Jan. 7, 2005
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(#4 AP/#3 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1, 2-0)vs. Villanova Wildcats (8-4, 1-0)
The Date and Time: Sunday, Jan. 9, 2005, at 2 p.m. ET.
The Site: The Pavilion (6,500) in Villanova, Pa.
The Tickets: Still available through the NotreDame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356) orthe Villanova athletics ticket office(610-519-4100).
The TV Plans: BIG EAST TV broadcast with LouBrogno (play-by-play), Margo Plotzke (analysis),Lori Mancini (producer) and Shawn Jensen(director). A full list of the broadcast outletscarrying the game appears in a box on page 11 ofthese notes.
The Radio Plans: Sunday’s game will be broadcastlive on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM(1490) in South Bend with Sean Stires(play-by-play) calling the action. Thesebroadcasts also are available through the NotreDame athletics web site at www.und.com.
Real-Time Statistics: Live in-game statistics,courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker,are available for the Villanova game, via theNotre Dame (www.und.com) athletics web site.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Villanova (www.villanova.com).
Following a pair of home wins to start the BIGEAST Conference season, No. 4/3 Notre Dame willtip off the road portion of the league scheduleSunday when it travels to Villanova for a 2 p.m.(ET) contest at The Pavilion. The game will bebroadcast regionally via the BIG EAST syndicatedtelevision package, with a full list ofclearances shown on page 11 of these notes.
The Irish (13-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) won theirsixth consecutive game Wednesday night, downingSyracuse, 75-58 at the Joyce Center. Sophomoreguard Breona Gray, senior center Teresa Bortonand junior guard Megan Duffy each scored 17points for Notre Dame, which used a 13-4first-half run to take control and run to thevictory.
Villanova (8-4, 1-0) has not played sincelast Sunday, when it dispatched Providence, 45-34at home in its BIG EAST opener. Junior forwardLiad Suez scored a game-high 15 points for theWildcats, who pulled away with a 16-3 run in thesecond half.
Suez is Villanova’s leader in scoring(14.1 ppg.) and assists (3.4 apg.), whilesophomore forward Jackie Adamshick is theWildcats’ second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg.) andtop rebounder (6.3 rpg.).
VU continues to use the three-point shotas a potent weapon, averaging more than 18three-point attempts per game. The Wildcats areshooting .355 from beyond the arc this season.
Villanova head coach Harry Perretta is inhis 27th season at the school, having posted a495-273 (.645) record. He is 6-13 all-timeagainst Notre Dame.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
With four starters and seven monogram winnersback in the fold, Notre Dame would appear to haveall the pieces in place for a magical 2004-05season.
Tested early and often by both a ruggedschedule (eight games in the first 20 days of theseason) and demanding opposition (No. 6 Duke, No.10 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State), theIrish have been up to the challenge, opening withseven consecutive victories and claiming theSportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. Thepollsters have apparently taken notice of NotreDame’s success, as the Irish have been a regularin the top 10 of both the Associated Press andESPN/USA Today polls this season, checking in atNo. 4 and No. 3, respectively in this week’spolls.
Despite the added focus shown to her byopposing teams, senior All-America forwardJacqueline Batteast was a major catalyst for theIrish this season, averaging 18.9 points (24th inthe nation as of Dec. 20), 6.9 rebounds and 3.4assists per game. She was named the PreseasonWNIT Most Valuable Player and BIG EAST Player ofthe Week on Nov. 22 after logging a career-high32 points in the WNIT championship game againstOhio State. She has scored in double digits in 13Irish games this season and has earned game-highscoring honors eight times. In addition, she hasthree double-doubles this year, most recentlypiling up game highs of 27 points and 10rebounds, while hitting the game-winningthree-pointer at the buzzer to beat Marquette onDec. 19. For her efforts in that game, she wasnamed the conference Player of the Week for thesecond time this season on Dec. 20.
Junior guard Megan Duffy also has steppedup her play this season, registering 12.1 pointsand a team-high 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals pergame. Duffy also leads Notre Dame and is eighthin the nation with a .915 free throw percentage(54-for-59) this season, sparking the Irish to aleague-leading .754 free throw ratio (21st in theNCAA as of Jan. 3).
Duffy’s backcourt mate, sophomore BreonaGray, has also shown great improvement this year.Moviing effortlessly into the starting lineup,the Las Vegas native has tripled her scoringaverage from last season (6.6 ppg.), highlightedby a career-high 17-point effort vs. Syracuse onWednesday, and she ranks second on the team with21 steals (1.5 spg.).
Injuries also have not been enough toslow Notre Dame so far this season. When juniorforward Courtney LaVere was sidelined in lateNovember with minor knee surgery, sophomoreforward Crystal Erwin stepped into the breach andfilled the role nicely. In eight starts, Erwin isaveraging 8.4 points per game, including acareer-high 24 points (on 9-for-9 shooting)against Washington on Dec. 11. Prior to thisseason, Erwin had scored in double figures onlyonce in her career, but she has done so fourtimes this year.
