Hannah Hidalgo scores 32 as No. 13 Notre Dame routs Villanova 99-75 in Rome

No. 13 Notre Dame opened its women's basketball season with a 99-75 win over Villanova on Sunday at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. Hannah Hidalgo led everyone with 32 points, per the ESPN box score and Notre Dame's official recap, and the Irish shot 56% from the field in a game FS1 carried nationally.

It was the second half of a Notre Dame doubleheader in Italy. The men beat Villanova 74-72 earlier in the day, and the women never let their game get that close. They led 20-13 after one quarter, 45-26 at halftime and by at least 17 points for the entire second half.

Hidalgo sets the tone

The three-time All-American scored the first two baskets of her senior season and kept going. Hidalgo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second quarter and push the lead to 26-13, which forced a Villanova timeout. She had 18 points at the half and finished 11 of 19 from the floor and 8 of 10 at the line, with seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Macy's debut

Leah Macy might have been the bigger story. The sophomore forward went 11 of 14 for 27 points with 14 rebounds in her first official game for Notre Dame, and 15 of those points came in the fourth quarter. The school said she and Brianna Turner are the only Irish players to put up a 27-point, 14-rebound game since 1999.

Macy and Hidalgo combined for 25 of Notre Dame's 29 points in the final period.

The new faces

Five Irish players reached double figures, and three of them were playing their first game for the program. Princeton transfer Madison St. Rose scored 17 on 4-of-7 shooting from 3. Freshman Jenica Lewis added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, with three 3-pointers, and freshman Jacy Abii had 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Notre Dame finished with 11 steals and six blocks, and Villanova committed 13 turnovers.

Villanova's side

Jasmine Bascoe kept the Wildcats in range for a while with 26 points and nine assists, but she needed 22 shots to get there. Elise Bender went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and scored 14 off the bench. Villanova shot 41% and made 9 of 28 threes.

What's next

Notre Dame plays its home opener against Stonehill on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. ET. The early sample says the Irish have more scoring around Hidalgo than they've had in a while, and Macy's inside game is the piece to watch as the schedule gets tougher.