SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s junior guard Hannah Hidalgo delivered an astonishing performance, achieving an NCAA-record 16 steals along with a school-record 44 points in the No. 18 Fighting Irish’s 85-58 triumph over Akron on Wednesday evening.
A preseason All-America choice, Hidalgo converted 16 of 25 shots, sank 3 of 6 three-pointers and made 9 of 11 free throws in 28 minutes of play. She contributed nine rebounds and four assists.
Hidalgo’s 16 steals surpassed the NCAA record of 14 previously held by multiple players, most recently Jill Ingram of Georgia Tech in February 2008.
Notre Dame recorded 30 steals from Akron’s 38 turnovers, leading to 41 points for Notre Dame. The Irish’s 20 turnovers allowed 13 points for Akron.
Cassandre Prosper added 14 points for Notre Dame (3-0).
Ni’Rah Clark scored 13 points, while Shaena Brew and Corinne Reed contributed 12 and 11 points respectively for the Zips (0-3).
Notre Dame held a 48-34 advantage at halftime after Hidalgo netted 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting. She initiated a 14-0 run by scoring the first 12 points, propelling Notre Dame to a 41-22 lead midway through the second quarter. Additionally, she added five points during a 9-0 run that extended the lead to 70-44 in the third.
Despite winning two games this past week by an average margin of 52 points, Notre Dame slipped three positions in this week’s AP Top 25.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