SOME POTENT NOTABLES ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame is off to a 13-1 start, thesecond-best debut in the program’s history. The2000-01 squad opened with a 23-game win streak enroute to school’s first national championship.The Irish reached the double-digit win mark Dec.19 at Marquette, getting their 10th win fasterthan any team in school history (the ’00-01 teamdid it two days later on Dec. 21, 2000).The Irish are 5-0 on the road this year,marking just the second time in school historythey have won their first five true road games ina season. The 2000-01 club opened with a 10-gameroad winning streak to set the school standard.Ironically, Notre Dame struggled in true roadgames last year, losing its first four and six ofits first seven on the opposition’s floor.Notre Dame’s defense has been especiallysturdy of late, holding nine of its last 10opponents to less than 60 points, including fourof the past six below 50 points.Notre Dame has been a fixture near thetop of all major RPI charts this season. ThroughJan. 6, the Irish are second in theWBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, with the nation’s11th-toughest schedule.With this week’s No. 4 ranking in theAssociated Press poll, Notre Dame has appeared inthe top 10 of the AP balloting eight times in thefirst nine polls of the year. On three othertimes in school history have the Irish spentlonger in the AP top 10 – 1998-99 (16 weeks),1999-2000 (15 weeks) and 2000-01 (18 weeks). Alltold, Notre Dame has spent 64 weeks in the AP top10 and has a 99-16 (.861) all-time record whenit’s ranked in the top 10.The Irish have posted 32 wins over Top 25opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 topresent), including two in its first four gamesthis year (76-65 vs. No. 6 Duke and 66-62 vs. No.10 Ohio State).The Irish have defeated 20 top-10opponents in their history, adding to that totalwith their victories over sixth-ranked Duke and10th-ranked Ohio State in the Sportsview.tvPreseason WNIT.Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 397-150(.726) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, whichputs her just three victories shy of the 400-winmark for her Notre Dame career.
A QUICK LOOK AT VILLANOVA
Despite losing versatile forward Courtney Mix andsharpshooting guard Kelly Nash to graduation,Villanova remains a potent threat in the BIG EASTConference this season. The Wildcats are anexperienced crew, with eight letterwinners backfrom last year’s club that went 23-7 and advancedto the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova (8-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) has beenidle for the past week since a 45-34 victory overProvidence at home in its conference opener onJan. 2. Junior forward Liad Suez scored agame-high 15 points and junior guard CourtneyRoantree came off the bench to drill threeconsecutive three-pointers in the second half asthe Wildcats pulled away for the win. VU washampered a bit by a .367 field goal percentage(.200 from three-point range), but committed justeight turnovers and held Providence to a .308shooting mark in the contest.
The Wildcats opened their season with awin over then-No. 23 Penn State (73-65). Sincethen, they have played two other rankedopponents, losing both times (63-56 vs. No. 5North Carolina; 75-63 vs. No. 22 Kansas State).For the season, Suez leads Villanova in scoring(14.1 ppg.) and assists (3.4 apg.), whilesophomore forward Jackie Adamshick is second onthe team in scoring (11.4 ppg.) and tops inrebounding (6.3 rpg.). Thanks to their motionoffense, six Wildcats have attempted at least 20three-pointers this season, with junior guardJenna Viani shooting a team-high .417 (10-24) andsenior forward Jennifer Hilgenberg second with a.400 ratio (12-30).
Villanova head coach Harry Perretta is inhis 27th season at the school, compiling a495-273 (.645) record. He is 6-13 all-timeagainst Notre Dame.
THE NOTRE DAME-VILLANOVA SERIES
Sunday’s game will mark the 20th meeting in theseries between Notre Dame and Villanova, with theIrish owning a 13-6 edge over the Wildcats.However, when the teams have played at Villanova,Notre Dame has just a slim 5-4 lead, including a4-3 advantage at The Pavilion. VU also has wonthree of the past five matchups between thesquads.
While the majority of the games in theseries have come since Notre Dame joined the BIGEAST Conference in 1995-96, the teams did playfour times as non-conference foes. In 1980-81,Notre Dame’s first at the Division I level,Villanova registered a 70-57 win at home. Theschools played a home-and-home series in 1983 and1984, with the Irish winning both times, beforeVU returned to the winner’s circle in 1987 with a56-55 win at the Wildcat Christmas Classic.
In the past decade, Notre Dame andVillanova have met 12 times in BIG EASTregular-season play, with the Irish going 9-3against the Wildcats. The teams also have playedthree times in the conference tournament, withNotre Dame winning twice.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND VILLANOVA MET
Jacqueline Batteast hit two free throws with 17.5seconds left to lift Notre Dame to a 38-36 winover No. 23/25 Villanova on Jan. 24, 2004, at theJoyce Center. The 74 combined points marked thelowest scoring game (men’s or women’s) in thehistory of the venerable facility. In addition,Notre Dame set an arena record for the fewestpoints scored and a school standard for thefewest points tallied in a victory.
Villanova entered the game leading thenation in fewest turnovers a game at 9.3giveaways, but Notre Dame forced the Wildcatsinto 14 miscues, including 10 in the first half.The Irish also kept Villanova scoreless for 5:20during a key stretch in the second half and heldthe Wildcats without a field goal over the finalseven minutes of the contest. The end result wasNotre Dame’s fourth win over a top 25 opponent inthe 2003-04 season, and its third in as many homegames.
Batteast led all scorers with 14 pointsand added nine rebounds, narrowly missing herfifth consecutive double-double. Megan Duffyadded 10 points, including a criticalthree-pointer with 2:02 remaining to tie thegame. Liad Suez and Courtney Mix scored nine eachfor Villanova – it marked the second time in’03-04 that Notre Dame held its opponent withouta double-figure scorer.
