ROME (CNS) — The University of Notre Dame walked away the victors in the first NCAA regular season basketball games ever played in Rome, sweeping a doubleheader against Villanova University on Nov. 1.
The Eternal City Tipoff brought together two Catholic universities to Palazzo dello Sport, an arena built for the 1960 Olympics, and marked the first time an NCAA college basketball game was broadcast live from Rome.
The crowd was a mix of students studying abroad, alumni and fans who made the trip for the weekend. Many of them said the atmosphere was the best part.
“The atmosphere of the game was electric,” one Notre Dame student told Catholic News Service after the game. “I’ve been a fan all my life, and I’m just so happy to be here today.”
Villanova fans felt it too, even after the loss. “It went down to the wire. No complaints today,” said Danté, a student studying abroad.
For students already in Italy, it was a taste of home. “It’s really cool to see the Nova team here in Rome, especially while studying abroad,” said Will, a Villanova senior studying in Rome.
Another fan told CNS that the weekend was about more than the games; “It’s not only the basketball aspect of it, but the city itself, and it’s the Eternal City for a reason,” adding that they should have more international games in the future.
In the men’s game, Notre Dame came back from being down 10 points in the second half to win 74-72. Villanova led 60-50 with about 10 minutes left, and then Notre Dame took over. Brady Koehler and Braeden Smith for Notre Dame each finished with 16 points, and teammate Logan Duncomb made the biggest play after he hit the go-ahead three with 68 seconds left. It was the first three pointer of his career.
Villanova’s Tyler Perkins led all scorers with 18 points, but he fouled out in the final 20 seconds. Luigi Suigo, a 7’3” Italian, played in front of a home crowd in his Villanova debut and scored seven.
The Irish women had an easier time in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 99-75. Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Her teammate Leah Macy added 27 points and 14 rebounds, making 11 of her 14 shots. Notre Dame’s Madison St. Rose scored 17, hitting four of her seven three pointers. Notre Dame shot 56 percent as a team.
Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe scored 26 points and had nine assists. Elise Bender added 14 off the bench.
The weekend was about more than just basketball. Villanova also teamed up with staff from the Special Olympics and Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican’s official sports association, for a youth basketball clinic with former Villanova coach Jay Wright Oct. 31.
Both teams and their fans attended Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica Oct 31, as well as an audience after with Pope Leo XIV, who went to Villanova University. He told them that rivals “are certainly not enemies,” and that the real goal, “beyond emerging victorious in any one event, is to win the prize of everlasting life.”
