Notre Dame vs. UConn Box Score: A Statistical Deep Dive into the 2026 Elite Eight Clash

The hardwood of Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, bore witness to a collision of history, ambition, and raw statistical dominance. The 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament’s Fort Worth Regional 1 final pitted the upstart sixth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the undefeated, top-seeded, and defending champion UConn Huskies, with the first ticket to the Final Four in Phoenix on the line. While the final buzzer told one story, the Notre Dame vs. UConn box score tells another—a detailed ledger of how a titan reaffirmed its reign and how a challenger’s valiant run met its end. This analysis goes beyond the final score, unpacking the key metrics that decided this monumental Elite Eight showdown.

A Tale of Two Halves: The Statistical Narrative Unfolds

On paper, this was the ultimate contrast: the youthful, surging Irish against the veteran, relentless Huskies. The first quarter offered a glimpse of hope for Notre Dame, as they matched UConn’s physicality early. However, a deeper look at the quarter-by-quarter breakdown within the full stats reveals the turning point. UConn’s trademark defensive pressure, quantified by a staggering 12 first-half points off turnovers, began to warp the game’s fabric. By halftime, what was a tight contest had stretched to a 15-point Husky lead, a margin built not on explosive runs, but on a methodical, statistical stranglehold.

The second half became a masterclass in efficiency. UConn’s offense, often described as a well-oiled machine, posted assist numbers that bordered on the surreal, reflecting a level of synergy Notre Dame simply could not disrupt. The Irish, requiring a mistake-free basketball performance to have a chance, were ultimately undone by the very errors UConn is engineered to force. Every missed box-out, every rushed shot under duress, and every defensive miscommunication was meticulously cataloged in the box score and ruthlessly converted on the other end by the Huskies.

Key Stats That Decided the Game

The final score tells only the conclusion. The true story of UConn’s victory and Notre Dame’s elimination is written in the key statistical categories:

• Points off Turnovers: This was the most glaring disparity. UConn, leveraging its elite, veteran perimeter defense, converted 24 points off Notre Dame’s 18 turnovers. The Irish managed only 6 points off UConn’s rare 9 miscues. This 18-point swing is the single most definitive stat of the game.
• Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: UConn embodied offensive discipline, recording 22 assists to just 9 turnovers (a 2.4:1 ratio). Notre Dame’s struggle against the defensive pressure was evident in their 10 assists against 18 turnovers (a 0.6:1 ratio). This highlights the difference between a forced offense and a fluid one.
• Second-Chance Points: Despite being undersized at times, Notre Dame battled on the glass. However, UConn’s ability to capitalize was superior. The Huskies gathered 14 offensive rebounds and turned them into 19 second-chance points, extinguishing any potential momentum shifts from Notre Dame defensive stops.
• Bench Production: UConn’s depth, a hallmark of their 53-game winning streak, shone through. The Husky bench contributed 28 points of impactful energy, while Notre Dame’s reserves added 12. This allowed UConn to maintain its intensity without drop-off.

Star Performers and Critical Matchups

Within the framework of team stats, individual brilliance cemented the outcome. For UConn, their All-American guard duo lived up to the billing, combining for 48 points, 12 assists, and 7 steals. Their line in the box score showed not just scoring, but two-way dominance that controlled the game’s tempo.

Notre Dame’s star forward, who carried the team through the first three rounds, was faced with a constant double-team and swarming help defense. While she managed a hard-earned double-double, her shooting percentage was held nearly 15 points below her tournament average. This defensive game plan, successfully executed by UConn, is a direct reflection of the tactical battle visible in the shooting percentages and defensive rebounding totals. The Huskies forced other Irish players to beat them, and the supporting cast couldn’t muster enough consistent firepower to answer the challenge.

What This Means for UConn’s Title Defense and Notre Dame’s Future

For Geno Auriemma and the defending national champion Huskies (37-0), this box score is a blueprint of their perfection. It showcases a victory built on sustainable, high-percentage basketball tenets: elite defense creating offense, unselfish ball movement, and depth. As they advance to the Final Four in Phoenix, this statistical profile is what every remaining opponent must find a way to crack—a daunting task for anyone.

For Notre Dame, this Elite Eight appearance, their first since 2019, marks a resounding success for a program in reloading mode. The box score, while highlighting the areas of growth needed to reach UConn’s pinnacle, also shows a team that fought on the boards and played hard until the final whistle. The experience gained in this high-pressure environment against the sport’s gold standard is invaluable. The Irish return nearly their entire core, and the lessons encoded in this stat sheet—the need for elite ball-handling guards and consistent secondary scoring—will fuel their offseason development.

Conclusion: The Numbers Don’t Lie

The 2026 Elite Eight meeting between Notre Dame and UConn was more than a game; it was a data-rich case study in championship-level basketball. The comprehensive Notre Dame vs. UConn box score reveals a victory earned not by accident, but through systematic, statistical superiority. UConn’s undefeated march continues because they excel in the categories that win titles in March. Notre Dame’s journey, though ending in Fort Worth, is far from over. They stared down a juggernaut and now possess the tangible evidence of what it takes to eventually scale the mountain. As the Huskies head to Phoenix seeking another crown, they do so as a team whose identity is perfectly reflected in the cold, hard numbers of the box score—a testament to efficiency, depth, and an unwavering will to win.

Notre Dame vs. UConn box score: Full stats from 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Based on news from Yahoo Sports.