The Wildcats broke out to an early 11-6lead eight minutes into the game behind a trio ofthree-pointers, including two from Kelly Nash.Notre Dame, paced by six consecutive points fromBatteast, battled back against Villanova’smethodical control offense to go ahead 14-13. Athalftime, the score was tied at 18, and neitherside could break free until the Irish took a32-26 lead, its largest of the game, with 8:29left. The Wildcats responded with a 10-1 run overthe next five minutes, which led to the late-gameheroics by Duffy and Batteast.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND VILLANOVA MET AT THE PAVILION
Alicia Ratay hit a tie-breaking jumper with 48seconds remaining and Le’Tania Severe andCourtney LaVere combined to make three criticalfree throws in the final half-minute as NotreDame defeated No. 20 Villanova, 58-56 on Jan.25, 2003, at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa.
LaVere came off the bench to score ateam-high 20 points, making 12-of-16 free throwsto set a new Irish freshman record for foul shotsmade. She also collected 12 rebounds to notch thefifth double-double of her rookie season.Jacqueline Batteast added 12 points and Rataychipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds forNotre Dame, which held the Wildcats to 32.3percent shooting and owned a 45-36 reboundingadvantage.
Trish Juhline scored a game-high 22points for Villanova, while Katie Davis had 14points and Courtney Mix posted a double-doublewith 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Notre Dame used a strong defensive effortto take the lead in the first half, going on a15-2 run and taking a 12-point lead twice beforeVillanova got its offense going with a 14-6 runto end the first half trailing only 29-25.
Trailing 51-41 with six minutes left,Villanova broke through the Notre Dame defensefor a 10-0 run, tying the game on a three-pointerby Juhline at the 2:27 mark. After the teamstraded matching jumpers on their next possession,Ratay hit her go-ahead bucket inside the finalminute. Mix had a chance to respond on her team’snext trip down, getting to the free throw linewith 27 seconds left, but she made only one oftwo charities. After Severe converted a pair offoul shots, Mix got another opportunity to tiewith 11 seconds to go on a wide-open three-pointtry from the top of the key, but it wouldn’t falland LaVere was fouled on the rebound. She thenmade the first of her two free throws to ice thegame.
OTHER NOTRE DAME-VILLANOVA SERIES NOTES
Nine games in the series, including thelast four regular-season contests, have beendecided by eight points or less, with Notre Damewinning six of those nine affairs. Upon closerexamination, the last four regular-season gameshave been decided by a grand total of eightpoints (2.0 ppg.), and the outcome of all fourgames was in doubt heading into the final minuteof play. Here’s a look at these recentnail-biting finishes: Jan. 12, 2002 (@VU 60, ND 59) -Villanova’s Mimi Riley hits turn-around jumper onright block with four-tenths of second left togive Wildcats the victory. Feb. 26, 2002 (VU 48, @ND 45) -Riley strikes again, scoring eight of her 15points in final four minutes S ND has chance totie on its final possession, but AllisonBustamante’s three-point try doesn’t find themark, snapping ND’s 51-game home winning streak. Jan. 25, 2003 (ND 58, @VU 56) -Alicia Ratay breaks 53-all tie on jumper with 48seconds left S VU’s Courtney Mix misses freethrow with 27 seconds left and potentialgame-tying three-pointer with 11 seconds to go SIrish hit three free throws in final half-minuteto ice win. Jan. 24, 2004 (@ND 38, VU 36) -Jacqueline Batteast makes two free throws with17.5 seconds remaining to earn victory … Mixhas opportunity to send game to overtime, but herjumper will not fall with two seconds left.The two head coaches in Sunday’s gamerank among the all-time BIG EAST Conferenceleaders in career regular-season victories.Villanova skipper Harry Perretta has 210 lifetimeleague wins, second only to Connecticut’s GenoAuriemma (271). Notre Dame head coach MuffetMcGraw is fifth on the BIG EAST all-time winslist with 126 conference victories, also trailingSeton Hall’s Phyllis Mangina (136) and Miami’sFerne Labati (129).In addition to their win totals, the twohead coaches are among the longest-tenured activeskippers in the BIG EAST. Perretta is secondamong league coaches, having piloted the Wildcatsin 768 games over 27 seasons, trailing onlyRutgers’ C.Vivian Stringer (945 games in 33years). Meanwhile, McGraw is third on that list,having coached 676 games in 23 collegiatecampaigns overall, guiding the Irish in 547 gamesover the past 18 seasons.McGraw and Perretta will be coachingagainst one another for the 18th time, withMcGraw holding an 11-6 edge in the head-to-headmatchups. The two first met early in the 1983-84season, when Perretta’s Villanova team defeatedMcGraw’s Lehigh squad, 89-52 in Bethlehem, Pa.The pair would not coach against each other againuntil McGraw’s first season at Notre Dame(1987-88), but they have met regularly since then.Freshman guard Charel Allen (Monessen,Pa.) played her last high school game at theGiant Center in Hershey, Pa., on March 20, 2004,piling up 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven stealsand six assists to help Monessen High Schooldefeat Pottsville Nativity BVM, 70-48 and win theschool’s first Class A state title (and the firstby a WPIAL school since 1983).
McGRAW RETURNS TO HER ROOTS THIS WEEKEND
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw is anative of Pottsville, Pa., and previously spentfive seasons (1983-87) as the head coach atLehigh, compiling a 88-41 (.683) record with theEngineers. She also was a four-year starter atpoint guard for Saint Joseph’s, captaining the1976-77 SJU squad to a 23-5 record and No. 3national ranking. In four seasons with the Hawks,McGraw helped her team compile a 59-12 record,qualifying for the Eastern Association forIntercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW)tournament once and the AIAW national tournamentonce.Following graduation, McGraw coached twoseasons at Archbishop Carroll High School inRadnor, Pa., guiding her squads to a 50-3 record,including a 28-0 mark in her second campaign,when she led ACHS to the Catholic Leaguechampionship and was named the league’s coach ofthe year. She later spent one season (1981-82) asan assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s under JimFoster (who is now the skipper at Ohio State).McGraw was inducted into the SaintJoseph’s Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.Four years later in 1990, she was enshrined inthe Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame. Shecompleted the trifecta of awards in 2002 with herinduction into the SJU Athletics Hall of Fame.
