With Oregon State leading Notre Dame 17-15 after the first quarter in Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup, Fighting Irish star freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo was forced to exit the game for over four minutes.
It wasn’t due to injury or foul trouble. Rather, it was to remove her nose ring.
Hidalgo began the second quarter on the bench with her head back as trainers worked to carefully remove the nose stud. According to Section 25, Article 7 of the NCAA women’s basketball rulebook, “head decorations, head wear, helmets, and jewelry are illegal.” Hidalgo has worn the nose ring all season but had it taped, just like it was during Friday’s game against Oregon State. According to the ESPN broadcast, officials asked Hidalgo to remove the ring before continuing to play.
Officials asked Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo to remove her nose ring during the Sweet 16 matchup against Oregon State.
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Hidalgo missed a total of four minutes and 10 seconds of game action. Once she checked back into the game, Notre Dame went on a 7-0 run.
Hidalgo, 19, was a first-team All-American during the 2023-24 season. She averaged 22.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game on 45.5 1 percent shooting from the floor.
Oregon…
