Refs' 'B.S.' nose-ring decision draws Hidalgo's ire

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Freshman All-American Hannah Hidalgo was forced to take her nose ring out in the middle of Notre Dame's 70-65 loss to Oregon State on Friday in the Sweet 16, as game officials enforced an NCAA rule prohibiting jewelry during games.

The decision came as a surprise to Hidalgo, coach Niele Ivey and those on the Notre Dame bench. Hidalgo has played with a nose ring the entire season, including the first two NCAA tournament games last weekend.

In a postgame interview with ESPN, Hidalgo said one official initially told her she could wear the nose ring as long as she covered it up. But at the end of the first quarter, Hidalgo was told the nose ring had to be removed or she couldn't play in the game.

Hidalgo sat on the bench and missed 4:09 of the second quarter as athletic trainers struggled to take out the ring. She said the trainers didn't know how to take it out, and her nose was bleeding as a result.

Hidalgo said she was given no explanation for why the officials changed course during the game.

"I thought it was B.S., because I'm on a run, I'm on a roll," Hidalgo said. "I scored two baskets and then having to sit out for all that time, I was starting to get cold. I think [the officials] were worried about the wrong things. They should have reffed the game."

After the game ended, the NCAA released a statement that explained the decision, citing Rule 1, Section 25, Article 7: "Head decorations, head wear, helmets, and jewelry are illegal." If a player is found to be wearing jewelry, NCAA rules state the player is required to remove it at the first dead ball, and cannot return until after it is removed.

What was confusing to Hidalgo and Ivey was the specific enforcement during the game, after she was allowed to wear it all season. Ivey said she also was given no explanation in the moment. Instead, after the game ended, she was handed a printout of the NCAA rule prohibiting jewelry and was then told it was a point of emphasis in the Sweet 16.

"She's had a nose ring the entire season. Just wish we would have known beforehand," Ivey said. "Can't control it, so we had to move on. But yeah, stoppage of play is never great when you're trying to have flow."

Hidalgo tied a season low with 10 points, going 4-of-17. It was the second-lowest field goal percentage of her career, as she missed all of her open field goal attempts (0-of-7). Asked whether it was the time spent on the bench or what Oregon State did to her defensively that affected her shooting, Hidalgo said, "I don't know what it was. I think the shots I took were open. It just wasn't my game."

Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said he had no idea why Hidalgo went out of the game until he was asked during his postgame news conference. He credited his players with disrupting Hidalgo's shot, the way they have done against top shooters all season.

"I just think our length and our discipline to stay in front of her was disruptive just like it was last week for Jaz Shelley, and has been -- I mean, JuJu [Watkins] went 6-of-32 in Gill Coliseum this year for the exact same reason," Rueck said. "She's a great player, and it took everything we had to slow her down like that."

As for what she plans to do with the nose ring moving forward, Hidalgo said, "Next season, I'm going to play with it still until they tell me to take it out."