Feb. 11, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame freshman forward Devereaux Peters (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 women’s basketball season after injuring her left knee in the second half of Sunday’s 81-66 win over No. 15 Pittsburgh at the Joyce Center. Peters suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an injury that was confirmed by team orthopedist Dr. Fred Ferlic after Peters underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam Monday morning. Peters will undergo surgery to repair the injury at a later date, and her rehabilitation timetable has not yet been established.
“Devereaux is an outstanding young woman with a bright future ahead of her,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “We expect she will bounce back from this injury with the same determination and desire that she has already shown this season, and we’re looking forward to having her back and ready to go next season.
“Devereaux has been a significant contributor to our success this season, but that success has been based as much on our ability to come together as a team,” McGraw continued. “Part of the growing process in this game, and in life, is dealing with obstacles that are put in your path. This presents an opportunity for some of our other players to step in and contribute down the stretch in the BIG EAST Conference season and I believe they will passionately embrace that challenge and take advantage of it.”
At the time of her injury, Peters ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game, second in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and third in steals (1.7 spg.). She also ranked among the BIG EAST leaders in blocked shots (3rd – 1.96 bpg.) and field goal percentage (9th – .522), and she scored in double figures 14 times this season, including the final four games of her rookie campaign (11 vs. Pitt before departing). In addition, she logged her first career double-double on Jan. 27 against top-ranked Connecticut with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. What’s more, her total blocks (45) and blocks-per-game average rank third all-time among Irish freshmen, trailing only Shari Matvey (94 blocks, 3.1 bpg. in 1979-80) and Ruth Riley (71 blocks, 2.2 bpg. in 1997-98).
Winners of three in a row, No. 16/17 Notre Dame (18-5, 6-3) returns to the hardwood Wednesday when it welcomes Marquette to the Joyce Center for a 7 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST contest that will be broadcast to a national cable audience by CSTV (DirecTV Channel 610/DISH Network Channel 152). Tickets for that matchup, and all remaining Notre Dame women’s basketball home games, may still be purchased by contacting the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356), visiting the tickets page of the official Irish athletics web site or stopping by the Joyce Center Gate 10 ticket windows on game day.
— ND —