Jan. 11, 2008
Game Notes Package in PDF Format 
2007-08 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 16
#14/14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-2 / 1-0 BIG EAST) vs. #16/16 West Virginia Mountaineers (11-3 / 1-1 BIG EAST)
DATE: January 13, 2008
TIME: Noon ET
AT: Morgantown, W.Va. – WVU Coliseum (14,000)
SERIES: ND leads 15-1
1ST MTG: 2/26/96 (ND 73-55)
LAST MTG: 2/4/07 (ND 77-67)
RADIO: ESPN Radio 1490 AM (Sean Stires, p-b-p)
TV: ESPNU (live) (Beth Mowins, p-b-p / Brooke Weisbrod, color)
LIVE STATS: UND.com
TICKETS: (800) 988-4263
Storylines
- Notre Dame faces its third ranked opponent of the season (second on the road), aiming for its first win at a Top 25 opponent since February 2005.
- The Irish are riding a six-game road winning streak, their longest since 2000-01.
No. 14 Irish Visit No. 16 West Virginia For Sunday BIG EAST Matinee
One would be hard-pressed to find something Notre Dame hasn’t accomplished during its 12-year run in the BIG EAST Conference. However, the 14th-ranked Irish can break new ground on Sunday at No. 16 West Virginia as they try to open league play with consecutive road wins for the first time since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96. The noon (ET) game at WVU Coliseum will be broadcast live on ESPNU, the third national TV appearance for Notre Dame in eight days.
The Irish (13-2, 1-0 BIG EAST) earned their 11th win in the past 12 games with a hard-fought 82-74 victory at Louisville on Tuesday night. Notre Dame used a 10-2 run midway through the second half to pull free of the pesky Cardinals and eventually claim the win.
Senior guard Charel Allen turned in her third consecutive strong outing, scoring a season-high 26 points and grabbing a team-best nine rebounds. Senior guard Tulyah Gaines added 13 points, including 3-of-4 free throws in the final 31 seconds for the Irish.
Rankings
- Notre Dame is ranked 14th in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this week.
- West Virginia is ranked 16th in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls this week.
A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Even after a 20-12 record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006-07, Notre Dame still continues to fly below the national radar. Head coach Muffet McGraw wouldn’t want it any other way.
Last year, the Irish learned quickly that respect is something that isn’t handed to you, but rather earned on the court. It’s also a quality that takes time to develop and doesn’t come from trophy cases or record books. So although Notre Dame was tabbed fifth in the preseason BIG EAST Conference balloting, it’s not a great concern to McGraw and her charges. Instead, they focus on the things they can control and prefer to let the outside world judge them when the season is over.
This year could prove to be unlike any in recent memory for Notre Dame. For one, the Irish will roll out some impressive depth, going virtually two-deep at every floor position. In addition, Notre Dame’s new offensive system (a Princeton-based set with four guards and a post) continues to evolve, building upon last year’s 70.1 point-per-game average that was its highest since the 2000-01 NCAA national championship season.
Senior guard Charel Allen is the top returning scorer and rebounder for the Irish, leading the team in both categories last year (17.0 ppg., 6.2 rpg.). She also was a first-team all-BIG EAST and WBCA honorable mention All-America selection, and was a finalist for the 2007 USA U21 World Championship Team that struck gold this past summer in Moscow.
Allen’s backcourt partner and classmate is point guard Tulyah Gaines. Now in her second full season at the helm of the Notre Dame offense, the speedy Gaines averaged 9.6 points per game along with team highs of 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. She also is a two-year team captain who commands instant respect from teammates, coaches and opponents.
The Irish will benefit from the return of junior guard Lindsay Schrader, who missed the entire 2006-07 season with a torn ACL in her right knee. Schrader, who retains three years of athletic eligibility, was Notre Dame’s second-leading scorer (10.5 ppg.) and top rebounder (5.4 rpg.) as a rookie in 2005-06 and will look to regain that form this season.
Last year saw Notre Dame break new ground by becoming the first school ever to put three players on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Guards Ashley Barlow (10.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and Melissa Lechlitner (6.3 ppg., 2.7 apg.) will provide a superb complement to the veteran Allen-Gaines tandem, while center Erica Williamson (6.1 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.3 bpg.) showed flashes of potential throughout her rookie season and is poised for increased development this year.