THE BEAST OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 126-28 (.818) in regular-seasoncompetition against the rest of BIG EASTConference, owning the best conference winningpercentage of any current member of the BIG EASTsince joining the circuit for the 1995-96campaign. The Irish also have won 82 of theirlast 100 regular-season conference games, havefinished either first or second in the BIG EASTeight times in their nine-year membership, andclaimed a share of their first-everregular-season conference championship in 2001.
When including postseason competition(BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments), Notre Dame is139-37 (.790) against league opponents – whenfactoring in these 22 postseason tilts, the Irishare 71-7 (.910) at home, 55-24 (.696) on the roadand 13-6 (.684) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIGEAST foes.
POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 174-41 (.809) all-time when it isranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff(the Irish are fourth entering Sunday’s game atVillanova). When playing at home, Notre Dame hasbeen especially strong, going 81-9 (.900) as aranked host after posting an 8-1 record at theJoyce Center this season. Conversely, the Irishare 69-24 (.742) all-time when they play on theroad as a ranked team.
Upon closer inspection, Notre Dame hasbeen very sharp when it’s ranked in the top 10 ofthe AP poll. The Irish are 99-16 (.861) as atop-10 squad, including a 48-3 (.941) record athome. In fact, prior to its Dec. 2 overtime lossto then-No. 15 Michigan State, Notre Dame had a41-game home winning streak when it was ranked inthe AP top 10, dating back to December of 1998.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are off to a 5-0 start on the road thisseason, marking just the second time in schoolhistory Notre Dame has won its first five trueroad games of the year. Only the 2000-01 teammanaged to win more than five road games to openthe season, going on a 10-game road winningstreak before losing at Rutgers, 54-53.
Accenting Notre Dame’s play on the roadhas been its defensive prowess. The Irish areholding opponents to 50.0 ppg., a .316 field goalpercentage (90-for-285) and a .163 three-pointpercentage (14-for-86) away from home and havenot allowed more than 59 points in a road gamethis year.
STREAK STATS
During its current six-game winning streak, NotreDame has recorded an average victory margin of17.6 ppg., holding opponents to 47.3 ppg., a .284field goal percentage (99-for-349) and a .230three-point percentage (26-for-113). The Irishalso have forced an average of 19.3 turnovers pergame, with 9.2 of those takeaways coming onsteals (led by junior guard Megan Duffy’s 3.8spg.).
Notre Dame also has played from in frontthroughout most of its present winning streak. Infact, during the second half of those six games,the Irish trailed for only 4:07 of 120 minutes(3.43 percent) and never fell behind by more thana single point (all deficits at Marquette on Dec.19). Furthermore, Notre Dame has led by adouble-digit margin for the entire second half ineach of its past three games.
UNLEASHING THE BEAST
Since perhaps her worst shooting night of theyear (6-for-25) on Dec. 2 vs. Michigan State,senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteasthas bounced back very well. During the ensuingsix games, she is averaging 17.5 points and 7.3rebounds per game, with two double-doubles andtwo 20-point games. She also is shooting 56.3percent from the field (40-for-71) and has just11 turnovers (1.83 topg.) in that time.
THREE-FENSE
In the past 11 games, Notre Dame has limited itsopponents to a .210 three-point percentage(40-for-190), after Irish foes were shooting .333from beyond the arc (17-for-51) in the firstthree games of the season. On Dec. 9, Notre Dameheld Dayton to an opponent season-low .071three-point percentage (1-for-14), with theFlyers missing their final 13 three-pointattempts.
For the season, Notre Dame leads the BIGEAST in three-point percentage defense, holdingopponents to a .237 mark (57-for-241) from longrange.
THE FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT
Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST Conference insteals this season, averaging 10.36 thefts pergame (145 total). The Irish have come up with atleast 10 steals in seven games, including four ofthe past five contests, and had a season-best 20thefts on Nov. 22 vs. Colorado State, the most bya BIG EAST team this season.
Individually, junior guard Megan Duffy istops in the conference in steals (3.0 spg., 42total), while her backcourt mate, sophomoreBreona Gray is second on the team with 1.5 stealsper game (21 total). Five other Notre Dameplayers have at least 10 steals this year -senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast(19), freshman guard Charel Allen (15), sophomoreforward Crystal Erwin (12), senior center TeresaBorton (11) and freshman guard Tulyah Gaines (10).
THE SEASON FOR SHARING
One of the key elements in Notre Dame’s earlysuccess has been its penchant for distributingthe ball well. In fact, the Irish have 239assists (17.1 apg.; third in the BIG EAST) on 351field goals made (25.1 per game) in their first14 outings, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State.Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 4.5assists per game (sixth in the BIG EAST), with atleast five dimes in seven contests this season,including a career-high 10 assists vs. Washingtonon Dec. 11.
