SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Hannah Hidalgo turned in an epic performance with an NCAA-record 16 steals and a Notre Dame-record 44 points in the No. 18 Irish’s 85-58 victory over Akron on Wednesday night.
The 5-foot-6 junior made 16 of 25 field goals, including 3 of 6 3-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throws in 28 minutes. She had nine rebounds and four assists.
Hidalgo’s 16 steals broke an NCAA record held by several players, most recently Ticha Penicheiro of Old Dominion in 1998.
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.
Up next
Notre Dame: vs. No. 14 Michigan on Saturday in Detroit.
Akron: at Cleveland State on Sunday.