Headlining a three-player freshman class (ranked 11th nationally by Blue Star Basketball) is Devereaux Peters, a smooth 6-2 forward who was a consensus All-American as a senior last year at national powerhouse Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill. Fellow post Becca Bruszewski (Valparaiso, Ind.) finished third in last season’s Indiana Miss Basketball voting and was a perennial all-state pick. And, guard Brittany Mallory (Baltimore, Md.) offers a perimeter shooting threat, as well as a cerebral player who will mesh well in the Irish offensive system.
A Quick Look At West Virginia
A landmark season could be on the horizon for West Virginia, with the Mountaineers bringing back nine letterwinners, including all five starters, from last year’s 21-11 squad that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament and threw a major scare into eventual NCAA Final Four participant LSU before bowing out.
WVU (11-3, 1-1) will be looking to bounce back from an 84-48 loss at top-ranked Connecticut on Wednesday night. The Mountaineers fell victim to the Husky juggernaut early on, but held their own with a much stronger performance after halftime. Senior center Olayinka Sanni had 12 points and junior guard Sparkle Davis added 11 points for the visitors.
Sanni ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.2 ppg.) and third in field goal percentage (.610). Senior guard Meg Bulger is 21st in scoring (13.9 ppg.) and fourth with a .477 three-point percentage, part of the Mountaineers’ league-leading .395 ratio from beyond the arc.
Head coach Mike Carey has been the architect of West Virginia’s recent success, crafting a 118-81 (.593) record in seven seasons at the Mountaineers’ helm. He is 1-7 all-time against Notre Dame in his coaching career.
The Notre Dame-West Virginia Series
Notre Dame and West Virginia will meet for the 17th time in their series on Sunday afternoon, with the Irish owning a 15-1 edge over the Mountaineers and riding a four-game series winning streak. Notre Dame also is 6-1 against WVU in Morgantown, and claimed a 70-58 win on its last visit (Feb. 22, 2006).
The Last Time Notre Dame And West Virginia Met
Despite near sub-zero temperatures in the South Bend area and an unorthodox start time necessitated by television that put the game almost directly up against the Super Bowl, Notre Dame led from the opening tip to the final horn in a 77-67 BIG EAST Conference victory over West Virginia on Feb. 4, 2007, at the Joyce Center.
Charel Allen nearly registered her third double-double of the season, finishing with game highs of 26 points and nine rebounds for Notre Dame. Ashley Barlow came off the bench to chalk up 17 points and eight rebounds, part of a solid performance by an Irish second unit that outscored its WVU counterpart, 29-10.
Chakhia Cole and Olayinka Sanni scored 16 points apiece for West Virginia, which saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end. LaQuita Owens added 13 points and Sparkle Davis chipped in with 10 points for the Mountaineers.
The Irish used a 15-3 run midway through the first half to roll out to a double-digit lead, a spread they would enjoy until the waning moments of the game. Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner combined for 10 points in the spurt, which saw WVU miss nine of 10 shots in a six-minute span.
Notre Dame kept its lead between 20 and 24 points for the first 13 minutes of the second half, getting to the game-high 24-point gap on four occasions, the last at 62-38 on two Barlow free throws with 9:18 remaining Owens scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, during a 21-4 WVU charge bown the stretch, and Davis’ trey with 1:11 to go pulled West Virginia within 68-63. However, Notre Dame sank nine consecutive foul shots down the stretch to preserve the win.
The Last Time Notre Dame And West Virginia Met In Morgantown
Megan Duffy scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the second half, powering Notre Dame to a 70-58 BIG EAST Conference win at West Virginia on Feb. 22, 2006, at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
Duffy missed most of the first half with foul trouble, but returned to knock down 5-of-7 shots, including 4-of-6 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes. Charel Allen came off the bench to score 12 points, while Crystal Erwin also provided strong support with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Chakhia Cole led three West Virginia players in double figures with 16 points. Olayinka Sanni and LaQuita Owens each tossed in 12 points for the Mountaineers.
The Irish found themselves trailing for a large portion of the first half, falling behind by as many as nine points when WVU’s Britney Davis-White canned two free throws to give her team a 19-10 lead with nine minutes left in the period. However, Notre Dame responded with a 10-0 run of its own, capped by a three-pointer from Breona Gray at the 5:20 mark. The teams traded baskets before Cole scored six of the Mountaineers’ last seven points and helped give WVU a 28-24 halftime lead.
