Feb. 17, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame senior guard Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich H.S.) has been selected as the BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly BIG EAST award of any kind for an Irish player this season, and it marks the third time in Ratay’s storied career she has earned player-of-the-week honors.
In two BIG EAST victories last week, Ratay averaged 24.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with a .619 field goal percentage (13-of-21), a staggering .769 three-point percentage (10-of-13) and a perfect 1.000 free throw percentage (13-of-13). She opened the week by tallying a team-high 19 points (including 3-of-4 three-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws), as well as a game-best seven rebounds in a Feb. 12 win over St. John’s at the Joyce Center. On Sunday at Providence, Ratay erupted for a season-high 30 points, canning 7-of-9 three-point field goals to match her career best and finish just one away from the Irish school record. She also collected a team-high seven rebounds and was perfect at the foul line (5-of-5), including four critical charity tosses in the final minute to seal the win.
Notre Dame (15-8, 7-5 BIG EAST) is idle until Sunday at 2 p.m. (EST) when it travels to Storrs, Conn., for its second matchup of the season with top-ranked Connecticut. The Huskies won the first meeting with the Irish, 72-53, back on Jan. 20 at the Joyce Center. Sunday’s rematch is slated to be the debut broadcast on College Sports Television (check local listings for availability).
— ND —