Nose stud forces Hannah Hidalgo out of Notre Dame women's Basketball NCAA Sweet 16 game

ALBANY, N.Y. — Notre Dame women's basketball guard Hannah Hidalgo had to come out of her team's Sweet 16 game against Oregon State on Friday afternoon to have her nose stud removed. 

She picked up her first foul with .8 seconds to go in the first quarter, but that wasn't why she stayed on the bench when play restarted in the second.

Hidalgo sat on the far end of the bench while multiple members of the training staff worked with various pliers-like instruments to remove her nose stud. The freshman played with the stud piercing throughout her standout freshman season. 

Instant recap:Notre Dame women's basketball falls to Oregon State in NCAA Sweet 16

According to the NCAA 2023-24 women's basketball rules book (Rule 1, Section 25, Article 7):

"Head decorations, head wear, helmets, and jewelry are illegal. Religious head wear is permitted provided it is securely fashioned to the head and is subject to the approval of the referee per Rule 2-5.1."

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She looked visibly uncomfortable as they worked to get it out and was able to check back in with 5:51 to go left in the first half. 

Hidalgo, who leads Notre Dame with 22.9 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 steals per game, was named a first-team All-American. She also won ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and ACC tournament MVP.