That margin lasted all of 64 seconds in the second half, as Courtney LaVere hit a transition layup and Duffy followed with the opening salvo in her three-point barrage to put Notre Dame in front, 29-28. From there, the lead changed hands three times and the game was tied twice, with WVU going ahead for the final time when Sarah Bucar made a layup and was fouled by Gray with 13:22 left. Bucar missed her foul shot, Allen answered four seconds later with a three-pointer and the Irish never trailed again.
Other Notre Dame-West Virginia Series Tidbits
- Notre Dame scored at least 70 points against West Virginia 13 times in the 16-game series. On the other hand, West Virginia has reached the 70-point plateau just twice against Notre Dame and has been held to fewer than 60 points eight times.
- In 10 of their last 11 games vs. Notre Dame, the Mountaineers have scored exactly in a 10-point window (54-64 points), including two 54-point games and three 64-point nights.
- Since losing at West Virginia in 2004, the Irish have won the past four series games, all by double digits, and have held the Mountaineers to 60.3 ppg. in that time.
- The Irish have scored 100 points in a game twice against WVU, making the Mountaineers the only BIG EAST opponent to see Notre Dame crack triple digits more than once.
- Both teams feature the return of a key player from a season-ending knee injury. Notre Dame junior guard Lindsay Schrader suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) four days in preseason practice last year, while WVU senior guard Meg Bulger endured her second torn ACL in less than eight months while rehabilitating during the summer of 2006.
- Jim Bulger, the father of West Virginia senior guard Meg Bulger, was a two-year monogram winner as a quarterback at Notre Dame (1970-71), and was part of ND’s 1970 Cotton Bowl championship squad. That year, the elder Bulger served as an understudy to All-American signal-caller (and future Super Bowl champion) Joe Theismann.
Ranking File
Notre Dame is facing its third ranked opponent of the season and second on the road after a 75-59 loss at No. 3 Maryland on Nov. 16. The Irish are 11-50 (.180) all-time when playing a Top 25 team on its home floor and are seeking their first true road win at a ranked opponent since Feb. 15, 2005, when they took a 54-47 victory at No. 25/22 Boston College.
The last time Notre Dame won at a school ranked 16th or better (West Virginia’s current position) was Jan. 30, 2005, when the Irish beat No. 9/10 Connecticut, 65-59, breaking the Huskies’ 112-game regular-season BIG EAST home winning streak.
Start Me Up
Notre Dame enters Sunday’s game at West Virginia with a 13-2 record, matching the second-best 15-game mark in the program’s 31-year history. In 2000-01, the Irish opened with 23 consecutive victories, en route to their first-ever No. 1 ranking and eventually, the program’s first national championship.
The last time Notre Dame got off to a 13-2 start was the 2004-05 season, when the Irish won their first seven games (including the Preseason WNIT title) before a Dec. 2 overtime loss to 15th-ranked Michigan State. Notre Dame (which rose as high as third in the national polls that season) then reeled off six more wins before suffering consecutive loss at Villanova (59-54) and home vs. No. 16 Connecticut (67-50). However, the Irish rebounded with a 10-game win streak, finishing the year at 27-6 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame has posted a 13-2 record on three other occasions, also doing so in 1999-2000 (27-5, NCAA Sweet 16), 1998-99 (26-5, NCAA second round) and 1977-78 (13-4, program’s first varsity season when playing at AIAW Division III level).
We’re Going Streaking!
Notre Dame’s 10-game win streak from Nov. 20-Jan. 2 was its longest since a similar 10-game run from Jan. 16-Feb. 15, 2005. The Irish now have amassed 10 double-digit win streaks in program history (eight in the Muffet McGraw era), led by the school-record 23-game success string to open the 2000-01 national championship season.
Notre Dame also has won six consecutive road games since a 75-59 loss at third-ranked Maryland on Nov. 16. That’s the longest run for the Irish away from the Joyce Center since a 10-game run from Nov. 17, 2000 to Feb. 14, 2001, a streak that ended with a 54-53 loss at No. 11/14 Rutgers (one of only two defeats for the Irish on their run to the NCAA title).
