Fighting Irish Take On Huskies

Dec. 29, 2004

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The Date and Time: Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at 7:05 p.m. CT (8:05 p.m. ET in South Bend).

The Site: Convocation Center (9,100) in DeKalb, Ill.

The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356) or at the door on game day.

The Radio Plans: Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend with Sean Stires (play-by-play) calling the action. These broadcasts also are available through the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com.

Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Northern Illinois (www.niuhuskies.com).

#6/4 IRISH RETURN FROM EXTENDED BREAK WITH VISIT TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS Following its longest regular-season hiatus in seven years, No. 6/4 Notre Dame gets back into action Thursday night with a 7:05 p.m. (CT) game at Northern Illinois. The Irish and Huskies will renew acquaintances for the first time since both were members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) back in the 1994-95 season. Thursday’s game also will serve as a homecoming for Notre Dame associate coach Carol Owens, who is a 1990 NIU graduate and one of the legendary women’s basketball figures in that school’s history.

The Irish (10-1) have not taken the court since Dec. 19, when they registered a thrilling last-second 50-47 victory at Marquette. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was the hero for Notre Dame, drilling a three-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer to pull out the win in a game where neither side led by more than six points all day. The Irish defense also came big again, holding the Golden Eagles to an opponent season-low .286 field goal percentage while forcing 19 turnovers (12 coming on steals).

Batteast paced Notre Dame with game highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds, picking up her third double-double of the season and second in as many games. In addition, she cracked the 1,500-point milestone for her career early in the first half, becoming only the seventh player in school history to eclipse that scoring mark.

Northern Illinois (2-7) also is coming off a long break for the Christmas holidays. The Huskies last played on Dec. 21, when they dropped a 63-48 decision at home to UTEP. Sophomore guard Stephanie Raymond scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Huskies, who shot .292 from the field in the loss.

Raymond has been NIU’s leader in every sense of the word this season, leading the team in all major categories, including scoring (18.1 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.).

NIU head coach Carol Hammerle is in her seventh year with the Huskies, sporting a 75-106 (.414) record. She is 1-1 all-time against Notre Dame.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
With four starters and seven monogram winners back in the fold, Notre Dame would appear to have all the pieces in place for a magical 2004-05 season.

Tested early and often by both a rugged schedule (eight games in the first 20 days of the season) and demanding opposition (No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State), the Irish have been up to the challenge, opening with seven consecutive victories and claiming the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. The pollsters have apparently taken notice of Notre Dame’s success, as the Irish have been a regular in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this season, checking in at No. 6 and No. 4, respectively in this week’s polls.

Despite the added focus shown to her by opposing teams, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast has been a major catalyst in the non-conference charge for the Irish, averaging 19.1 points (27th in the nation as of Dec. 20), 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. She was named the Preseason WNIT Most Valuable Player and BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after logging a career-high 32 points in the WNIT championship game against Ohio State. She has scored in double digits in nine Irish games this season and has been Notre Dame’s leading scorer six times. In addition, she has three double-doubles this year, most recently piling up game highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while hitting the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Marquette. For her efforts, she was named the conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 12.2 points and a team-high 4.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Duffy also leads Notre Dame and is tied for 11th in the nation with a .923 free throw percentage (48-for-52) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .770 free throw ratio (12th in the NCAA as of Dec. 20).

Injuries also have not been enough to slow Notre Dame so far this season. When junior forward Courtney LaVere was sidelined in late November with minor knee surgery, sophomore forward Crystal Erwin stepped into the breach and has filled the role nicely. In five starts, Erwin is averaging 10.0 points per game, including a career-high 24 points (on 9-for-9 shooting) against Washington on Dec. 11. Prior to this season, Erwin had scored in double figures only once in her career, but she has done so four times this year, including three times in the past seven games alone.

SOME POTENT NOTABLES ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame is off to a 10-1 start for only the second time in the program’s history. The 2000-01 squad opened with a 23-game win streak en route to school’s first national championship. The Irish reached the double-digit win mark Dec. 19 at Marquette, getting their 10th win faster than any team in school history (the ’00-01 team did it two days later on Dec. 21, 2000).
• The Irish are 4-0 on the road this year, after losing their first four road games and six of their first seven to begin last season. Notre Dame has won its first four road games of the season just three times in school history (1982-83, 1998-99 and 2000-01), but won five in a row on the road only once (10 in a row to open 2000-01).
• Notre Dame has been a fixture near the top of all major RPI charts this season. Through Dec. 28, the Irish are third in the CollegeRPI.com rankings, with the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule.
• With this week’s No. 6 ranking in the Associated Press poll, Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting seven times in the first eight polls of the year. On three other times in school history have the Irish spent longer in the AP top 10 – 1998-99 (16 weeks), 1999-2000 (15 weeks) and 2000-01 (18 weeks). All told, Notre Dame has spent 53 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 96-16 (.857) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
• The Irish have posted 32 wins over Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present), including two in its first four games this year (76-65 vs. No. 6 Duke and 66-62 vs. No. 10 Ohio State).
• The Irish have defeated 20 top-10 opponents in their history, adding to that total with their victories over sixth-ranked Duke and 10th-ranked Ohio State in the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT.
• Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 394-150 (.724) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, which puts her just six victories shy of the 400-win mark for her Notre Dame career.

