SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo turned in an epic performance with an NCAA-record 16 steals and a Notre Dame-record 44 points in the No. 18 Fighting Irish’s 85-58 victory over Akron on Wednesday night.
The 5-foot-6 junior made 16 of 25 shots, 3 of 6 3-pointers and 9 of 11 free throws in 28 minutes on the court. She had nine rebounds and four assists.
Hidalgo’s 16 steals broke the NCAA record held previously by several players, most recently Ticha Penicheiro of Old Dominion in 1998.
The junior guard is off to an unbelievable start this season, averaging a national-best 34.3 points per game, to go along with 7.7 rebounds and 5 assists per. She’s also shooting 55.7 percent from the field. Heading into this season, Hidalgo was named an AP Preseason All-American, alongside UConn’s Sarah Strong, UCLA’s Lauren Texas’ Madison Booker and South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson.
Notre Dame had 30 steals among Akron’s 38 turnovers, resulting in 41 points. Notre Dame’s 20 turnovers led to 13 points for Akron.
Cassandre Prosper scored 14 points for Notre Dame (3-0).
Ni’Rah Clark scored 13 points, Shaena Brew 12 and Corinne Reed 11 for the Zips (0-3).
Notre Dame led 48-34 at halftime after Hidalgo scored 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting. She scored the first 12 points in a 14-0 run that gave Notre Dame a 41-22 lead midway through the second quarter. She also scored five points in a 9-0 run for a 70-44 lead in the third.
Notre Dame fell three spots in this week’s AP Top 25 despite winning two games last week by an average of 52 points.
The Irish will visit UConn on Jan. 19.