Chart Toppers
Notre Dame is peppered throughout the latest NCAA statistical rankings (as of Jan. 11). The Irish among the top 20 in the nation in eight categories, led by a No. 5 ranking for fewest turnovers per game (13.6) and No. 6 rankings for both assist/turnover ratio (1.25) and scoring margin (+22.6). Notre Dame also is seventh in scoring offense (80.4), 13th in field goal percentage (.474), 14th in steals per game (12.5), 15th in won-loss percentage (.867) and 20th in assists per game (16.9).
A full recap of Notre Dame’s positions on the NCAA statistics charts (and its relation to the national leaders) can be found on page 10 of this notes package.
Thirty Deeds
More than half (7) of Notre Dame’s 13 wins this season have come by at least 30 points, while the Irish have held 30-point leads late in the second half against Western Kentucky and Richmond. This marks the first time in school history that Notre Dame has fashioned seven 30-point wins in its first 15 games.
It’s also the first time since the 2000-01 national championship season that the Irish have logged at least seven 30-point wins in a single season. That year, Notre Dame collected a school-record 10 30-point victories, but only six of those came in the first 15 games.
What’s more, the Irish had a streak of four consecutive 30-point wins from Nov. 20-Dec. 2. The last time Notre Dame did that was Jan. 20-30, 1999, when the Irish had four straight 30-point victories, all during BIG EAST Conference play — at Seton Hall (87-47), home vs. St. John’s (99-60), at Syracuse (94-61) and at Providence (97-59).
Put A Tiger In Your Tank
Less than two seasons after posting the program’s lowest scoring output (64.5 ppg) since 1980-81 (its first as a Division I program), Notre Dame has reversed that trend in a big way.
The Irish currently rank third in the BIG EAST Conference in scoring (and seventh in the nation) at 80.4 points per game, having tallied at least 77 points in 11 of their 13 wins. What’s more, Notre Dame also has the third-highest scoring average after 15 games in program history, topped only by the squads in 1998-99 (82.8 ppg.) and 1995-96 (81.7), with the ’98-99 team going on to post a single-season school record with an 81.0-ppg. scoring average.
What’s more, Notre Dame has scored at least 90 points four times this season. That’s the most 90-point games for the Irish in one year since 2000-01, when they also had four such outings. In fact, during the six seasons between then and now (2001-02 through 2006-07), Notre Dame had a combined total of four 90-point games.
Notre Dame also ranks second in the conference (and sixth in the nation) in scoring margin, outpointing its opposition by 22.6 points per night.
McGraw’s Shock Troops
During his coaching tenure with the Notre Dame football team in the 1920s, Knute Rockne was at the forefront of the two-platoon system, using his “shock troops” — a full team of second stringers — at the start of most games.
While Irish women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw may not quite be following Rockne’s philosophy to the letter, she could easily rotate in much of her second unit and not see much decline in productivity. In fact, Notre Dame’s bench is averaging 32.3 points per game (compared to 48.1 ppg. by the starters) and has outscored all 15 opponent benches this season by an average of +18.1 points per night.
Leading the way for this year’s Irish “shock troops” is freshman forward Devereaux Peters, who is averaging 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and a BIG EAST-best 2.27 blocks per game with a .529 field goal percentage. Peters came off the bench for each of Notre Dame’s non-conference games, but made her first collegiate start at Louisville in Tuesday’s BIG EAST opener.
Youth Movement
Last year’s Irish rookie class (aka the “BMW” trio of guards Ashley Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner and center Erica Williamson) became the first threesome from one school ever to be named to the BIG EAST Conference All-Freshman Team in the same season. Following on the heels of that success, Notre Dame has a new freshman trio that is aiming to make an early splash at the college level — the “BBD” lineup of guards Brittany Mallory and forwards Becca Bruszewski and Devereaux Peters.
All three Irish rookies have done their part to help Notre Dame to its 13-2 record, with each one averaging at least 11 minutes and having scored in double figures at least once. Peters is fourth on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg.) and has scored in double digits in eight of the past 10 games, while also leading the BIG EAST Conference in blocked shots (2.27 bpg.). Mallory is averaging 6.6 points per game, is second on the squad with 13 three-pointers and is one of six Notre Dame players with at least 20 steals this season. Bruszewski is logging 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, with impressive outings in the two Irish matchups against top-five opponents, grabbing a season-high seven rebounds vs. Maryland and Tennessee.
Spreading The Wealth
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s squad this season is its balance and depth. That’s been particularly evident through the first 16 games of the season (counting the exhibitions), with six different players from all five floor positions and all four classes leading the team in scoring.
Double Trouble
Another example of Notre Dame’s balance this season is seen in its point distribution. No fewer than 10 of the 11 Irish players on this year’s roster have scored in double figures at least once this season, with only senior guard Amanda Tsipis yet to crack the 10-point mark.
Notre Dame also has had at least three double-figure scorers in all but two games (Purdue and Tennessee) this season. What’s more, the Irish fielded five double-figure scorers in three consecutive games from Nov. 20-27. It’s believed to be the first time in school history (and certainly the first time in the Muffet McGraw era) the Irish have pulled off that feat of three straight games with five double-digit scorers, although records are incomplete prior to the 1983-84 season.
Protecting The Pill
Notre Dame has gotten off to a strong start this season, thanks in large part to its ability to take care of the basketball. The Irish rank fifth in the nation with just 13.6 turnovers per game and had a 30-game streak of committing 18 turnovers or fewer until being charged with 20 turnovers Tuesday night at Louisville. On the flip side, Notre Dame is forcing 23.1 turnovers per night, resulting in a BIG EAST Conference-best +9.53 turnover margin (nearly three takeaways better than second-place Connecticut).
The Irish took ball protection to a new level in their loss at No. 3 Maryland on Nov. 16. Notre Dame set a school record with only three turnovers against the Terrapins, with two of those giveaways coming on offensive fouls. The previous school record for fewest turnovers was six, set on Feb. 12, 2006 at DePaul.
With only three turnovers, it probably comes as no surprise that Maryland did not register a steal against Notre Dame. However, what is surprising is that it was the first time in the 31-year history of the Irish program that an opponent did not record a steal against Notre Dame. Several opponents had only one steal vs. the Irish, with the most recent being Boston College on March 19, 2006 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (played at West Lafayette, Ind.).
Keeping It On The Plus Side
Notre Dame has registered a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 10 games this season, only finding the red against Western Kentucky (12 assists, 15 turnovers), Purdue (15/18), Richmond (9/13), Tennessee (15/16) and Louisville (9/20).
For the year, the Irish rank fourth in the BIG EAST (and sixth nationally) with a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio. Notre Dame also has assisted on 53.5 percent of its field goals this year (254 assists on 475 baskets), ranking fourth in the conference and 20th in the country with 16.9 assists per game.
Off And Running
Notre Dame has wasted little time in jumping ahead of its opponents this season. In more than half (7) of their 12 wins, the Irish have opened up a double-digit lead less than 10 minutes into the game, while a 20-0 run late in the first half at Central Michigan aided that win, as did a 18-3 first-half surge at Bowling Green.
Even in the first of its two defeats this season (at third-ranked Maryland on Nov. 16), Notre Dame made a statement early with a 10-0 run in the first five minutes of action and led by as many as five points in the first half before the Terrapins rallied back for the win.
Going Into Lockdown
Notre Dame has held 11 opponents this season to fewer than 60 points. The Irish also currently rank seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring defense at 57.8 points per game.
That’s the fifth-lowest opponent scoring average through 15 games for Notre Dame, fourth-lowest since elevating to Division I in 1980-81, and third-lowest of the Muffet McGraw era. The only Irish squads in the past 26 seasons that have gotten off to a better defensive starts than this year’s club were the 2000-01 national championship team (53.5 ppg.) and the 2004-05 team (56.3).
Allen Climbing Irish Points Ladder
Senior guard Charel Allen continues to make her way up Notre Dame’s all-time scoring list, currently standing 14th with 1,272 points. Next up for Allen is her former teammate Megan Duffy, who is in 13th place with 1,290 points from 2002-06.
What’s more, Allen is 158 points away from moving into the top 10 on the Irish career scoring charts. The person currently holding down that position? First-year assistant coach Niele Ivey, who tallied 1,430 points from 1996-2001.