LOTS OF FREE STUFF
When given the opportunity, Notre Dame has takenadvantage of its trips to the free throw linethis season. The Irish lead the BIG EASTConference and are 21st nationally (as of Jan.3), shooting 75.4 percent from the charitystripe. In fact, they set a school record bygoing a perfect 18-for-18 on Nov. 30 atValparaiso, which also matches the best mark byany team in the country this season.
Notre Dame has been led at the gift lineby junior guard Megan Duffy (.915, 54-59),freshman guard Charel Allen (.833, 30-36) andsenior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast(.817, 58-71). Duffy currently leads the BIG EASTand ranks eighth in the nation in free throwpercentage, while Batteast is fifth in theconference and has shown the greatest improvementamong all Irish players this season with a19-percent jump from last year’s career low .627mark.
One side note about Duffy’s free throwprowess – the Irish junior struggled at the lineearly in her freshman season, shooting just 59.3percent (16-27) during her first 15 collegiategames. However, in the 63 games since then (Jan.20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an.862 clip (169-196) on her foul shots. She alsohas made 62 of her last 68 free throws (.912) inthe past 20 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28,2004.
CHARGING FROM THE GATE
At 13-1, Notre Dame is off to the second-beststart in school history. In 2000-01, the Irishwon their first 23 games of the season andascended to the No. 1 ranking before falling atRutgers, 54-53.
Notre Dame’s 7-0 start this season alsomarked the second time ever that the Irish openedwith seven consecutive victories.
WINNING TEN-DENCIES
With its 50-47 win at Marquette on Dec. 19, NotreDame recorded its 10th victory of the season,marking the earliest calendar date ever that theIrish have reached double-digit victories. The2000-01 squad previously held that distinction,getting its 10th win on Dec. 21, 2000, ironicallyalso at Marquette (75-56).
BEAT THE CLOCK
At Marquette on Dec. 19, senior All-Americaforward Jacqueline Batteast did something that noother Irish player had done in nearly a decade -hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Batteastburied a three-pointer from the right wing astime expired to give Notre Dame a 50-47 victoryover the Golden Eagles. Prior to Batteast’sheroics, the last time an Irish player won a gameat the horn was Jan. 14, 1995, when Letitia Bowenhit a putback as time ran out to give Notre Damea 67-65 triumph at Detroit.
McGRAW’S MILESTONES
Entering this season, Notre Dame head coachMuffet McGraw had the opportunity to reach threecareer coaching milestones. Here’s a look at herprogress toward each landmark:
Winningest basketball coach atNotre Dame – picked up 394th victory with theIrish on Dec. 19 at Marquette, passing longtimemen’s coach Digger Phelps (393 wins from 1971-91). 400th victory at Notre Dame -needs three wins (current record: 397-150, .726) 500th victory overall – needs 15wins (current record: 485-191, .717)
THE SYRACUSE RECAP
Notre Dame’s easy victory wasn’t enough to please head coach Muffet McGraw.
The fourth-ranked Irish beat Syracuse75-58 on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center andnever let the Orange get closer than 10 points inthe second half, but McGraw was still unhappywith her team’s lack of intensity.
“We’ve been ranked in the Top 25 for sometime now,” she said. “We’ve really held our poiseand played well. I think that tonight was thefirst time we had a letdown.”
Sophomore guard Breona Gray, seniorcenter Teresa Borton and junior guard Megan Duffyeach scored a team-high 17 points for the Irish.Gray shot 6-for-12 and finished with acareer-high point total. Borton shot 6-for-7, andthe Irish outscored Syracuse 28-18 in the paint.
“We were fortunate that Breona and Teresahad spectacular games,” McGraw said. “They cameready to play, shot the ball and did a lot ofgreat things. We need to get the whole team onthat level. It’s disappointing that our leadersdidn’t play like that.”
The Irish (13-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) broke thegame open with a 16-3 run in the first half andare off to their best start since opening 23-0 in2000-01, their NCAA championship season.Meanwhile, Syracuse (8-5, 0-2) fell to 0-13against Notre Dame in BIG EAST play and 2-17overall.
Gray, who was held scoreless on 0-for-6shooting in the conference opener on Jan. 2against Seton Hall, was determined to play betteragainst Syracuse.
“I just wanted to show up and bring it,” she said. Senior All-America forward JacquelineBatteast added 15 points and seven rebounds forthe Irish, who outrebounded the Orange 45-37.Jessica Richter shot 5-for-13 from three-pointrange and finished with a career-high 17 pointsfor Syracuse. The Orange made a season-high ninethree-pointers on a season-high 29 attempts.Lauren Kohn added 11 points and Amanda Adamsonhad 10 for SU.
Syracuse shot 31 percent, itssecond-worst outing of the season. That stillwasn’t good enough for McGraw, who was especiallyirritated at Notre Dame’s defense againstSyracuse’s 3-point shooters.
“Our scouting report had them listed asthe shooters, but I think we forgot to read it,”she said.
Syracuse coach Keith Cieplicki waspleased with his team’s outside play.
“I can’t say it was by design, butshooting 31 percent (from three-point range) isgood,” he said. “Notre Dame is a very gooddefensive team and we thought we would take thefirst good shot we got.”
