DULUTH, Ga. (Interstat) — In a taut, physical contest that came down to the final possession, the Duke women’s basketball team edged Notre Dame 65-63 on Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at Gas South Arena.

The game, a defensive struggle marked by turnovers and missed opportunities, was ultimately decided by a pivotal sequence in the closing seconds. With Duke leading 65-63 and under 30 seconds to play, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo secured an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer by Cassandre Prosper. Following a timeout, the Fighting Irish ran a play for Hidalgo, whose potential game-winning three-point attempt from the top of the key rattled out. Prosper grabbed another offensive board and kicked to Iyana Moore, whose hurried jumper in the lane was blocked by Duke’s Toby Fournier as time expired.

The dramatic finish capped a game where neither team led by more than eight points. Duke built an early advantage, closing the first quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 17-11 and extending it to 38-31 by halftime behind a balanced attack. The Blue Devils’ lead evaporated in the third quarter as their offense stalled, scoring only eight points. Notre Dame capitalized, using a 12-2 run to take a 49-46 lead entering the final period.

The fourth quarter featured five lead changes. Duke guard Taina Mair, the game’s standout performer, steadied her team with critical plays down the stretch. After Notre Dame took a 61-59 lead on a Hidalgo step-back jumper with just over two minutes left, Mair answered with a three-pointer off a Fournier assist to put Duke back in front 62-61. Following a Hidalgo three that gave Notre Dame a 64-62 edge, Mair drew a foul and calmly sank two free throws to tie the game at 64 with 1:47 remaining.

The decisive points came from the free throw line with 52 seconds left, when Duke’s Riley Nelson was fouled and made the first of two attempts. Her miss on the second shot was rebounded by Notre Dame, setting the stage for the frantic final sequence that secured the victory for the Blue Devils.

Mair finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 38 minutes, orchestrating the Duke offense and making key plays in crunch time. Fournier provided a crucial interior presence with 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Delaney Thomas added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who improved to 23-8 overall.

Notre Dame was led by Hidalgo, who scored a game-high 24 points and added eight rebounds, two assists and three steals despite battling foul trouble and Duke’s relentless defensive attention. Moore contributed 14 points, while Vanessa de Jesus added 10. The Fighting Irish, who fell to 22-10, were hampered by 20 Duke turnovers but could not overcome their own 38.3 percent shooting from the field.

Statistically, the game was a defensive grind. Duke shot 39.7 percent from the floor and just 26.3 percent from three-point range, while Notre Dame shot 38.3 percent overall. The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 45-35, including a 14-7 edge on the offensive glass, which led to 13 second-chance points. Both teams struggled with ball security, combining for 34 turnovers.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Duke over Notre Dame, having also won 82-68 in Durham on Jan. 4. For Notre Dame, the narrow loss snapped a three-game winning streak.

The most important part of the game was the final defensive stand by Duke. Protecting a two-point lead, the Blue Devils forced Notre Dame into two contested shots on its final possession, with Fournier’s block on Moore’s attempt at the buzzer serving as the exclamation point on a victory defined by resilience and timely defensive stops.