FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo was described as a free safety by Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph before the teams met in the Sweet 16 of March Madness.
That sure was a lot of takeaways in a victory that sent the Fighting Irish to the Elite Eight.
Hidalgo broke the NCAA's single-season record for steals on her way to a triple-double, recording 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals in Notre Dame's 67-64 victory in the Fort Worth Regional
1 on Friday.
The Fighting Irish (25-10) will play either top-seeded and undefeated UConn or North Carolina on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
The matchup of two of the nation's top three scorers in Division I leader Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt and Hidalgo — No. 3 on the list — was overshadowed early by Hidalgo's defense.
Hidalgo needed four steals to break Chastadie Barrs' mark of 192 set with Lamar in 2018-19. The Fighting Irish junior got that in the first quarter against the Commodores (29-5) and finished the game with 199.
She was already just the second player to have at least eight steals in multiple NCAA Tournament games. Hidalgo had eight in each of Notre Dame's first two tourney wins, over Fairfield and Ohio State.
“She’s just a special player,” Ralph said. “I think you have to respect how hard she plays all the time. I said it yesterday. She’s like a free safety out there. You know, just kind of looking around, and as soon as she sees your eyes on a person, she’s going to go get the ball. It’s impressive.”
Three of Hidalgo's steals came quickly against Vanderbilt midway through the second quarter.
She grabbed the ball out of Sacha Washington’s hands and went in alone for a layup, then stole a bad pass near midcourt. Her seventh steal soon after led to another easy layup for a 23-11 lead.
“I’m a point guard, so I know how difficult it is to run a team and set the plays while also being pressured,” said Hidalgo, whose career high of 16 assists came early this season against Akron. “So once I got them to turn the ball over the first time, I was, like, ‘OK, I can get in their head and keep pressuring them and continue to make them turn the ball over.’”
Hidalgo's 10th steal led to her 31st point and a 64-62 lead for Notre Dame with 1:06 remaining.
With the score tied again at 64, Hidalgo clinched the triple-double by grabbing the loose ball after Blakes blocked her shot. After Hidalgo missed again, Malaya Cowles' offensive rebound led to a Notre Dame timeout.
On the ensuing inbound play, Hidalgo made a soaring catch and an immediate bounce pass to Cassandre Prosper all alone at the basket for the go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds remaining.
It was the team-leading seventh assist for Hidalgo, who won in the Sweet 16 for the first time in her third try in three seasons with the Fighting Irish.
“She’s really grown and really matured in her leadership, her trust,” coach Niele Ivey said. You know, just having poise. A lot of those things that she had to learn by being in the fire her freshman year and sophomore year, and even this year. It took her kind of a little bit later for her to really kind of gain that trust, build that trust with her team and knowing that she realizes that she has to be a leader for this group."
Now she's one steal from being the first with 200 in a season.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