A QUICK LOOK AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
It’s been a difficult start to this season for Northern Illinois (2-7). Thanks to the graduation of their top three scorers and top two rebounders, the Huskies have had to search elsewhere for production while spending much of their non-conference schedule away from home. In fact, when NIU takes the court against Notre Dame Thursday night, it will be only its fourth game of the season inside the comfortable surroundings of the three-year-old Convocation Center.

Northern Illinois has not played since Dec. 21, when the Huskies dropped a 63-48 decision at home to Texas-El Paso (UTEP). Sophomore guard Stephanie Raymond posted team highs of 17 points and nine rebounds and classmate Mary Basic added 12 points and seven rebounds for NIU, which had an off-night shooting (.292, 14-for-48) that included misfiring on all 10 three-point tries. The Huskies did shoot well from the foul line (.833), but turned the ball over 23 times in the loss.

Despite standing just 5-foot-6, Raymond has come up big for Northern Illinois this season, leading the team in virtually every statistical category, including scoring (18.1 ppg.), rebounding (6.4 rpg.), assists (3.0 apg.) and steals (4.7 spg.). She also has been the Huskies’ leading scorer in six of their first nine games this season. Sophomore center Kristin Wiener is the only other NIU player scoring in double figures, averaging 10.0 points per night, along with 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, as well as a team-best .467 field goal percentage.

Northern Illinois is piloted by veteran head coach Carol Hammerle, who has a 75-106 (.414) record in seven seasons with the Huskies. She is in her 32nd season overall, having previously spent 25 years at Wisconsin-Green Bay and compiling a career coaching record of 531-332 (.615). She is 1-1 all-time against Notre Dame, with both games coming while she was at UWGB.

THE NOTRE DAME-NORTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES
Notre Dame and Northern Illinois will be playing one another for the 13th time, with the Irish holding a 7-5 advantage in the series. However, when the scene shifts to DeKalb (site of Thursday night’s game), the teams have split their previous six contests. NIU also has won three of the past four games in the series, although the teams have not met since the 1995 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament (an 87-64 win for the Huskies).

The Notre Dame-Northern Illinois series dates back to the first varsity season of Irish women’s basketball in 1977-78, with the Huskies registering a 65-58 win at the Joyce Center. The teams would meet six more times from 1979-87, with Notre Dame winning five times in that span. Prior to the 1987-88 season, NIU joined the Irish in the North Star Conference and the teams split their two league games that year (each winning at home).

The next season, Notre Dame left to join the MCC, but the teams would meet again at the 1991 National Women’s Invitation Tournament (NWIT) in Amarillo, Texas, where the Huskies earned an 84-82 win. The schools would be reunited under a common conference banner for one more season (1994-95) when NIU joined the MCC, while the Irish were in their final season in that league. Again, the two sides split their two conference matchups, with Notre Dame winning in the regular season (58-51 in DeKalb) and NIU claiming the postseason tournament victory (87-64, also in DeKalb).

THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS MET
The Northern Illinois starters combined for 84 points as the fourth-seeded Huskies upset top-seed Notre Dame, 87-64 in the semifinals of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament on March 10, 1995 at Chick Evans Field House in DeKalb, Ill. The loss quashed Irish hopes for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Angela Lockett scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Huskies. Charmonique Stallworth added 21 points, Kelly Robbins had 17 points and Leslie Pottinger contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as NIU shot 47.9 percent from the floor and owned a 40-29 edge on the boards.

Still recovering from a minor knee injury, Beth Morgan came off the bench to lead three Notre Dame players in double figures with 21 points. Katryna Gaither had 14 points and Letitia Bowen chipped in with 11 points, but the Irish were done in by 27 turnovers, with 17 of those coming via Husky steals (five by Robbins).

Northern Illinois took control of the game right from the outset, using a 15-2 run over a four-minute stretch to grab a 23-10 lead with 11:22 to go in the first half. Stallworth was dominating in the spree, scoring 10 points for the Huskies, including a pair of fastbreak layups.

Notre Dame came back behind some sharp perimeter shooting, as Morgan canned a pair of three-pointers and Mollie Peirick added another trey as the Irish pulled within 29-28 with a little less than six minutes left before halftime. However, Notre Dame never could take the lead, as NIU ended the period on a 12-4 run to take a 41-32 lead at the intermission.

