Hannah Hidalgo Shatters Steals Record - Which Record is Next?

A look at the records that are safe moving forward, and those that can fall.

The class of 2027 is going to be a problem. And one of those names is, of course, Hannah Hidalgo. She's starting off her 2025-2026 campaign with a bang, averaging 29.5 points per game.

But what she did Wednesday night had everyone doing a double-take.

Hidalgo had a record-setting night, and that term isn't being used loosely. She set a new Notre Dame record with 44 points in a game, surpassing Jewell Loyd and Ruth Riley (41). But if that wasn't enough, she set a new NCAA record for the most steals in a game with 16.

Sixteen. Steals.

All of that happened in just 28 minutes on the court.

Take a bow, Hannah. Well deserved.

When Hidalgo broke the previous record of 14 steals in a game, held by seven previous players, including Ticha Penicheiro, it had me wondering what other records exist that could be broken and which ones are safe.

It's like the Cal Ripken consecutive games played record or Cy Young's 511 wins in MLB. Those are safe. They won't be touched ever.

But then there's the records like the steals that Hidalgo shattered (the last time a player had 14 steals was in 2008) or the longest field goal in football, which seems to be broken or on the verge of being broken every year.

Here are a few that are safe, and a few others that I can see being challenged.

40 Rebounds, Deborah Temple

This record has been around since 1983 — one year after the NCAA started to keep official records for women's basketball. Temple was a hooper's hooper. She was 5'10, leading the nation in scoring. But she also pulled down 40 rebounds for Delta State against UAB.

The closest that anyone has gotten to Temple's 40 rebounds was a year after, when Rosina Pearson grabbed 37. In the last 20 years, though, only six players have grabbed more than 29 in a game, with Anna Strickland's 31 coming the closest in 2016.

Just like with Ripken and Young, you have to look at the way that the game and landscape of the sport has changed. With the current spread systems that colleges play, having a true banger down low to grab the boards needed to pass Temple's record just isn't going to happen.

223 Blocks in a Season, Brittney Griner

Did you know that Griner owns three of the top four all-time marks for blocked shots in a season from her time at Baylor?

2010: 223
2012: 206
2010: 195 (Louella Tomlinson)
2011: 170

The closest that anyone has gotten since Griner left Baylor was in 2015 when Oral Roberts' Vicky McIntyre blocked 160 shots in 34 games.

Griner was different.

For comparison, last year, there were only five players with more than 100 blocks. Lauren Betts, of UCLA, had 100 on the nose – 123 fewer than the record.

11.8 Assists Per Game, Suzie McConnell

McConnell's record has stood since 1987, after she took the mantle from Faith Mimnaugh of Loyola Chicago, who averaged 11.7 in a season.

"But Pitch Mr. Perfect, that's so close! It could be broken!"

Thanks for using my government, friend.

It could be, for sure. But McConnell's record has stood since 1987, with no real challenger since. La’Terrica Dobin, of Northwestern State, is the only challenger since the turn of the century when she averaged 10.6 assists per game in 2003.

Serena Sundell (heal up from that ACL injury, Serena) led all players last year in Division I with 7.9 assists per game. The three years prior, Caitlin Clark was the leader. She topped out at 8.9 assists per game.

McConnell is a legend and not just because I'm a Pittsburgh kid. Her record is safe.

61 Points, Ayoka Lee

Sixty-one points is a ton of points for a 40-minute game. Lee broke the record in 2022 with Kansas State. It's extremely impressive since Lee is a big, big. She doesn't shoot threes. All of her work comes in the paint and at the line.

She broke the 60-point record that was held by Cindy Brown (1987) and Rachel Banham (2016).

What's interesting is that we've seen three players since 2017 put together a 55-point game. Most notably is Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, who scored 55 and 53 in two separate games last year.

With offenses exploding and more teams attempting threes and using five-out offenses, it's a matter of time before Lee's record falls.

What's the ceiling, though? 65? 70? 73?

14 Threes, Juicy Landrum

I'm not saying that this will be an easy one to take down. The record has stood since 2019, entering into — and through — the years of the three-ball.

But, I can see a player going on a heater and passing this. It's like the Hidalgo record. Well, easier to pass, honestly. That one seemed safe. But it'll happen one night and we'll all say, "what the fuck just happened?"

Since 2021, there have been 50 occurrences of players attempting at least 15 threes in a game, which is what would be needed to break the record.

We've seen 20 or more attempts in a game three times over that same stretch of time – two of which belong to Caitlin Clark.

NWSL is Coming to Atlanta

We. Are. Seated.

I feel terribly for my friends in Cleveland, as they deserved this team so much. They'll get theirs, and when they do, it's going to be phenomenal.

As a Georgia resident, I am absolutely thrilled to see that Atlanta is getting a team. It's something that I've been hoping for ever since we moved down here.

There is no safer bet in sports than investing in women's sports.

Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons, is the lead investor, as the bid for Atlanta to bring an NWSL team "after 2026" was secured at a record $165 million.

It's worth noting that Angel City and San Diego won bids in 2020 and 2021, respectively, for less than $5 million each. Bay FC went for $53 million just a couple of years ago.

I'm hoping to be able to cover the team when they arrive in person. That's the first goal. If that doesn't happen, I will 100 percent be in attendance as much as financially possible at that time.

Now, NWSL, please bring a team to Cleveland. I promise you that they will show up and show out more than any other new city will.

New WNBA Coaches

I dusted off the pen for Winsdr this past week, as the season never really stops. I teamed with Melissa Triebwasser to take a look at the new coaches around the league.

I covered Sandy Brondello in Toronto and Sonia Raman in Seattle, while Melissa covered the men in Dallas and Portland.

Give it a read.

Until Next Time

I wanted to touch on some NBA topics in this newsletter (Ja Morant, Ajay Mitchell, the Sixers, Ace Bailey) but that's going to have to wait until the next newsletter.

I'm planning on dropping it Monday still, but there's a chance it will come out on Tuesday.

My mom and stepdad are down for the weekend, and I haven't seen them since May 2023. I'm very excited to hang out with them, so for now, that's going to be my focus and priority for the weekend.

Until next time. I love you awesome nerds.