Hannah Hidalgo has etched her name at the top of the record books.
During Wednesday’s 85–58 win over Akron, Hidalgo scored 44 points with nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 16-for-25 from the field. Though Hidalgo put up 44 points in 28 minutes—accounting for over half of her team’s points—it wasn’t the even the most incredible part of her performance. She also recorded 16 steals—setting the NCAA record for most steals in a game.
The previous record for steals in a game was 14, achieved by Georgia Tech’s Jill Ingram in 2008 and Old Dominion’s Tina Penicheiro in 1998. Since steals began being officially tracked, Hidalgo becomes just the second player to record at least 10 steals and 40 points in a single game, joining Amy Patton, who scored 41 points with 10 steals for Northern Arizona in 2012.
Along with breaking the NCAA single-game record, she also broke Notre Dame’s record for most points in a game, surpassing Jewell Loyd’s previous record of 41 points in a game in 2014.
After her performance against Akron, Hidalgo takes the early lead for average points per game among women’s college basketball players, averaging 34.3 points through three games. The two-time first team All-American is off to a fantastic start in her junior year, scoring at least 27 points in all of her games so far this season.
Hidalgo will look to continue this stellar momentum as Notre Dame’s schedule toughens over the next 10 days. The No. 18 Fighting Irish will face ranked opponents in three of their next four games, with looming matchups No. 14 Michigan, No. 8 USC and No. 13 Ole Miss.