After becoming the only player this century to post 200 points and 50 steals in the first nine games of a season twice, across women’s or men’s college and pro basketball, Hannah Hidalgo just broke her coach Niele Ivey’s record.

While the junior guard hasn’t climbed to the top of the list just yet, she has surpassed a Notre Dame legend to stand 2nd in the program’s most steals list. 

During Notre Dame's dominant 94-59 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Monday, Hannah Hidalgo made 4 steals pushing her above Ivey’s second place in the all time list. 

Ivey herself delivered the update post-game: “You are now second in the program with 350 steals, passing myself. I had 348, you have 350.” The locker room broke out in cheers for the 94-59 win and Hidalgo’s achievement.

The milestone comes in just 3 seasons with Notre Dame, accompanied by another record of scoring double figures in 79 consecutive games (all games of her college career), the most of any player in program history.

Hidalgo leads the ACC conference and the NCAA D-I with 6.1 steals per game, a record she set in her freshman season, too, with a 4.6 average. 

Topping the conference in steals for 3 consecutive seasons, she cemented her place in Notre Dame history, passing Ivey and inching closer to another Notre Dame alum’s record: Skylar Diggins’ 381 steals.

Hannah Hidalgo and the Numbers Game

Besides steals, Hannah Hidalgo’s 30-point performance made her the game leader in points, making 13-of-23 from the field, along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. She also tops the ACC with 276 points. 

This performance was preceded by an even more explosive triple when the Fighting Irish exploded 110-38 to take on Bellarmine. Hidalgo racked up 30 points, 10 assists, and 13 steals in 22 minutes played. 

The No. 18 team now prepares to go on the road, taking on Georgia Tech on Jan 1 in Atlanta. 

Do you think Hannah Hidalgo can rack up 32 steals across the remainder of the season to surpass Skylar Diggins at the top of the list? Let us know your thoughts.

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi