Hannah Hidalgo joins WNBA star Jewell Loyd in elite Notre Dame club after win vs Louisville

Hannah Hidalgo continues to make history in the 2024-25 NCAA season. She became just the second Notre Dame player to record back-to-back 30-point games over the last 15 seasons, replicating the feat of WNBA star Jewell Loyd after her offensive masterclass against the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday.

Hidalgo wreaked havoc on the Louisville defense, scoring a season-high 34 points in Notre Dame's 89-71 victory at KFC Yum! Center. She shot 12-for-22, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, and was perfect at the charity stripe, making all eight of her free-throw attempts.

Hidalgo's explosion follows her 30-point outing against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday. She was efficient on the offensive end in that contest, going 10-for-16.

Loyd was the last Notre Dame player to accomplish that feat, recording back-to-back 30-point outings for the Fighting Irish in December 2014.

She scored 31 points in Notre Dame's 76-58 loss to the UConn Huskies before exploding for a career-high 41 points in the Fighting Irish's 94-93 overtime victory over the DePaul Blue Demons.

Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles lead Notre Dame past Louisville in ACC clash

Notre Dame's win against Louisville didn’t come easy, as the two teams were locked in a tight battle during the first half. The Fighting Irish entered the break with a slim 39-38 lead after the Cardinals outscored them 25-17 in the second quarter.

Hannah Hidalgo took over for No. 3 Notre Dame in the third quarter, scoring 12 points during that period to help the Fighting Irish build a 65-54 advantage entering the final period. Notre Dame never looked back, cruising to its 14th straight win.

Hannah Hidalgo (#3) of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates in the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 02, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Getty

Hidalgo stuffedstuffed the stat sheet against Louisville, grabbing six rebounds, dishing out five assists and recording two steals. It wasn’t just Hidalgo who punished the Cardinals, as two other Notre Dame players scored in double figures.

Olivia Miles recorded 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes of action. She shot 5-for-8, including 2-for-5 from deep. Miles has scored in double figures in each of her last 14 games, all of which resulted in victories for Notre Dame.

Liatu King also had a stellar performance, scoring 16 points and collecting 12 boards to claim her ninth double-double of the season.