SOUTH BEND ― Hannah Hidalgo’s wet socks left footprints on the floor as she walked away from a press conference less than 30 minutes after she had one of the best single-game performances not just in the history of Notre Dame, but in all of women’s college basketball.
The junior had just been mobbed by her teammates in the Notre Dame locker room, sparked by senior Cassandre Prosper spraying Hidalgo with a water bottle as the rest of the Irish joined. Hidalgo tried to hide behind coach Niele Ivey, but the Notre Dame legend wouldn’t let her.
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Ivey has been a part of Notre Dame women’s basketball for 23 seasons, so she knew how monumental Hidalgo’s 44-point, 16-steal night was perhaps more than anyone. Ivey said it was the best performance she has ever seen.
“She played with such aggression the entire time she was on the floor,” Ivey said. “It’s pretty amazing what I just witnessed.”
Yeah, it was.
Hidalgo set a program record for the most points in a single game, a record previously shared by WNBA All-Star Jewell Loyd and former Ivey teammate Ruth Riley. Hidalgo also not only broke her own program single-game steals record, but she set a new benchmark for the entire NCAA.
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And she accomplished both feats in just 27 minutes and 31 seconds. Less than three full quarters of play.
Hidalgo’s 44 points were just 14 behind Akron’s total of 58, and it was more than half of the Irish’s 85. She took 25 shots and made 16 of them. The next highest shot total by the Irish was 11 by grad transfer Vanessa de Jesus.
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Hidalgo scored the first 14 points for the Irish in the second quarter, and her 16 steals accounted for nearly half of the Zips’ 38 turnovers. Whether intentional or not, Hidalgo’s humble brag after the game said a lot about how easy she makes being an elite basketball player at the young age of 20 look.
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“I think it was just a regular game today,” Hidalgo said. “I got up, went to class and got in the gym.”
While Hidalgo’s first three games of her junior season might look unsustainable on paper ― averaging 34.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.7 steals per contest ― who’s to say she can’t keep it up? Hidalgo was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-American last season and looks even better this season.
“I know that’s what they need from me,” Hidalgo said. “I want to be able to be consistent. I know I have to bring it defensively, and I told my teammates that I would be aggressive on the defensive end.”
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Prosper was Notre Dame’s second leading scorer against the Zips, dropping 14 points in her third straight game with double figures. She, too, has taken a step up this season.
Much of that has to do with Hidalgo playing complementary basketball, elevating the game of all on the floor for Notre Dame.
“She brings such positive energy,” Prosper said. “I feel like because she brings up the intensity, we just have to follow her and do the same thing.”
Despite Hidalgo’s night to remember, Ivey said she wasn’t pleased by all aspects of the Irish’s game against Akron. The Irish had a lower shooting percentage than the Zips, and for a four-minute and 31-second interval with Hidalgo off the court to end the first half, Akron outscored Notre Dame 12-9.
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For one night, none of that mattered. Heading into a ranked matchup against No. 15 Michigan as part of the Shamrock Classic in Detroit at 4 p.m. Saturday, Ivey said she and the No. 17 Irish must choose to celebrate Wednesday’s performance from Hidalgo above all else.
Hidalgo smiled hearing the glowing endorsements from one of her best friends and the woman who saw that she was capable of a night like this as a high school recruit from Merchantville, New Jersey. All the while, her hair still dripped with water from the post-game celebration.
“I don’t do it for anybody else,” Hidalgo said. “There’s always going to be a lot of hate, but we have our inner circle. To know that they’re impressed, it means a lot to me. It’s the only thing that matters.”
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Kyle Smedley is a high school sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email atksmedley@gannett.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Is Hannah Hidalgo best women’s college basketball player? Notre Dame star