The Huskies put the game away in the opening moments of the second half behind an 11-2 charge that pushed the gap back into double figures. The Irish briefly got as close as 73-64 on Morgan’s fifth triple of the night with 3:23 remaining, but NIU scored the game’s final 14 points to ice the victory.

OTHER NOTRE DAME-NORTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES NOTES

• The two schools played one another twice before Notre Dame’s program achieved varsity status in time for the 1977-78 season. Northern Illinois picked up a 52-26 win on Feb. 14, 1976 in DeKalb, while the Irish collected a 55-43 victory on Feb. 5, 1977 in South Bend. Neither of those games (as well as any games played prior to varsity status) are reflected in the Notre Dame record book.
• After five of the first eight games in the series were played at the Joyce Center, Thursday’s game will mark the fifth consecutive meeting to be played away from South Bend (fourth in DeKalb with one neutral-site game in Amarillo, Texas).
• In the first eight series meetings, Notre Dame held Northern Illinois under 70 points seven times. However, the Huskies have scored at least 80 points in three of their last four matchups with the Irish (all NIU wins).
• Northern Illinois head coach Carol Hammerle has coached against Notre Dame twice before, although both contests occurred while she was the skipper at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Hammerle’s UWGB squad claimed a 69-65 home victory in 1987 at the Phoenix Classic before the Irish returned the favor in 1995 with a 67-56 win, also in Green Bay.

OWENS RETURNS TO ALMA MATER THURSDAY NIGHT

• Notre Dame associate coach Carol Owens is one of the legendary figures in Northern Illinois women’s basketball history. During her career at NIU from 1985-90 (she received a medical redshirt as a sophomore), Owens was a two-time Kodak/WBCA District IV All-America selection and two-time first-team all-North Star Conference pick. She remains the only NIU women’s basketball player ever to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career, finishing with 2,102 points and 1,028 rebounds. To this day, Owens still owns or shares 21 single-game, single-season or career records at Northern Illinois, including the marks for points in a game (41), career field goal percentage (.537) and career blocks (244). In addition, she recorded one of only two triple-doubles in the NIU program’s history (23 points, 10 rebounds, 11 steals vs. Western Illinois on Dec. 1, 1988).
• During Owens’ final two seasons, the Huskies sported a combined 49-12 record. The 1989-90 Northern Illinois squad (Owens’ senior season) went 26-5 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while earning a No. 17 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. That team is generally considered the best in NIU women’s basketball history and featured five people who are currently serving as either head coaches or assistants at prominent Division I programs:
• Senior center Carol Owens (now associate coach at Notre Dame)
• Junior guard Denise Dove (now assistant coach at Wisconsin)
• Head coach Jane Albright (now head coach at Wichita State)
• Assistant coach Deb Patterson (now head coach at Kansas State)
• Assistant coach Kamie Ethridge (now associate head coach at Kansas State)
• Owens earned her bachelor of arts degree in communications from NIU in 1990. She was selected by the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to serve as Commencement Marshal of her graduating class. She also was named Northern Illinois’ Outstanding Woman and received the Student Leadership Award that year. On Oct. 6, 1995, her alma mater bestowed its highest athletic honor upon Owens, inducting her into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame. In April 2001, she added another prestigious award to her resume, earning a place in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Owens faced Notre Dame three times while playing at Northern Illinois, with the Irish winning twice. In those matchups, Owens averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, including a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) in NIU’s 95-74 win on March 9, 1988 in DeKalb.
• One additional note – prior to the 2004-05 season, no other Northern Illinois player had ever worn Owens’ No. 31 jersey. However, NIU freshman guard Tara Michels has returned that number to the Huskies’ active roster this season, although she is currently sidelined with an injury.

OTHER NOTRE DAME-NORTHERN ILLINOIS CONNECTION

• Northern Illinois athletics director Jim Phillips is in his first year at the school after spending the previous four years (2000-04) on the senior administrative staff at Notre Dame. Prior to his departure in August 2004, Phillips was Notre Dame’s senior associate athletics director for external affairs, playing an integral role in launching the Rockne Heritage Fund, which has helped the Irish athletics program to reach its goal of funding the maximum number of scholarships in all 26 of its varsity sports.

NOTRE DAME AGAINST THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Despite its close proximity to many current Mid-American Conference schools, Notre Dame has not played a great deal of games against MAC opponents in its history. The Irish are 25-14 (.641) all-time against that conference, but they are just 8-6 (.571) in true road games. However, in the 18-year Muffet McGraw era, Notre Dame is 10-5 (.667) against the MAC, including a current seven-game winning streak that dates back to 1995.

