Women’s Top 25 roundup: Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidaldo nabs NCAA-record 16 steals

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Hannah Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals and a program record with 44 points as No. 18 Notre Dame routed Akron 85-58 on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind.

Hidalgo’s record-breaking scoring performance came on 16-of-25 shooting from the floor with three 3-pointers made on six attempts and a 9-of-11 performance at the free-throw line for the Fighting Irish (3-0).

While Hidalgo came out on fire, the Fighting Irish only began to truly pull away from the winless Zips (0-3) late in the third quarter. Notre Dame went on a 9-0 run to build a 26-point lead.

Ni’Rah Clark led the Zips with 13 points.

No. 1 UConn 85, Loyola Chicago 31

Stifling defense and Sarah Strong’s balanced all-around play led the top-ranked Huskies to a rout of the Ramblers in Storrs, Conn.

Strong finished with 11 points, four assists, four steals, three blocked shots and three rebounds in just 20 minutes. Her defensive presence helped UConn (3-0) hold Loyola Chicago (1-2) to single-digit scoring output in each of the first three quarters (nine, five, three).

UConn also forced the Ramblers into a whopping 36 turnovers, almost as many as field goals as Loyola Chicago attempted (41).

No. 5 LSU 117, Charlotte 59

Milaysia Fulwiley’s 22 points off the bench led seven LSU scorers in double-figures, and the Tigers cruised past the 49ers in Baton Rouge, La. Fulwiley set the pace in the Tigers’ highest-scoring game since putting up 131 points in a win over North Carolina Central last season.

LSU (4-0) shot 50% from 3-point range (10 of 20) led by Fulwiley going 5 of 6. She closed a 62-17 first half with a 3-pointer, as LSU closed both opening periods with made triples.

Mikaylah Williams scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, Flau’Jae Johnson scored 16 points and grabbed five boards, and Kate Koval went for a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Princess Anderson scored a game-high 27 points for Charlotte (2-2).

No. 6 Oklahoma 89, Kansas City 61

Aaliyah Chavez scored a career-high 29 points as the Sooners pulled away from the Roos in the second half on the way to a comfortable win in Norman, Okla.

Chavez, the top-ranked recruit in the 2025 freshman class, sank 7 of 10 3-point attempts and shot 9 of 13 from the floor overall in setting her early collegiate personal benchmark. She knocked down a pair of triples during an 11-5 run in the third quarter that gave the Sooners (2-1) some cushion after Kansas City (1-2) cut the deficit to 11 points.

Elauni Bennett led the Roos with 19 points and matched a game-high with eight rebounds. Sahara Williams finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Sooners, Payton Verhulst scored 13 points and grabbed six boards, and Brooklyn Stewart scored 11 points off the bench.

No. 13 Ole Miss 94, Southern 44

Christeen Iwuala and Cotie McMahon each posted double-doubles as the Rebels rolled past the Jaguars in Oxford, Miss.

Iwuala finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes of playing time, while McMahon added 18 points and 10 boards in 21 minutes. The duo helped Ole Miss (3-0) jump to a 14-point lead early, only cut down to 11 points before the end of the first quarter on Demonnie Lagway’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

The made basket offered a rare highlight for Southern (0-3), which shot just 16-of-50 from the floor, 10-of-19 from the foul line, and committed 17 turnovers. Zaria Hurston’s 21 points accounted for nearly half the team’s scoring.

No. 15 Duke 83, Norfolk State 32

The Blue Devils held the Spartans scoreless for the game’s first 6:13, setting the tone early in a runaway win in Durham, N.C.

The Blue Devils (2-1) limited the Spartans (2-2) to five first-quarter points, then built a 22-point halftime lead. Ten different Duke scorers made field goals throughout the night, led by Taina Mair’s 18 points. Arianna Roberson and Riley Nelson each adding 12 points off the bench and Toby Fournier chipping in 10 points.

Duke held Norfolk State to just 10-of-62 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-20 from 3-point range. Just five Spartans scored, and only Anjanae Richardson (11 points) broke double figures.

No. 16 Iowa State 97, Valparaiso 50

Audi Crooks scored an Iowa State program-record 43 points while leading the Cyclones to a romp over the Beacons in Ames, Iowa.

Crooks dominated the interior, scoring 36 of her 43 points on 18-of-23 shooting primarily in the paint. Crooks also grabbed seven rebounds as the Cyclones (4-0) had a 47-34 advantage on the glass.

Milan Nenadic scored 20 points for Valparaiso (0-3), doubling her output from the Beacons’ first two games combined.

No. 17 TCU 122, Tennessee State 39

Maddie Scherr went 6 of 6 from 3-point range en route to 22 points, Olivia Miles recorded a 17-point, 11-assist double-double, and the Horned Frogs blasted the Lady Tigers in Fort Worth, Texas.

TCU (3-0) held Tennessee State (0-3) scoreless for the first 4:33 of the second half, building a 33-point halftime lead to 50. TCU forced the Tigers into 32 turnovers, double Tennessee State’s total of made field goals.

While Tennessee State’s Amiyah Ferguson scored 13 points, Horned Frogs Marta Suarez, Donovyn Hunter and Taylor Bigby joined Scherr and Miles in double figures with 19, 16 and 10 points, respectively. The Tigers player to reach double figures was Amiyah Ferguson with 13 points.

No. 19 Vanderbilt 75, Austin Peay 65

A 10-2 run to start the second half gave the Commodores some breathing room as they held off an upset bid from the Governors in Clarksville, Tenn.

Vanderbilt (3-0) got all it could handle in the first half from Austin Peay (1-1), which had four scorers in double figures led by Kyra Perkins’ 16 points off the bench.

The Commodores countered with four double-figure scorers of their own, including 26 from Mikayla Blakes. Vanderbilt leaned heavily on Blakes, who played 38 minutes, and Aubrey Galvan, who was on the floor all 40 minutes en route to 18 points.

No. 22 Louisville 74, Colorado 68

Skylar Jones scored 21 points off the bench as the Cardinals rallied to hold off the visiting Buffaloes.

The Cardinals (2-1) dug an early hole of as many as 11 points, then trailed the Buffaloes (1-1) 37-34 at halftime. A 10-0 run midway through the third quarter gave Louisville a brief lead that Colorado recaptured with a 13-4 run. The teams went back-and-forth in the final quarter, tying twice before the Cardinals took the lead for good with a 6-1 surge.

Zyanna Walker’s 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench led Colorado.

No. 23 Kentucky 90, USC Upstate 30

Clara Strack recorded her third double-double of the season by halftime, and the Wildcats rolled past the Spartans in Lexington, Ky.

Strack, who came into Wednesday’s contest averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game, had 11 and 10 by intermission to go with three blocked shots for Kentucky (4-0). She finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, while teammate Tonie Morgan added her own double-double of 11 points and 16 assists.

USC Upstate (1-3) did not make a field goal in the second quarter until the 1:19 mark. By then, Kentucky built a 30-point lead that grew to as many as 62 points in the second half.

No. 24 Michigan State 96, Youngstown State 52

All 12 Spartans who saw the floor made at least one field goal as the team cruised past the Penguins in East Lansing, Mich.

Grace VanSlooten led the balanced scoring effort for Michigan State (3-0), finishing with 17 points. Emma Shutmate came off the bench to chip in 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from 3-point range to pace the Spartans to a 12-of-25 night from deep as a team.

Youngstown State (2-1) could not keep pace, hitting 5-of-14 from beyond the arc and 22-of-47 from the floor overall. Sarah Baker and Faith Burch led the charge with 10 points each for the Penguins.

–Field Level Media