NOTING THE SYRACUSE VICTORY
Notre Dame improves to 17-2 all-timeagainst Syracuse, including a 9-0 record at home.The Irish also have won all 13regular-season BIG EAST Conference games againstthe Orange and 14 of their last 15 overall vs. SU.Notre Dame topped the 70-point markagainst Syracuse for the 15th time in the 19-gameseries.Notre Dame is 33-2 (.943) all-timeagainst teams from the state of New York,including a 17-0 record at the Joyce Center.The Irish grabbed 45 rebounds vs.Syracuse, their second-highest total of theseason (49 vs. Nebraska on Nov. 14).Notre Dame had four double-figure scorersfor the fifth time this season and first sinceDec. 11 vs. Washington.The Irish had 22 assists on 26 fieldgoals against the Orange, their fourth 20-assistgame of the year.Sophomore guard Breona Gray set newcareer highs with 17 points, five free throws andseven free throw attempts, while tying personalbests with six field goals, seven rebounds andfour assists – ironically, Gray had a (then)career-high 11 points when Syracuse visited theJoyce Center last season.Senior center Teresa Borton scored aseason-high 17 points, topping the 13-pointeffort she has against Nebraska on Nov. 14.Senior All-America forward JacquelineBatteast started for the 100th time in hercareer, making her the 11th Notre Dame player toreach that milestone. She also has made 77consecutive starts, dating back to the beginningof the 2002-03 season.
SPORTSVIEW.TV PRESEASON WNIT REWIND
Punctuated by emotional second-half rallies inthe semifinal and final, Notre Dame won fourconsecutive games to claim the 2004 Sportsview.tvPreseason WNIT championship. The Irish capped offtheir season-opening charge with a 66-62 victoryover No. 10/9 Ohio State in the title game,scoring the final 12 points of the contest toerase an eight-point Buckeye lead with a littlemore than five minutes remaining. That win cameon the heels of a 76-65 semifinal conquest of No.6 Duke, a victory that also saw Notre Dame comeback from an eight-point deficit late in thesecond half.
Senior All-America forward JacquelineBatteast was named the tournament Most ValuablePlayer after averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 reboundsand 4.3 assists with a .507 field goal percentagein the four-game series. Batteast was at her bestin the final two games, scoring a game-high 17points vs. Duke (including a personal 10-0 runthat put the Irish ahead for good) and thenrolling up a career-best 32 points in thechampionship game against Ohio State. In thatlatter contest, she had another 10-point run inthe first half and later scored seven of herteam’s last 12 points, including the go-aheadjumper with 2:45 to play. However, her biggestcontribution came with two seconds remaining,when she raced from beyond the top of the key allthe way to the deep corner, blocking OSU’spotential game-tying three-pointer to cementNotre Dame’s title.
Not to be overlooked, junior guard MeganDuffy earned a place on the Preseason WNITall-tournament team after recording 15.0 pointsand 6.0 assists per game with a .500 field goalpercentage (.600 from beyond the arc). She wasthe catalyst for an Irish offense that averagednearly 77 points per game and dished out betterthan 20 assists per night in the tournament,including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 assists inthe first round vs. Illinois State.
HALF AND HALF
Over the past five seasons, Notre Dame has beennearly unbeatable when it has the lead athalftime. The Irish are 88-7 (.926) since thestart of the 2000-01 campaign when they go intothe dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame hasadded 11 wins to that count this season (IllinoisState, Nebraska, Ohio State, Colorado State, USC,Valparaiso, Dayton, Washington, NorthernIllinois, Seton Hall and Syracuse).
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE …
During the past decade, Notre Dame has discoveredthat a solid defensive effort can almostcertainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since thebeginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame’sfirst in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish havean amazing 139-6 (.959) record when they holdtheir opponents to less than 60 points in a game.That count includes this season’s wins overNebraska, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso,Dayton, Washington, Marquette, Northern Illinois,Seton Hall and Syracuse.
… BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCORE IF YOU WANT TO WIN
Not resting solely on its defensive laurels,Notre Dame also seemingly has found the magicmark when it comes to outscoring its opponents.Over the past decade (1995-96 to present), theIrish are 89-3 (.967) when they score at least 80points in a game. The only blemishes on thatrecord are a pair of overtime losses to Texas A&M(88-84) and Michigan State (87-83) in 1995 and a106-81 loss to Connecticut in 1998. Notre Dametacked another win to that ledger with itsopening-night 92-73 win over Illinois State.
SWEET SUCCESS
Notre Dame is one of only five schools in thecountry to have appeared in the NCAA SweetSixteen six times in the past eight seasons(1997-2004). The others are Connecticut (eighttimes), Tennessee (eight times), Duke (seventimes) and Louisiana Tech (seven times).
THE GOLD STANDARD
The Irish are one of just six teams nationwide tohave an active streak of 11 consecutive 20-winseasons. The others in these elite club areTennessee (28), Texas Tech (15), Louisiana Tech(13), Old Dominion (13) and Connecticut (11).
NOTRE DAME AMONG RECENT WINS LEADERS
Notre Dame has won 215 games over the past nineseasons, which is the seventh-most wins of anyschool in the country during that time.
NOW THAT’S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s success hasbeen its stellar play at home. In fact, the Irishhave been virtually untouchable at home in recentyears, winning 121 of their last 131 games (.924)at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame alsohas a 71-7 (.910) home record in BIG EAST play.
The Irish have been particularly strongwhen it comes to non-conference games at home,winning 53 of their last 56 non-BIG EAST contests(.946) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the1994-95 season. The only three losses in thatspan all came against Big Ten Conference teams -Wisconsin in 1996 (81-69), Purdue in 2003 (71-54)and Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 in OT).
Since its inaugural season in 1977-78,Notre Dame has played all of its games at theJoyce Center, posting a 271-71 (.792) record atthe venerable facility. In three of the past fiveseasons (1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), theIrish were a perfect 15-0 at home, setting aschool record for home wins in a season.