Nearly one-third of Notre Dame’s career MAC games have come against Thursday night’s opponent, Northern Illinois, which joined the Irish in both the North Star (1987-88) and Midwestern Collegiate (1994-95) conferences before Notre Dame moved to the BIG EAST in 1995-96. In fact, NIU is the last current member of the MAC to defeat the Irish, posting an 87-64 upset on March 10, 1995 in the semifinals of the MCC Tournament.

The Irish have faced 10 of the 13 current Mid-American Conference schools, owning winning records against seven of them – Bowling Green (2-0), Eastern Michigan (2-0), Kent State (1-0), Northern Illinois (7-5), Ohio (1-0), Toledo (3-2) and Western Michigan (7-0).

The Irish have not played a MAC opponent since Dec. 12, 2001, when they defeated Western Michigan, 71-48 at the Joyce Center. Current Irish seniors Jacqueline Batteast and Teresa Borton both saw action in that contest, with Batteast logging a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Borton collecting four points and seven rebounds. Notre Dame held WMU to a .274 field goal percentage and only 12 first-half points en route to the victory.

FOLLOWING THE NORTH STAR
Northern Illinois is one of 10 former North Star Conference schools Notre Dame has played since it left the NSC to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League) in 1988. The Irish have a 110-23 (.827) record in the past 15 seasons against former North Star members, including a 3-0 mark this year with road wins at Valparaiso, Dayton and Marquette.

Much of that post-NSC record was compiled when several North Star teams resurfaced alongside the Irish in the MCC. In fact, eight of Notre Dame’s 10 former North Star foes also squared off with the Irish in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, including Thursday night’s opponent, Northern Illinois.

The Irish also have won 22 of their last 23 games against former North Star members, a streak which pre-dates Notre Dame’s current membership in the BIG EAST Conference. The only NSC alum to defeat the Irish in that time is DePaul, which won by a 75-59 count on Dec. 11, 2002, in Chicago.

POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 171-41 (.807) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are sixth entering Thursday’s game at Northern Illinois). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 79-9 (.898) as a ranked host after opening this season with a 6-1 record at the Joyce Center. Conversely, the Irish are 68-24 (.739) all-time when they play on the road as a ranked team.

Upon closer inspection, Notre Dame has been very sharp when it’s ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll. The Irish are 96-16 (.857) as a top-10 squad, including a 46-3 (.939) record at home. In fact, prior to its Dec. 2 overtime loss to then-No. 15 Michigan State, Notre Dame had a 41-game home winning streak when it was ranked in the AP top 10, dating back to December of 1998.

GIMME A BREAK
Notre Dame will enter Thursday’s game at Northern Illinois following an 11-day break for the Christmas holiday. That’s the longest regular-season hiatus for the Irish since a 15-day break from Dec. 13-28, 1997. However, the school record for longest such rest period since the program moved to the Division I level in 1980-81 is 20 days (Dec. 7-27, 1994). When the program played as an AIAW Division III squad from 1977-80, there were three breaks of 30 days or more, including a 43-day siesta during the first season of Irish basketball from Dec. 6, 1977-Jan. 6, 1978.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are off to a 4-0 start on the road this season, marking only the fourth time in school history Notre Dame has won its first four true road games of the year (also 1982-83, 1998-99 and 2000-01). Only the 2000-01 team managed to win more than four road games to open the season, going on a 10-game road winning streak before losing at Rutgers, 54-53.

Accenting Notre Dame’s play on the road has been its defensive prowess. The Irish are holding opponents to 50.3 ppg. and a .335 field goal percentage (77-for-230) away from home and have not allowed more than 59 points in a road game this year.

BEAT THE CLOCK
At Marquette on Dec. 19, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast did something that no other Irish player had done in nearly a decade – hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Batteast buried a three-pointer from the right wing as time expired to give Notre Dame a 50-47 victory over the Golden Eagles. Prior to Batteast’s heroics, the last time an Irish player won a game at the horn was Jan. 14, 1995, when Letitia Bowen hit a putback as time ran out to give Notre Dame a 67-65 triumph at Detroit.

EXTENDING THE DEFENSE
In the past eight games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .190 three-point percentage (24-for-126), after Irish foes were shooting .333 from beyond the arc (17-for-51) in the first three games of the season. On Dec. 9, Notre Dame held Dayton to an opponent season-low .071 three-point percentage (1-for-14), with the Flyers missing their final 13 three-point attempts.

For the season, Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to a .232 mark (41-for-177) from long range.

CHARGING FROM THE GATE
Notre Dame is off to a 10-1 start for only the second time in school history. In 2000-01, the Irish won their first 23 games of the season and ascended to the No. 1 ranking before falling at Rutgers, 54-53.

Notre Dame’s 7-0 start this season also marks the second time ever that the Irish have opened with seven consecutive victories.

