23 rebounds over SFA's championship run. Harmanie Dominguez and Avery VanSickle quietly formed one of the best three-point shooting duos in the nation this year as Dominguez was lethal from beyond the arc ranking 12th in the nation with 89 three-point field goals, while VanSickle was one of the most efficient shooters from downtown as she ranked 12th in the country with her 44.3 three-point field goal percentage. The Ladyjacks high-octane offense will now look to go blow-for-blow with a top-five scoring offense in the nation in the Fighting Irish.
Scouting Report-Fighting Irish:
The Fighting Irish and their fifth-ranked offense are led by one of the most dynamic scorers in the nation in sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo. Hidalgo continues to build off an impressive freshman season that saw her average 22.6 points/game, by taking it a step further this season by ranking fourth in the nation scoring 24.2 points/game and being named to the AP All-America First Team for the second straight year, while becoming just the second player in Notre Dame history to have consecutive 700-point seasons. Olivia Miles should not be overlooked in the Notre Dame offense as she averaged 16.2 points/game, made a team-high 70 triples, and led the nation with three triple-doubles this season. Sonia Citron rounds out the dangerous Fighting Irish offense as she averages 13.8 points/game, while being nearly automatic from the charity stripe as she shot 89.7 percent from the line this season.
Series:
The first-ever meeting between these two high-powered teams will be one that is not forgotten soon as SFA looks to pull off the upset in South Bend and continue their magical 2025 season into the Round of 32.
FOLLOW THE LADYJACKS:
For all the latest information on SFA Ladyjacks Basketball, visit sfajacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Ladyjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Date: Friday, March 21st
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Live Stream: ESPN
Arena: Purcell Pavilion
Series: First Meeting
SOUTH BEND, Ind.- The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Basketball Team (29-5, 16-4) turn their attention to the madness of March as they look to start dancing to the tune of an Irish Jig against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (26-5, 16-2 ACC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ladyjacks at a Glance:
The Ladyjacks completed the gauntlet of the Southland Conference tournament as they knocked off the top two seeds in the tournament, outlasting two-seeded Lamar in the semifinals and pulling away late from top-seeded Southeastern Louisiana in the championship to be crowed Southland champions for the 17th time in program history. The championship came just one year after losing by just one point to CBU in the WAC championship, seeing five starters depart from last season and carrying over a roster that featured six new faces and an entirely new starting five, while being picked to finish fourth in the Southland preseason poll. SFA started conference play with a 4-4 record losing their four conference games by a combined 19 points, however, they were determined to put their past behind them and show it is not about how you start a season but more so how you finish as they finished the regular season winning their last 12 regular season games and gritted out three straight wins in the tournament to reach the summit of the Southland Conference. SFA now looks to keep the luck of the Irish on their side past St. Patrick's Day as they look to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament since the 1999-2000 season.
Fighting Irish at a Glance:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had a chaotic last three weeks as the Fighting Irish have had their fair share of attention from the media as of late. Notre Dame was cruising at the end of February, ranked as the number one team in the nation, winning their 19th straight game with an 82-42 win over Miami, and knocking off a bevy of top-ranked schools that included no. three ranked Connecticut, no. four ranked USC, and no. five ranked Texas. However, the Fighting Irish lost two of their final three games and fell in the ACC semifinals to the Duke Blue Devils. Despite the shocking end to their season, the Fighting Irish still boast an impressive resume from this season and will have the benefit of playing on a home court where they were nearly untouchable as they posted a 14-1 home record, while also having no shortage of experience playing late into the month of March as they look to return to the form of the number one team in the nation from one month ago.
Scouting Report-Ladyjacks:
The Ladyjacks own one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the nation as all five starters for SFA average double-digit points/game. This "everyone eats" identity on offense has helped lead the Ladyjacks to a top-25 scoring offense in the nation and a top-10 three-point shooting offense in the country. Faith Blackstone turned into one of the most prolific scorers in the Southland as she led the team with 508 points scored and her 14.9 points/game ranked her third in the conference, while Ashlyn Traylor-Walker was feared as one of the best defenders in the conference as she led the Southland in steals with 78 and was named to the SLC All-Tournament Team after scoring 31 points over SFA's three tournament games. Trinity Moore stuffed the stat sheet on a nightly basis as she led the team in rebounds with 226, and was a force to be reckoned with defensively as she led the Southland with 51 blocks, while being named the SLC All-Tournament MVP after recording 46 points and 23 rebounds over SFA's championship run. Harmanie Dominguez and Avery VanSickle quietly formed one of the best three-point shooting duos in the nation this year as Dominguez was lethal from beyond the arc ranking 12th in the nation with 89 three-point field goals, while VanSickle was one of the most efficient shooters from downtown as she ranked 12th in the country with her 44.3 three-point field goal percentage. The Ladyjacks high-octane offense will now look to go blow-for-blow with a top-five scoring offense in the nation in the Fighting Irish.
Scouting Report-Fighting Irish:
The Fighting Irish and their fifth-ranked offense are led by one of the most dynamic scorers in the nation in sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo. Hidalgo continues to build off an impressive freshman season that saw her average 22.6 points/game, by taking it a step further this season by ranking fourth in the nation scoring 24.2 points/game and being named to the AP All-America First Team for the second straight year, while becoming just the second player in Notre Dame history to have consecutive 700-point seasons. Olivia Miles should not be overlooked in the Notre Dame offense as she averaged 16.2 points/game, made a team-high 70 triples, and led the nation with three triple-doubles this season. Sonia Citron rounds out the dangerous Fighting Irish offense as she averages 13.8 points/game, while being nearly automatic from the charity stripe as she shot 89.7 percent from the line this season.
Series:
The first-ever meeting between these two high-powered teams will be one that is not forgotten soon as SFA looks to pull off the upset in South Bend and continue their magical 2025 season into the Round of 32.
FOLLOW THE LADYJACKS:
For all the latest information on SFA Ladyjacks Basketball, visit sfajacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Ladyjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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