Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo Says 'I Thought It Was B.S.' Having to Remove Nose Ring

Notre Dame freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo was not happy to be sidelined by officials for the removal of her nose ring during Sunday's Sweet 16 loss to Oregon State.

The removal caused Hidalgo to miss more than four minutes of play in the second quarter of Notre Dame's 70-65 elimination loss.

"I thought it was B.S., because I'm on a run, I'm on a roll," the All-American freshman said, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "I scored two baskets and then having to sit out for all that time, I was starting to get cold. I think they were worried about the wrong things. They should have reffed the game."

After Hidalgo's return to the court, the Fighting Irish racked up seven straight points, The Athletic's Lukas Weese reported.

But Hidalgo struggled with shooting accuracy after her return, failing to make a field-goal attempt until the final 57 seconds of the game, per Spencer Ripchik of the Associated Press.

She finished the game with 10 points after shooting 4-of-17 from the field, including 0-of-3 from behind the arc.

The official NCAA basketball rules book states it is "illegal" to wear jewelry during games.

Hidalgo had played all of the 2023-24 season while wearing the nose ring, including Notre Dame's first two games of the NCAA tournament, Adelson reported.

Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin expressed her surprise with the referees' decision.

Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said after the game that officials made jewelry "a point of emphasis in the Sweet 16," per Ripchik.

The loss marked Notre Dame's third straight elimination from the Sweet 16. The Fighting Irish have yet to make it to the Elite Eight under Ivey's head coaching tenure.