(Duluth, Ga.) — It was simply the best 40 minutes of the season for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team

Iyana Moore scored a season-high 20 points plus nine rebounds and Hannah Hidalgo scored her standard 25 as Niele Ivey’s 5th-seeded Fighting Irish buried fourth-seed NC State 81-63 here at Gas South Coliseum.  The win is the seventh in a row for Notre Dame and vaults them into a conference semifinal with top-seed Duke.

That game will be Saturday at noon on ESPN 2

Moore and Prosper came out firing, scoring 33 of the 40 Irish points in the first half.

“I feel like Hannah’s always finding me,” said Moore, who made three of her four threes before intermission. “Just run the floor, do what I do…whatever’s needed for the team, that’s what I do. A great point guard like Hannah is going to find me and I just have to knock it down.”

As with Thursday’s win, a big defensive quarter made the difference, as Notre Dame held the Wolfpack to just nine points in the third, opening up a 21-point lead.  That brought the added benefit of allowing Hidalgo to get some rest, playing just 32 of the 40 minutes.

“I just love this team so much,” said a jubilant Hidalgo. “The locker room is so great and it’s so easy to cheer for everyone else.”

Notre Dame is now 22-9 on the season.