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FORT WORTH, Texas -- With the game tied in the final 22 seconds of the Sweet 16, Notre Dame had to get the ball inbounds. The No. 6 seed Fighting Irish were on the verge of a second straight upset in the NCAA Tournament, but needed one last gasp. 

Irish inbounder KK Bransford floated the ball high, seemingly right to the middle of two Vanderbilt defenders, 6-foot-4 Aiyana Mitchell and 5-foot-8 Mikayla Blakes. But like so many times before, All-American guard Hannah Hidalgo -- one of the shortest players on the court at 5-foot-6 -- emerged from the pack with the ball. 

"We talked a couple times in the huddle, it was like we have to do whatever it takes to not go home," Hidalgo said. "This is not going to be our last time playing together." 

Once she gathered possession, Hidalgo attracted the attention of the Vanderbilt defense and dropped it right in the pocket to Cassandre Prosper, who laid it in for what proved to be a game-winning basket as the Fighting Irish pulled off a 67-64 upset against No. 2 seed Vanderbilt. And with it, Hidalgo cemented one of the greatest performances in the history of the NCAA Tournament. 

The junior finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists against the No. 6 team in the country, three assists shy of a quadruple-double. Her 10 steals are the second-most in a women's NCAA Tournament game ever, and Hidalgo joined Old Dominion's Ticha Penicheiro in 1998 as the only other player to record a triple-double with steals in the NCAA Tournament. 

"She's the best, she's just the ultimate competitor," Notre Dame guard Vanessa de Jesus said. "She does it on both ends for the whole game."

Hidalgo was left off the Associated Press All-America First Team, relegated to make space for Vanderbilt's Blakes. From the opening tip, Hidalgo tried to impose her will. At the end of the first quarter, she already had four steals as Blakes was held without a field goal. She poured it on with 10 more points in the second quarter as the Irish built a 31-26 halftime lead. 

Notre Dame's lead grew as large as 10, 48-38, in the third quarter, but Vanderbilt's young team chipped away throughout in the second half. Blakes scored 12 points in the fourth as Vanderbilt took a 62-61 lead, its first since the first quarter, with only 1:48 remaining. But with Hidalgo on the other end, it wouldn't last. Her steal and highlight reel fastbreak layup put the Irish back in front.

"She's like a free safety out there," Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said. "Just kind of looking around. As soon as she sees your eyes on a person, she's going to get the ball. It's impressive. Hopefully our players not only learned a little bit about how we can take better care of the ball, but also that's the kind of effort you need to win games like this." 

In the NCAA Tournament alone, Hidalgo has averaged 26.7 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and 8.7 steals per game to help power back-to-back upsets over No. 3 seed Ohio State and Vanderbilt. With the win, Notre Dame is back in the Elite Eight for the first time since Muffet McGraw retired in 2020. 

Notre Dame appeared to enter a rebuild after losing eight players from last year's team. Instead, Hidalgo's core of returners has quickly changed their fortune. The Irish have won 10 of their last 11 games and now face an impending heavyweight battle with top-seeded UConn on Sunday with a chance to return to the sport's biggest stage. 

"I'm so elated that I get a chance to experience this with this team," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. "This is a special group. We have connected and have a bond… A year ago, [Hannah and two teammates] sat in my office and told me that they believed in us and believed in their program. Now, look where we are."