Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame spoiled what was meant to be a joyous occasion for JuJu Watkins and USC on Saturday afternoon.

On a dreary Saturday, Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish were in Los Angeles to face Watkins and the Trojans on the day USC’s star guard’s documentary, titled ‘On the Rise: JuJu Watkins,’ was released. And while the game itself between No. 3-ranked USC and No. 6-ranked Notre Dame was a highly-anticipated affair, it was clear the matchup had unprecedented aura.

As Watkins and Hidalgo battled it out on the court, a bevy of basketball stars and famous celebrities made their way to Galen Center to watch the fireworks. Candace Parker, Chiney Ogwumike, Angel McCoughtry, and Cheryl Reeve were on hand to watch the game alongside current Los Angeles Sparks stars Rae Burrell, Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink.

Along with those women’s basketball stars, Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan and Los Angeles legend Snoop Dogg also was on hand to watch Watkins and the Trojans. While Watkins had the support of the crowd as it was her day, it was Hidalgo who had the last laugh in the 74-61 win.

Throughout the afternoon, Watkins found herself guarded closely by Hidalgo, with Notre Dame doing what it could to stymie Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad. At one point, the Trojans found themselves down 21 to the unbeaten Fighting Irish, showing just how overmatched USC was.

Hidalgo finished the game with 24 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field to go along with eight assists, six rebounds, and five steals, showing her all around impact. Olivia Miles, Hidalgo’s star teammate, had 20 points of her own on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish guards JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans in the second half at Galen Center on November 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame spoiled what was meant to be a joyous occasion for JuJu Watkins and USC ( 

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Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Watkins, on the other hand, had 24 points of her own on 10-of-25 shooting, missing all five of her 3-point attempts. She also had six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block to go along with her five turnovers, showing just how tightly Notre Dame played her.

After the game, Watkins explained how the loss could help the team improve moving forward. “I just think this is a learning experience for the whole team,” she told reporters after the loss. “So much to learn as far as chemistry and everything. The thing for me, the biggest thing is just staying poised and under control the whole game. Wasn’t the prettiest for me so just continuing to lock in.”

With all how many celebrities and fans were on hand to watch Watkins and Hidalgo battle it out, Gottlieb made it a point to explain how the explosion of interesting in women’s basketball is just beginning.

“I think we’re proving that – look at this building, the sellout, the star power that’s here, the regular people who come to watch great basketball, it’s really I think an important thing,” she began. “This is a great weekend for the sport in LA and we’re glad to be a part of it.

“We’re just disappointed that we didn’t hold up our end for our home fans.”