Hannah Hidalgo is inevitable.
The Notre Dame sophomore put an emphatic stamp on her entrance into the national player of the year conversation with 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in an upset of undefeated No. 2 Connecticut, 79-68, at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday. It is the third top-five team No. 8 Notre Dame has defeated this season.
Hidalgo started cold against a Huskies defense set on forcing her left after she crushed them to the tune of 24 points going right last year. She missed four 3-point attempts before the first went in the final 90 seconds of the first quarter.