Hidalgo Sets NCAA Record with 16 Steals in Notre Dame Victory

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In a remarkable display of skill, junior guard Rori Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals while scoring a school-record 44 points in the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish‘s 85-58 win over the Akron Zips on Wednesday night.

Hidalgo made 16 of 25 shots, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and went 9 for 11 from the free-throw line in just 28 minutes. She also contributed nine rebounds and four assists during the match.

The 16 steals marked a new NCAA Division-I record, surpassing the previous record of 14 steals held by several players, most recently Jill Ingram of Georgia Tech in February 2008. The Irish defense was overwhelming, forcing Akron into 38 turnovers and effectively converting them into 41 points.

While Hidalgo shone, Dara Mabrey added 14 points for Notre Dame, and several other players contributed scoring. Meanwhile, Akron struggled to keep pace, with their top scorers managing just 13, 12, and 11 points respectively.

Notre Dame led 48-34 at halftime, thanks to Hidalgo’s impressive 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting. She ignited a 14-0 run, scoring the first 12 points of the surge to increase the lead to 41-22 midway through the second quarter. In the third quarter, she scored five points in a 9-0 run to extend the lead further.

Despite their strong performance, the Fighting Irish fell three spots in this week’s AP Top 25 rankings, having won their previous two games by an average margin of 52 points.