JAMMIN’ THE JOYCE
Beginning with its national championship seasonof 2000-01, Notre Dame has ranked in the top 15in the nation in attendance each of the past fouryears, and early returns indicate this seasonwill be no different. According to the Jan. 3unofficial national attendance rankings (ascompiled by the University of Wisconsin SportsInformation Office), Notre Dame is 14th in thenation with an average of 5,112 fans per game.
All of the top 20 crowds in the Irishrecord book have occurred during the 18-yeartenure of head coach Muffet McGraw(1987-present). And, as more evidence of NotreDame’s rapid elevation to “hot ticket” status inSouth Bend, 19 of the top 20 crowds in schoolhistory have been recorded in the past sixseasons (1999-2000 to present), including 12audiences of 8,000 or more fans, and 58 of thepast 60 home games with at least 5,000 fansfiling into the Joyce Center.
NOTRE DAME ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Irish are scheduled to make at least 13appearances on regional or national televisionduring the 2004-05 season (additional broadcastsmay be announced at a later date).
Notre Dame made its TV debut this seasonon Nov. 20 when it defeated No. 10/9 Ohio State,66-62 in the championship game of theSportsview.tv Preseason WNIT. That contest wasshown globally via broadband Internet connectionat www.sportsview.tv, as well either live ordelayed on several Comcast SportsNet outletsnationwide. The American Forces Network, whichbroadcasts to more than one million U.S. servicemen and women in 176 countries, also aired thegame.
The Irish returned to the airwaves Dec. 2when they dropped an 82-73 overtime decision toNo. 15 Michigan State on College SportsTelevision (CSTV). That was the first of threeNotre Dame games that will air nationally on thefledgling cable network, which has signed anagreement with the BIG EAST Conference to carry anational women’s basketball Game of the Weekeight times in 2004-05. The Irish also will faceConnecticut on Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center andvisit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of theCSTV cameras.
In addition, Notre Dame is scheduled toplay twice on ESPN2 this season. On Jan. 16, theIrish will battle Purdue in the second annual BIGEAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Twoweeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame travels toStorrs, Conn., to meet Connecticut at GampelPavilion.
The BIG EAST also has added two Irishgames to its regional television package thisseason. Notre Dame will visit Villanova Sundayand will play host to Rutgers on Jan. 23, both onBIG EAST Television. Among those affiliatescarrying the BETV package are Comcast SportsNetoutlets in Chicago, Philadelphia and theMid-Atlantic region, as well as Fox Sports Netoutlets in New York, New England and Pittsburgh.(Check the box on this page to find updatedclearances for Sunday’s game at Villanova).
Detroit-based Comcast Local (Channel 3 onComcast cable systems in South Bend) is thelatest television outlet to select Notre Damewomen’s basketball games for broadcast. Thenewly-formed network will air five Irish gamesthis season – at USC (Nov. 26), and home gamesvs. Washington (Dec. 11), St. John’s (Jan. 26),Georgetown (Feb. 12) and West Virginia (Feb. 26).Comcast Local can be seen in South Bend onComcast Cable channel 3.
NOTRE DAME ON THE AIRWAVES
Once again this season, every Irish women’sbasketball game (home and away) airs on theflagship stations of the Artistic Media Partners(AMP) Network – WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) andWNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcasterand AMP sports director Sean Stires is now in hisfifth season handling the play-by-play for NotreDame. The Irish also can be heard on the Internetat Notre Dame’s official athletics web site(www.und.com) by subscribing to College SportsPass, which gives listeners full multimediaaccess to a variety of Irish athletics events foronly $6.95 per month.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the fourth time in school history (all duringthe Muffet McGraw era), Notre Dame will havethree players sharing the captain’s duties thisyear. Senior forward Jacqueline Batteast, seniorcenter Teresa Borton and junior guard Megan Duffyall were accorded the honor based upon a vote oftheir teammates prior to the season. All threeare serving as captains for the first time intheir respective careers.
IRISH ADD TWO PLAYERS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw has announcedthat Lindsay Schrader, a 6-0 guard from Bartlett,Ill., and Chandrica Smith, a 6-1 forward fromStone Mountain, Ga., have chosen to continuetheir careers with the Irish, signing NationalLetters of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginningin the fall of 2005.
With the additions of Schrader and Smith,Notre Dame’s newest recruiting class is ranked16th in the nation by Blue Star Index. That marksthe ninth consecutive year the Irish have had atop-20 class, according to that publication,which makes Notre Dame one of only three schoolsin the nation that can claim that distinction(Connecticut and Tennessee are the others).
Schrader has been widely regarded as oneof the top all-around players in the state ofIllinois while attending Bartlett High School thepast three seasons. She is a three-time all-stateselection, a two-time Illinois Miss Basketballfinalist, and a two-time Street & Smith’sAll-America selection who has averaged 20.1points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocksper game in her prep career. Her finestall-around season came as a junior in 2003-04,when she averaged 20.8 ppg., 10.8 rpg. and 2.0bpg. while earning first-team all-state honorsfrom the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune andChampaign News-Gazette. She also was a sixth-teamAll-America selection by Street & Smith’s and wasa finalist for Illinois Miss Basketball honors,an award she will likely contend for once againthis season.
On the summer camp circuit, Schrader wasan Underclass All-Star at the 2002 adidas Top TenCamp, before attending the Nike All-America Campin both 2003 and 2004. She is ranked among thetop 30 high school seniors in the nation by threeseparate recruiting services – Blue Star Index(14th), All-Game Sports (21st) and All-Star GirlsReport (26th overall – eighth among shootingguards).
