Hannah Hidalgo delivered a performance for the ages Wednesday night, shattering both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NCAA Division I records in an 85-58 demolition of Akron. The junior guard's historic outing signals the Fighting Irish are serious contenders in a wide-open race for their first national title since 2001 .

Hidalgo finished with 44 points, the most in a single game in Notre Dame history, while her 16 steals broke the Division I record that had stood since steals were fully tracked beginning in the 1987-88 season, as reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

The 5-foot-6 guard was relentless from the opening tip. She poured in 28 first-half points and personally sparked Notre Dame's decisive runs, scoring the team's first 12 points of the second quarter. Her defensive press

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