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Mikayla Blakes Admits Mistake After Hannah Hidalgo’s Big Night

Originally posted on TheSheGotGame
By Sauramita Debbarma | Last updated Mar 28, 2026 6:30 AM ET

A costly mistake ended Vanderbilt’s season with a 67–64 loss to the No. 6-seed Notre Dame. For Mikayla Blakes, it was a learning moment. For Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, it was the end of a historic, record-breaking performance.

After the game, when asked about her first eight missed shots, how she fought through it, and what happened on that final dribble, the 20-year-old kept it simple. “Starting the game, I guess, human. I miss shots,” Blakes said.

Blakes further added, “So I wouldn’t say it was nerves or anything like that. And I just learned from the performance because I can’t perform for my team like that in a moment as big as this.”

Talking about the final play, “It dribbled it off my foot. I saw an open lane, but I guess I moved too fast,” the 20-year-old added.

Despite a rough start where she missed her first eight shots, she fought back and finished the game with 26 points.

After the game, when asked about execution in the final possession, head coach Shea Ralph made it clear the loss wasn’t on Mikayla Blakes.

“Obviously, you want to be able to execute in the last possession of the game,” Ralph said. “And I think that’s what makes this game fun… I’m putting the ball in her hands every single time, and that’s not why we lost the game.”

Still, while Mikayla Blakes walked away with lessons from those final moments, Hannah Hidalgo walked away with the game. And the coach didn’t hold back in praising her performance.

Hannah Hidalgo Breaks NCAA Record

To lead her team to their 25th win of the season, Hannah Hidalgo scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had 10 steals, breaking the NCAA single-season steals record.

When asked about Hidalgo’s ability to get steals and what makes it unique, coach Shea Ralph shared her thoughts, saying, “She’s just a special player.”

“I think you have to respect how hard she plays all the time… I said it yesterday, she’s like a free safety out there, just kind of looking around – and as soon as she sees your eyes on a person, she’s going to go get the ball,” she added.

Late in the game, with under a minute left, Hidalgo jumped between defenders to catch an inbound pass and quickly set up the go-ahead basket, which turned out to be the game-winning moment.

“It was impressive,” the coach added. “Hopefully, our players not only learned a little bit about how we can take better care of the ball, but also that’s the kind of effort you need to win games like this… She’s a great player.”

While the Commodores’ 2025–26 run came to a painful end, Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball pushed forward, reaching the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019, marking their deepest run yet under Niele Ivey.