WINNING TEN-DENCIES
With its 50-47 win at Marquette on Dec. 19, Notre Dame recorded its 10th victory of the season, marking the earliest calendar date ever that the Irish have reached double-digit victories. The 2000-01 squad previously held that distinction, getting its 10th win on Dec. 21, 2000, ironically also at Marquette (75-56).

THE SEASON FOR SHARING One of the key elements in Notre Dame’s early success has been its penchant for distributing the ball well. In fact, the Irish have 187 assists (17.0 apg.; fourth in the BIG EAST) on 280 field goals made (25.5 per game) in their first 11 outings, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State. Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 4.8 assists per game (also fourth in the BIG EAST), with at least five dimes in six contests this season, including a career-high 10 assists vs. Washington on Dec. 11.

LOTS OF FREE STUFF
When given the opportunity, Notre Dame has taken advantage of its trips to the free throw line this season. The Irish lead the BIG EAST Conference and are 12th nationally (as of Dec. 20), shooting 77.0 percent from the charity stripe. In fact, they set a school record by going a perfect 18-for-18 at Valparaiso, which also matches the best mark by any team in the country this season.

Notre Dame has been led at the gift line by junior guard Megan Duffy (.923, 48-52), freshman guard Charel Allen (.852, 23-27) and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.842, 48-57). Duffy currently leads the BIG EAST and is tied for 11th in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with better than a 21-percent jump from last year’s career low .627 mark.

One side note about Duffy’s free throw prowess – the Irish junior struggled at the line early in her freshman season, shooting just 59.3 percent (16-27) during her first 15 collegiate games. However, in the 60 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .862 clip (163-189) on her foul shots. She also has made 56 of her last 61 free throws (.918) in the past 17 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2004.

McGRAW’S MILESTONES
Entering this season, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw had the opportunity to reach three career coaching milestones. Here’s a look at her progress toward each landmark:

• Winningest basketball coach at Notre Dame – picked up 394th victory with the Irish on Dec. 19 at Marquette, passing longtime men’s coach Digger Phelps (393 wins from 1971-91).
• 400th victory at Notre Dame – needs six wins
• 500th victory overall – needs 18 wins

THE MARQUETTE RECAP
Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast hit a three-pointer as time expired gave No. 7 Notre Dame a 50-47 victory over Marquette on Dec. 19 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. It was the Golden Eagles’ first loss in 13 games at their new arena, which opened midway through last season.

Batteast’s trey was Notre Dame’s only three-point field goal of the game, which was highlighted by each team’s star post players – Batteast and Marquette’s Christina Quaye. Batteast had game highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds to pick up her third double-double of the season, while Quaye led Marquette with 20 points and eight rebounds. Neither team shot well as defense was the order of the day.

Marquette shot an Irish opponent season-low 28.6-percent (16-of-56) while Notre Dame shot 34.8-percent (16-of-46), making rebounding, turnovers and foul shooting the key stats in the game. Marquette won the battle of the boards 47-31, handing Notre Dame its largest rebounding deficit of the season. However, the Irish forced 19 turnovers, including 11 steals (seven by junior guard Megan Duffy), and shot 17-of-20 from the free throw line while Marquette was 11-of-19.

The game stayed close early in the second half as the lead changed hands seven times in the first 10 minutes of the half. Notre Dame slowly pulled away thereafter, extending its lead to five, 38-33, at the 7:29 mark on freshman guard Charel Allen’s lay-in.

Both teams found their shooting touch late in game as the teams began to trade baskets. Marquette tied the score at 40 when Danielle Kamm hit a falling 17-footer as the shot clock expired with 3:23 remaining. But sophomore guard Breona Gray quieted the home crowd of 2,573 with a jumper that gave the Irish a 45-44 lead with 1:32 remaining.

The score stayed that way until Kamm fouled Duffy with 16 seconds remaining. Duffy made both free throws, giving the Irish a three-point advantage and the Golden Eagles the ball. Coming out of a timeout, Kamm hit a three-pointer from the deep right corner with 6.7 seconds left to tie the game. However, Notre Dame hurried down the floor, with Batteast taking a pass from Duffy and hitting the three as the buzzer sounded to claim the win.

Both teams were coming off extended breaks for final exams and each had trouble finding energy early on, as the teams combined for 1-for-20 shooting in the first 8:18 of the game. Marquette made its first field goal at the 10:53 mark on a lay-in by Svetlana Kovaleno after missing its first 11 shots. Notre Dame struck first at the 19:30 mark on Batteast’s lay-in, but then went 9:18 before scoring another field goal.

Marquette took its first lead of the game at the 3:31 mark of the first half when Quaye’s three-pointer made the score 22-19. The Golden Eagles wound up taking a narrow one-point lead (24-23) with them into the locker room at halftime.

