Hannah Hidalgo is among the players filling the void left by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark heading to the WNBA.
Clark led women’s college basketball in scoring during the 2023-24 season and in three of the last four years. Hidalgo has helped lead No. 2 Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0 ACC) to an unbeaten start in conference play. In the process, the sophomore from Merchantville, New Jersey, has become one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball for the Irish.
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She enters the Fighting Irish’s Monday matchup vs. No. 10 Duke (20-5, 11-2) averaging 25.2 points per game. She is the second-leading scorer in college basketball, trailing only ACC foe and Florida State star Ta’Niya Latson for the most points per game this season. Hidalgo is a contender for Player of the Year.
Hidalgo averaged 22.6 points per game last season as a freshman, breaking the previous school record for most points per game by Arike Ogunbowale (21.8) during the 2018-19 season. She’s on pace to break her own record as a sophomore.
Latson, a junior, is averaging 26.2 points per game for the Seminoles (20-6, 10-4) in 24 games. Hidalgo has done her scoring in 22 games. Latson sat out FSU’s win over Miami on Sunday due to an undisclosed injury. Interestingly, the Fighting Irish and Seminoles are scheduled to play each other on Feb. 27, the second to last game of the season, in South Bend.
There’s a chance the scoring title could help to be decided by a monster performance when the two stars go head-to-head. Here’s a look at the NCAA women’s basketball scoring leaders through Sunday, Feb. 16:
NCAA women’s basketball scoring leaders
Here’s a look at the NCAA leaders entering Sunday, Feb. 16:
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1. Ta’Niya Latson, FSU: 26.2 points per games
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2. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: 25.2
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3. JuJu Watkins, USC: 24.5
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4. Grace Larkins, South Dakota: 24.4
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5. Izzy Higginbottom, Arkansas: 24.1
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6. Audi Crooks, Iowa State: 23.0
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7. DeYona Gaston, Auburn: 22.0
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8. Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt: 21.8
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T-9. Molly Kaiser, New Mexico State: 21.7
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T-9. Raegan McCowan, Western Illinois: 21.7
Hannah Hidalgo stats
Hidalgo has scored 20-plus points in 45 of 56 career games and reached 1,000 in just 44 games, a Notre Dame record. Here’s a look at Hidalgo’s stats in his two seasons with Notre Dame:
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2023-24: 22.6 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game on 44.6% shooting, 34% shooting from 3-point range and 4.6 steals per game
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2024-25: 25.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 4.0 assists per game on 49% shooting, 42.1% shooting from 3-point range and 4.1 steals per game
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Where does Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo rank among NCAA leading scorers?