Clutch When It Counts
Notre Dame is 27-37 (.730) from the free throw line in the final two minutes (plus overtime) this season. Leading the way is sophomore guard Ashley Barlow, who is 4-4 this year and 14-16 (.875) in her career when toeing the line down the stretch. Fellow sophomore guard Melissa Lechlitner also has been solid from the stripe in crunch time during her career, going 12-15 (.800), including 3-4 this season.
Polling Station
Notre Dame is ranked a season-high 14th in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, holding steady from the previous survey. The No. 14 ranking is the highest for the Irish in the media poll since the week of Jan. 2, 2006, when they were ranked 12th prior to losses at St. John’s (66-63) and home vs. Seton Hall (74-61).
Notre Dame now has been ranked in the AP poll for 149 weeks during the program’s history, with every one of those appearances coming in the Muffet McGraw era. McGraw currently ranks 14th among all active NCAA Division I head coaches for weeks in the AP poll, and also stands 25th all-time in that category.
The Irish also are appearing in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll for the ninth consecutive week, checking in at a season-high 14th for the second week in a row. It’s the highest poll position for Notre Dame in two years, when the Irish were tabbed 12th by the coaches prior to the aforementioned losses to St. John’s and Seton Hall.
No Easy Road
Notre Dame has always played a difficult schedule, using it as a means of preparation for future tests in both the BIG EAST Conference and the postseason. However, this year’s slate could be one of the more rugged ones in recent memory.
With the addition of Maryland to the docket in the Preseason WNIT semifinals (75-59 loss on Nov. 16), the Irish now will face four of the top five teams in the latest Associated Press poll. Besides the Terrapins (currently No. 4), Notre Dame also has or will play No. 1 Connecticut (Jan. 27 at the Joyce Center), No. 2 Tennessee (lost 87-63 on Jan. 5 at the Joyce Center) and No. 5 Rutgers (Feb. 19 in Piscataway, N.J.). Three of the top four teams in the poll have combined to win five of the past six national championships, with Tennessee currently holding the hardware after defeating Rutgers in last year’s title game.
Irish Debut Dish For The Holidays Food Drive
The Notre Dame women’s basketball team took time to give back to the northern Indiana community with its first-ever “Dish For The Holidays” food drive on Dec. 20. All of the Irish players and coaches manned various entrances to the Notre Dame campus that morning, collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations that were presented to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana later in the day. In addition to eight full cartons of food (close to 4,000 pounds), the Irish also collected $646 to help others in need around Michiana during the holidays.
Irish Fans Crave A Big Mac Attack
Notre Dame has introduced a new promotion this season, offering fans a coupon for a free Big Mac from South Bend-area McDonald’s restaurants if the Irish score at least 88 points in a game. The coupons are issued at the Joyce Center gates as fans leave the arena following the game.
This season’s burger watch already is at six, as the Irish have hit the 88-point mark in exhibition wins over Southern Indiana and Hillsdale, as well as regular-season victories over Miami (Ohio), Boston College, Canisius and Valparaiso.
It’s probably also not a surprise that the Notre Dame player with the most “Big Mac baskets” this season has the same initials as that of the tasty burger — freshman guard Brittany Mallory, who has sent the crowd home happy (and presumably with full bellies) four times, including each of the past three games that the Irish have scored 88 points at home.
Promotional Corner
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Irish athletics ticket office (second floor of the Joyce Center through Gate 1; 574-631-7356), on game day at the Gate 10 ticket windows of the Joyce Center, or via the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (UND.com). Please note — additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date, so consult the Notre Dame promotions web site (www.notredamepromotions.com) for the latest information:
- Jan. 16 vs. Villanova — Fan Appreciation Night … Midweek Mania (buy one ticket, get one free) … Irish women’s basketball freshman player trading cards to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Allegiant Air … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Notre Dame players.
Next Game: Villanova
The Irish will open the home portion of their BIG EAST schedule on Wednesday when they play host to Villanova in a 7 p.m. (ET) matchup at the Joyce Center. The contest tips off a nearly month-long stretch that will see Notre Dame play six of eight games at home.
Villanova (10-5, 0-2) has cooled off a bit since a sharp non-conference effort, losing its first two BIG EAST games this year, both at home. The Wildcats welcome Georgetown to town Saturday afternoon before heading to South Bend next week.
— ND —