NOTING THE MARQUETTE VICTORY

• The Irish are now 4-0 on the road, marking just the fourth time in school history they have won their first four true road games in a season (also 1982-83, 1998-99 and 2000-01).
• Notre Dame jumps to 26-4 all-time against Marquette, the most victories against one opponent in school history. The Irish also have won 25 of their last 26 matchups with the Golden Eagles, although the past three encounters have been decided by an average of only 6.0 ppg..
• Notre Dame is 110-23 (.827) all-time against former members of the North Star Conference (which included ND from 1983-88), including wins in 22 of their last 23 such matchups.
• Notre Dame has won 12 of its last 13 games against Conference USA squads and is 49-21 (.700) all-time against that league, although the majority of those games came vs. Marquette, which will join the BIG EAST next season.
• The Irish have held six of their last seven opponents to less than 60 points, including three games of under 50 points.
• The last-second three-pointer by senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was unusual for Notre Dame, which had not had a buzzer-beating victory since Jan. 14, 1995, when Letitia Bowen hit a putback at the horn to win at Detroit, 67-65.
• Batteast moved into fifth place on Notre Dame’s career rebounding list with 827 caroms, one more than Margaret Nowlin (826 from 1988-92). Batteast also scored her 1,500th career point on a layup 30 seconds into the game, becoming only the seventh player in school history to eclipse that milestone.
• Junior guard Megan Duffy tied her career high with seven steals, part of 11 thefts by Notre Dame.

SPORTSVIEW.TV PRESEASON WNIT REWIND
Punctuated by emotional second-half rallies in the semifinal and final, Notre Dame won four consecutive games to claim the 2004 Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. The Irish capped off their season-opening charge with a 66-62 victory over No. 10/9 Ohio State in the title game, scoring the final 12 points of the contest to erase an eight-point Buckeye lead with a little more than five minutes remaining. That win came on the heels of a 76-65 semifinal conquest of No. 6 Duke, a victory that also saw Notre Dame come back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half.

Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists with a .507 field goal percentage in the four-game series. Batteast was at her best in the final two games, scoring a game-high 17 points vs. Duke (including a personal 10-0 run that put the Irish ahead for good) and then rolling up a career-best 32 points in the championship game against Ohio State. In that latter contest, she had another 10-point run in the first half and later scored seven of her team’s last 12 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 2:45 to play. However, her biggest contribution came with two seconds remaining, when she raced from beyond the top of the key all the way to the deep corner, blocking OSU’s potential game-tying three-pointer to cement Notre Dame’s title.

Not to be overlooked, junior guard Megan Duffy earned a place on the Preseason WNIT all-tournament team after recording 15.0 points and 6.0 assists per game with a .500 field goal percentage (.600 from beyond the arc). She was the catalyst for an Irish offense that averaged nearly 77 points per game and dished out better than 20 assists per night in the tournament, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 assists in the first round vs. Illinois State.

HALF AND HALF
Over the past five seasons, Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable when it has the lead at halftime. The Irish are 85-7 (.924) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame has added eight wins to that count this season (Illinois State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso, Dayton and Washington).

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE …
During the past decade, Notre Dame has discovered that a solid defensive effort can almost certainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since the beginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish have an amazing 136-6 (.958) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game. That count includes this season’s wins over Nebraska, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso, Dayton, Washington and Marquette.

… 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 magic mark when it comes to outscoring its opponents. Over the past decade (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 89-3 (.967) when they score at least 80 points in a game. The only blemishes on that record are a pair of overtime losses to Texas A&M (88-84) and Michigan State (87-83) in 1995 and a 106-81 loss to Connecticut in 1998. Notre Dame tacked another win to that ledger with its opening-night 92-73 win over Illinois State.

NOTRE DAME AMONG RECENT WINS LEADERS
Notre Dame has won 212 games over the past nine seasons, which is tied for the seventh-most wins of any school in the country during that time.

SWEET SUCCESS
Notre Dame is one of only five schools in the country to have appeared in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen six times in the past eight seasons (1997-2004). The others are Connecticut (eight times), Tennessee (eight times), Duke (seven times) and Louisiana Tech (seven times).

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Irish are one of just six teams nationwide to have an active streak of 11 consecutive 20-win seasons. The others in these elite club are Tennessee (28), Texas Tech (15), Louisiana Tech (13), Old Dominion (13) and Connecticut (11).

NOW THAT’S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s success has been its stellar play at home. In fact, the Irish have been virtually untouchable at home in recent years, winning 119 of their last 129 games (.922) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 69-7 (.908) home record in BIG EAST Conference play.

The Irish have been particularly strong when 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 the 1994-95 season. The only three losses in that span 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 the Joyce Center, posting a 269-71 (.791) record at the venerable facility. In three of the past five seasons (1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), the Irish were a perfect 15-0 at home, setting a school record for home wins in a season.