In addition, Schrader made a significantimpact at the 2004 USA Basketball YouthDevelopment Festival in Colorado Springs. Playingfor the North Team that won the silver medal, sheranked third at the Festival in scoring (14.8ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), as well assecond in field goal percentage (.542). All threefigures were team highs, as were her 2.2 stealsper game. For her efforts, Schrader was invitedto attend the 2004 USA Women’s Junior WorldChampionship Qualifying Team Trials, where shewas one of 17 finalists for the 12-player teamthat won the gold medal this past August.
Smith currently attends Oak Hill Academyin Mouth of Wilson, Va., where she transferredprior to her senior season. Previously, she was astandout at Stephenson High School in StoneMountain, Ga., where she averaged 12.5 points,8.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per gamewith a .620 field goal percentage. She also was akey component in the Jaguars’ run to a 32-1record and the Georgia 5A state championship lastyear. In fact, during her first three prepseasons, her teams posted a combined 89-7 (.927)record with three trips to the Georgia statechampionship and one state title.
Smith herself has received numerousaccolades during her high school career. She is atwo-time honorable mention All-America selectionby Street & Smith’s and was a Student SportsAll-American in 2004. In addition, she attendedthe adidas Top Ten Camp three consecutive yearsand was named to its prestigious all-star teamall three years (Underclass All-Star in 2002 &2003; Upperclass All-Star in 2004). Last season,she was an honorable mention 5A all-stateselection and a first-team all-county choice. Sheis ranked as high as 29th in the nation amonghigh school seniors by All-Star Girls Report.
Like Schrader, Smith also attended the2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival inColorado Springs. Playing for the South Team, sheaveraged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game,scoring a personal-best 13 points in thebronze-medal game victory over the East squad.
Muffet McGraw SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2010-11 SEASON
On Nov. 6, Notre Dame announced that MuffetMcGraw has signed a two-year extension tocontinue as head coach of the Notre Dame women’sbasketball program through the 2010-11 season.
McGraw, who is now in her 18th seasonwith the Irish, most recently signed a four-yearcontract extension in July 2002 that took herthrough the 2008-09 season. Her first 17 seasonsat Notre Dame have been highlighted by 15 20-wincampaigns (including a current string of 11straight), 11 NCAA tournament appearances(including a current streak of nine straight) andthe 2001 NCAA title. Entering the 2004-05 season,she had a 384-149 (.720) record at Notre Dame.
In 2003-04, McGraw skillfully guided herteam to a 21-11 record and a second consecutiveberth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (the fourth forthe Irish in five years). McGraw’s charges placedsecond in the BIG EAST Conference, their eighthtop-two finish since joining the league nineyears ago. In addition, the Irish went 15-0 athome, their third perfect record at the JoyceCenter in the past five seasons, and extendedtheir overall home win streak to 20 games, thesecond-longest in school history andeighth-longest active string in the nationheading into the 2004-05 campaign.
McGraw has continued to enhance herreputation as one of the nation’s outstandingbig-game coaches and tacticians, piloting NotreDame to a school-record seven wins over top 25teams during the 2003-04 regular season. Duringher 17-year tenure with the Irish, McGraw hascompiled 40 victories over nationally-rankedopponents, including 30 in the past six seasons(an average of five per year).
Under McGraw’s guidance, the past nineyears have been the most successful in NotreDame’s history as the Irish have compiled animpressive 225-69 (.765) record, including asparkling 124-28 (.816) regular-season mark inBIG EAST play, the best winning percentage inleague history. Notre Dame also has averaged 25victories per campaign during that span, with two30-win seasons to its credit. The Irish have wonat least one NCAA tournament game every seasonover that time, advancing to the Sweet Sixteensix times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)and the Final Four twice (1997 and 2001).
PROMOTIONAL CORNER
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions andgiveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketballgames this season (additional promotions andgiveaways may be added at a later date):
Jan. 12 vs. Connecticut – Glowingt-shirts (first 2,000 fans); Project Playgroundwill performJan. 16 vs. Purdue – JacquelineBatteast mini-basketballs (first 2,000 fans)
NEXT GAME: CONNECTICUT
The Irish return home for a pivotal BIG EASTConference game against No. 15/14 Connecticutnext Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. (ET) inside theJoyce Center. Please note this tip time is achange from some very early printed schedules.That game will be televised live to a nationalcable audience on College Sports Television(CSTV), which is available on most cable systemsas well as DirecTV (Channel 610).
Connecticut (8-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) iscoming off an 83-33 rout of Providence at home onWednesday night. Junior forward Rashidat Sadiqscored a game-high 16 points, while freshmanguard/forward Charde Houston added 14 points andfreshman guard Ketia Swanier chipped in with acareer-high 10 points for the Huskies, who openedthe game on a 22-4 run and were never seriouslythreatened after that point. UConn takes a breakfrom conference play this weekend, playing hostto traditional rival (and 10th-ranked Tennessee)Saturday afternoon in Hartford.
Although Connecticut leads the all-timeseries with Notre Dame, 15-3, the rivalry hastaken on added interest in the past four seasons,with the teams having virtually split their lastseven matchups (UConn leads 4-3). Last season,the Irish knocked off the fourth-ranked Huskies,66-51 at the Joyce Center, in the teams’ onlymeeting. Jacqueline Batteast scored 23 points and11 rebounds for Notre Dame, which shot 59.5percent from the field and led virtually all theway to record the victory.