Following Notre Dame’s season-ending loss to TCU in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and the roster changes that occurred afterward, many Irish fans knew what was in store for junior Hannah Hidalgo in the 2026 season. Senior Sonia Citron and graduate forward Liatu King declared for the WNBA draft while senior guard Olivia Miles entered the transfer portal, ultimately committing to those very Horned Frogs. However, not many Irish fans envisioned Hidalgo breaking multiple records — all in one night.
Heading into each team’s third game of the regular season, Notre Dame and Akron seemed to be moving in opposite directions. The Irish won their first two games by an average margin of 52 points against the likes of FDU and Chicago State. In both blowout wins, each member of the starting five boasted double-digit scoring for the Irish. Hidalgo, the leader of this 2-0 Irish squad, looks like an early candidate for national player of the year honors. In Notre Dame’s season opener against FDU, Hidalgo posted 27 points and six rebounds, alongside three assists and three steals. She followed that game with an even more impressive performance. On Sunday afternoon against Chicago State, Hidalgo went for 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in just 26 minutes of game action.
Her backcourt running mate, graduate guard Vanessa de Jesus, has impressed so far in her time in an Irish uniform. She logged a career high 22 points in the season opener, followed by a 15-point performance against Chicago State. The starting five is rounded out by senior guards Cassandre Prosper and KK Bransford, along with graduate forward Gisela Sanchez. In Sunday’s matchup, Prosper and Bransford recorded 28 and 21 points, respectively. Sanchez, a transfer from Kansas State, contributed a double-double in the Irish’s opening night win.
Akron came into Wednesday’s night matchup winless (0-2). Its first loss came at the hands of South Alabama on opening night. Freshman Monique Mitchell led the way for the Zips, scoring 21 points. Mitchell made a return to her hometown having attended high school at South Bend Washington. In the Zips’ most recent game versus Robert Morris, they fell by a score of 70-61. Sophomore Ni’Rah Clark led the way for Akron with 22 points.
The pregame storyline of Wednesday night’s matchup was one the Irish have awaited all off-season. Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey and her crew welcomed back two key transfer portal additions. Vanderbilt transfer Iyana Moore and Wake Forest transfer Malaya Cowles suited up for the Irish for the first time this season. Both graduate students bring a unique skill set to the already-polished Irish squad. In her three years in Nashville, Moore shot 35.4% from beyond the arc, the type of shooter that any coach would want to have on their roster. Cowles solidified herself as a skilled interior big during her four years as a Demon Deacon. She averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season. Coach Ivey prioritized hitting the transfer portal over the offseason and would get a first in-game look at her additions against Akron.
Hidalgo started off her night with three steals, resulting in transition layups on the other end, which led to an Akron timeout just three minutes into the game. The Irish, especially Hidalgo, capitalized off turnovers all night long. The Zips committed a total of 38 turnovers resulting in 41 Notre Dame points. A layup from Clark brought the Zips' deficit down to 13 as the first quarter came to a close, but Hidalgo logged 14 points, five rebounds and five steals over the first 10 minutes of action.
Freshman Shaena Brew opened up the second quarter for the Zips in a big way. Brew scored on three consecutive possessions including a three-pointer off a second chance opportunity, a strong drive for a layup and another made three to cut the Irish lead to seven and force a timeout just two minutes into the quarter.
Moore and Cowles both saw action in the first half, but it was Hidalgo who stole the show. Hidalgo carried the Irish in the second quarter, scoring 16 points and going on a 12-0 run by herself in the span of two minutes and 13 seconds. With 3:41 remaining in the first half, the first Irish second quarter points scored by a player other than Hidalgo occurred when Sanchez nailed two free throws to extend the lead to 19. Despite being subbed out with 4:31 in the second quarter, Hidalgo had totaled 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting alongside seven steals through her 15 minutes of playing time in the first half.
Hidalgo continued her impeccable play in the third quarter, especially at the charity stripe. She went six of seven from the line in the third quarter to pair with another six steals. Hidalgo subbed out with 1:16 in the third quarter, flexing a stat line of 41 points and 13 steals. She had tied the Notre Dame single-game scoring record and was two steals short of the NCAA Division I single-game steals record. Akron ended the last three minutes of the third quarter with no field goals made and Notre Dame led by 25 heading into the fourth quarter. However, Coach Ivey still opted to sub Hidalgo in with 8:30 left in the game.
She recorded three points and three steals in three more minutes of game action to secure both records. She surpassed Jewell Loyd (41 points) as the Notre Dame single-game scoring leader, a record left untouched since 2014. Her 16 steals set an NCAA Division I single-game record that was 27 years old. In addition to her already dazzling stat line, she was one rebound away from a triple-double, a feat she has only accomplished once.
After the game, Hidalgo spoke to the media about her performance. “This [game] is definitely a memorable one and to do it with this group, it means a lot to me… I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.” In a game where she set two different records, one being an all-time NCAA record, she referred to the group of girls that she was able to share it with. “I’m playing with a lot of great people and to hear their praises, I don’t do it for anybody else.”
When Hidalgo checked out of the game for the last time on Wednesday night, she was barraged with loud cheers from Irish fans. 44 points, 16 steals and 9 rebounds. If Hannah Hidalgo wasn’t at the top of the 2026 Women’s College Basketball National Player of the Year rankings, she is now.