JAMMIN’ THE JOYCE
Beginning with its national championship season of 2000-01, Notre Dame has ranked in the top 15 in the nation in attendance each of the past four years, and early returns indicate this season will be no different. According to the Dec. 27 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 15th in the nation with an average of 4,949 fans per game.

All of the top 20 crowds in the Irish record book have occurred during the 18-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw (1987-present). And, as more evidence of Notre Dame’s rapid elevation to “hot ticket” status in South Bend, 19 of the top 20 crowds in school history have been recorded in the past six seasons (1999-2000 to present), including 12 audiences of 8,000 or more fans, and 56 of the past 58 home games with at least 5,000 fans filing into the Joyce Center.

NOTRE DAME ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Irish are scheduled to make at least 13 appearances on regional or national television during the 2004-05 season (additional broadcasts may be announced at a later date).

Notre Dame made its TV debut this season on Nov. 20 when it defeated No. 10/9 Ohio State, 66-62 in the championship game of the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT. That contest was shown globally via broadband Internet connection at www.sportsview.tv, as well either live or delayed on several Comcast SportsNet outlets nationwide. The American Forces Network, which broadcasts to more than one million U.S. service men and women in 176 countries, also aired the game.

The Irish returned to the airwaves Dec. 2 when they dropped an 82-73 overtime decision to No. 15 Michigan State on College Sports Television (CSTV). That was the first of three Notre Dame games that will air nationally on the fledgling cable network, which has signed an agreement with the BIG EAST Conference to carry a national women’s basketball Game of the Week eight times in 2004-05. The Irish also will face Connecticut on Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center and visit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of the CSTV cameras.

In addition, Notre Dame is scheduled to play twice on ESPN2 this season. On Jan. 16, the Irish will battle Purdue in the second annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Two weeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame travels to Storrs, Conn., to meet Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion.

The BIG EAST also has added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame will visit Villanova on Jan. 9 and will play host to Rutgers on Jan. 23, both on BIG EAST Television. Among those affiliates carrying the BETV package are Comcast SportsNet outlets in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as Fox Sports Net outlets in New York, New England and Pittsburgh. Exact clearances will be made available closer to game time.

Comcast Local (based in Detroit) is the latest television outlet to select Notre Dame women’s basketball games for broadcast. The newly-formed network will air five Irish games this season – at USC (Nov. 26), and home games vs. Washington (Dec. 11), St. John’s (Jan. 26), Georgetown (Feb. 12) and West Virginia (Feb. 26). Comcast Local can be seen in South Bend on Comcast Cable channel 3.

NOTRE DAME ON THE AIRWAVES
Once again this season, every Irish women’s basketball game (home and away) airs on the flagship stations of the Artistic Media Partners (AMP) Network – WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcaster and AMP sports director Sean Stires is now in his fifth season handling the play-by-play for Notre Dame. The Irish also can be heard on the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com) by subscribing to College Sports Pass, which gives listeners full multimedia access to a variety of Irish athletics events for only $6.95 per month.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the fourth time in school history (all during the Muffet McGraw era), Notre Dame will have three players sharing the captain’s duties this year. Senior forward Jacqueline Batteast, senior center Teresa Borton and junior guard Megan Duffy all were accorded the honor based upon a vote of their teammates prior to the season. All three are serving as captains for the first time in their respective careers.

IRISH ADD TWO PLAYERS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw has announced that Lindsay Schrader, a 6-0 guard from Bartlett, Ill., and Chandrica Smith, a 6-1 forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., have chosen to continue their careers with the Irish, signing National Letters of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2005.

With the additions of Schrader and Smith, Notre Dame’s newest recruiting class is ranked 16th in the nation by Blue Star Index. That marks the ninth consecutive year the Irish have had a top-20 class, according to that publication, which makes Notre Dame one of only three schools in the nation that can claim that distinction (Connecticut and Tennessee are the others).

Schrader has been widely regarded as one of the top all-around players in the state of Illinois while attending Bartlett High School the past three seasons. She is a three-time all-state selection, a two-time Illinois Miss Basketball finalist, and a two-time Street & Smith’s All-America selection who has averaged 20.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her prep career. Her finest all-around season came as a junior in 2003-04, when she averaged 20.8 ppg., 10.8 rpg. and 2.0 bpg. while earning first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette. She also was a sixth-team All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a finalist for Illinois Miss Basketball honors, an award she will likely contend for once again this season.

On the summer camp circuit, Schrader was an Underclass All-Star at the 2002 adidas Top Ten Camp, before attending the Nike All-America Camp in both 2003 and 2004. She is ranked among the top 30 high school seniors in the nation by three separate recruiting services – Blue Star Index (14th), All-Game Sports (21st) and All-Star Girls Report (26th overall – eighth among shooting guards).

