In the No. 18 Fighting Irish’s 85-58 victory over Akron on Wednesday night, junior guard Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame put on an incredible display with a school-record 44 points and an NCAA-record 16 steals.
In 28 minutes on the court, Hidalgo, a preseason All-America pick, made 16 of 25 shots, 3 of 6 3-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throws. She had four assists and nine rebounds.
Hidalgo’s 16 steals surpassed the previous NCAA record of 14, which was held by a number of players, most notably Jill Ingram of Georgia Tech in February 2008.
Despite Akron’s 38 turnovers, Notre Dame had 30 thefts, which led to 41 points.
Hidalgo scored 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting, giving Notre Dame a 48-34 lead at the break. Midway through the second quarter, she scored the first 12 points of a 14-0 run that put Notre Dame ahead 41-22. In the third quarter, she also contributed five points to a 9-0 run that gave the team a 70-44 advantage.
Despite winning two games this past week by an average of 52 points, Notre Dame dropped three spots in this week’s AP Top 25.
