Hannah Hidalgo stats today: How did Notre Dame star fare vs Loyola Maryland (Dec. 22)

Notre Dame scoring whiz Hannah Hidalgo continued to build up her case for the major women's college basketball awards this season. She led the Fighting Irish to a 97-54 pounding of Loyola Maryland on Sunday at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana.

The 5-foot-6 sophomore dropped a season-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting (4-of-7 from 3-pointers) to spearhead Notre Dame's offense and improve to 10-2. Hidalgo, who made all three free-throw attempts, added four rebounds, three assists and five steals in 33 minutes.

It was the guard's second 30-point game this year and the third-straight game she scored at least 27 points, continuing her prolific year for the Niele Ivey-coached squad.

Hidalgo made her intentions known early, scoring the game's first two points. She added five more points to help the No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish build a 26-9 lead in the first period.

The spitfire guard only scored three points in the second quarter but made up for the lack of production in the next, dropping 18 points on four layups, a jumper, two 3-pointers and a couple of charities to give Notre Dame a 76-41 edge approaching the fourth period.

Hidalgo picked up five more points for the Fighting Irish to record her highest-point total and second 30-point game of the season. Here are the Notre Dame guard's final stats in the team's win over Loyola Maryland:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
Hannah Hidalgo	33	33	4	3	5	0	13-19	4-7	3-3	2	3

---

Hannah Hidalgo is giving JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers a run for their money

USC's JuJu Watkins and UConn's Paige Bueckers have figured prominently in college women's basketball talks this season, as the duo are expected to carry the torch left by Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark.

Watkins and Bueckers are leading their teams to the top of their conferences and are likely contenders for major awards during the postseason. USC star Watkins has tallied 24.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.0 blocks this season for the 11-1 Trojans, while UConn playmaker Bueckers averages 20.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.0 spg for Huskies (10-2).

Hannah Hidalgo isn't far behind and is slightly ahead in points, rebounds and steals. The Notre Dame offensive maven has averaged 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.25 steals in 12 games for the Fighting Irish team, which has gone deeper with the additions of key transfers Liatu King and Liza Karlen and five-star freshman Kate Koval.

Hannah Hidalgo has topped both Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins in this season's nonconference matches, with Notre Dame beating UConn (79-68) and USC (74-63),

There's a possibility the trio would cross paths again in the postseason, and the pressure is on Hidalgo if she can lead her team to another victory against Bueckers and Watkins.

---

What did you think of Hannah Hidalgo's performance against Loyola Maryland? Let's know your thoughts in the comments section below: