Ashley Barlow scored 11 points and Erica Solomon grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for Notre Dame (15-3, 4-2), which lost for the second time in three road games.
Villanova never trailed in leading by as many as 14 points in the first half and held a 30-20 advantage at halftime thanks to Notre Dame's 25 percent shooting (6-of-24).
Melissa Lechlitner's 3-pointer got the Irish within 49-48 with 2:54 left, but Kurz made a layup and two free throws and Maria Getty added two free throws to seal the victory.