Feb. 7, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame freshman guard Charel Allen (Monessen, Pa./Monessen HS) has been selected as the BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The 5-foot-11 rookie is the first Irish women’s basketball player to earn the BIG EAST’s weekly freshman award since March 3, 2003, when forward Courtney LaVere was chosen to receive the final honor of the ’02-03 campaign.
Allen played a pivotal role in two Notre Dame victories last week, averaging 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game with a .625 field goal percentage (10-for-16) as the Irish defeated No. 16/13 Boston College, 64-57, and Pittsburgh, 75-47. Allen scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds against BC before collecting 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Pittsburgh in a return to her home state.
Having appeared as a reserve in all 23 games for Notre Dame this season, Allen currently ranks fourth on the Irish roster in scoring (8.0 ppg.) and third in both rebounding (4.3 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.461). She also has been instrumental in Notre Dame’s current seven-game winning streak, averaging 11.0 points per game with a .528 field goal percentage (28-for-53) during that stretch.
No. 6/7 Notre Dame (20-3, 8-2 BIG EAST), which recently locked up its 12th consecutive 20-win season, returns to the hardwood Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) when it travels to Providence for a BIG EAST matchup with the Friars. The Irish then come home Saturday to face Georgetown at 2 p.m. (ET) at the Joyce Center.
— ND —