NEW YEAR, NEW HEARTBREAK: Irish Blow 14-Point Lead, Get Stung in OT

Happy New Year, Notre Dame fans! I hope your resolution was to "watch a stressful basketball game that ends in pain," because the Fighting Irish delivered that immediately.

On New Year's Day, No. 18 Notre Dame walked into McCamish Pavilion, built a nice 14-point lead, and then apparently decided that winning in regulation is boring. Instead, they let Georgia Tech hang around, force overtime, and eventually hand the Irish their first ACC loss of the season, 95-90.

Here is the autopsy of the collapse:

The Hannah Hidalgo "Almost" Triple-Double

Before we talk about the loss, can we discuss Hannah Hidalgo?

The junior finished with 26 points, 10 assists, and 8 steals.

She had five steals in the first quarter alone. Five! In ten minutes! Most people don’t accomplish five productive things in a whole work week. She was two steals shy of a triple-double. At this rate, she’s going to steal the team bus next.

The "We Got This" Moment (Spoiler: They Did Not Get This)

In the third quarter, things looked great. Vanessa de Jesus went on a personal 8-0 run, Iyana Moore hit a three, and the Irish were cruising, up 51-37.

Usually, a 14-point lead in the second half means you coast to the finish line.

Georgia Tech, however, treated that deficit like a minor suggestion. They chipped away, chipped away, and then chipped away some more until the game was tied at 80 heading to overtime.

The OT Disaster

Overtime started well! Cassandre Prosper (who casually dropped her third straight double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds) and Hidalgo hit layups to put ND up 85-83.

Then... the wheels fell off.

The engine exploded.

The car caught fire.

Georgia Tech ripped off a 9-0 run to take control for good. You simply cannot allow a 9-0 run in a five-minute overtime period. That is basically the entire period.

The Sanchez Verdict

Notre Dame falls to 10-3 (2-1 ACC). The offense was there (five players in double figures!), but the defense in crunch time was still on holiday break.

Up Next:

The Irish travel to Duke on Sunday, Jan. 4. Hopefully, they leave the overtime drama in Atlanta.