In addition, Schrader made a significant impact at the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the North Team that won the silver medal, she ranked third at the Festival in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), as well as second in field goal percentage (.542). All three figures were team highs, as were her 2.2 steals per game. For her efforts, Schrader was invited to attend the 2004 USA Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying Team Trials, where she was one of 17 finalists for the 12-player team that won the gold medal this past August.

Smith currently attends Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where she transferred prior to her senior season. Previously, she was a standout at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., where she averaged 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game with a .620 field goal percentage. She also was a key component in the Jaguars’ run to a 32-1 record and the Georgia 5A state championship last year. In fact, during her first three prep seasons, her teams posted a combined 89-7 (.927) record with three trips to the Georgia state championship and one state title.

Smith herself has received numerous accolades during her high school career. She is a two-time honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a Student Sports All-American in 2004. In addition, she attended the adidas Top Ten Camp three consecutive years and was named to its prestigious all-star team all three years (Underclass All-Star in 2002 & 2003; Upperclass All-Star in 2004). Last season, she was an honorable mention 5A all-state selection and a first-team all-county choice. She is ranked as high as 29th in the nation among high school seniors by All-Star Girls Report.

Like Schrader, Smith also attended the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the South Team, she averaged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, scoring a personal-best 13 points in the bronze-medal game victory over the East squad.

Muffet McGraw SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2010-11 SEASON
On Nov. 6, Notre Dame announced that Muffet McGraw has signed a two-year extension to continue as head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball program through the 2010-11 season.

McGraw, who is now in her 18th season with the Irish, most recently signed a four-year contract extension in July 2002 that took her through the 2008-09 season. Her first 17 seasons at Notre Dame have been highlighted by 15 20-win campaigns (including a current string of 11 straight), 11 NCAA tournament appearances (including a current streak of nine straight) and the 2001 NCAA title. Entering the 2004-05 season, she had a 384-149 (.720) record at Notre Dame.

In 2003-04, McGraw skillfully guided her team to a 21-11 record and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (the fourth for the Irish in five years). McGraw’s charges placed second in the BIG EAST Conference, their eighth top-two finish since joining the league nine years ago. In addition, the Irish went 15-0 at home, their third perfect record at the Joyce Center in the past five seasons, and extended their overall home win streak to 20 games, the second-longest in school history and eighth-longest active string in the nation heading into the 2004-05 campaign.

McGraw has continued to enhance her reputation as one of the nation’s outstanding big-game coaches and tacticians, piloting Notre Dame to a school-record seven wins over top 25 teams during the 2003-04 regular season. During her 17-year tenure with the Irish, McGraw has compiled 40 victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including 30 in the past six seasons (an average of five per year).

Under McGraw’s guidance, the past nine years have been the most successful in Notre Dame’s history as the Irish have compiled an impressive 225-69 (.765) record, including a sparkling 124-28 (.816) regular-season mark in BIG EAST play, the best winning percentage in league history. Notre Dame also has averaged 25 victories per campaign during that span, with two 30-win seasons to its credit. The Irish have won at least one NCAA tournament game every season over that time, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen six times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and the Final Four twice (1997 and 2001).

BIG EAST CONFERENCE APPROVES BASKETBALL STRUCTURE FOR 2005-06
The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference institutions have approved all recommendations by the league’s athletic directors relating to the structure of men’s and women’s basketball beginning in the 2005-06 academic year. The approvals were made at the Presidents’ annual meeting held in Philadelphia on Nov. 9.

The recommendations include maintaining a 12-team postseason conference championship tournament and a one-division regular season structure. The men’s and women’s teams will continue to play 16-game regular season league schedules.

In 2005-06, the BIG EAST will include 16 schools. The new members will be: University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University and University of South Florida. While the tournament format will be the same for the men and women, the formula for regular season scheduling will be different. The men’s teams will play 13 opponents with three repeat matchups to reach 16 league games. The women’s teams will meet each opponent once and have one repeat opponent.

For regular season scheduling, the conference office will determine prior to each season which matchups will be repeated. The factors in making the repeat games will be television, rivalries and geography.

BIG EAST men’s teams have captured the last two NCAA crowns and three of the last six. BIG EAST women’s teams have won the last five NCAA titles. The BIG EAST conducts its men’s championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. The women’s championship is played at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.

PROMOTIONAL CORNER
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season (additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date):

• Jan. 2 vs. Seton Hall – Adidas bracelets (first 5,000 fans); Red Panda acrobat will perform
• Jan. 5 vs. Syracuse – Notre Dame women’s basketball license plates (first 2,000 fans)
• Jan. 12 vs. Connecticut – Glowing t-shirts (first 2,000 fans); Project Playground will perform

NEXT GAME: SETON HALL
Notre Dame will return home Sunday to ring in the new year and tip off BIG EAST Conference play with a 2 p.m. (ET) matchup against Seton Hall at the Joyce Center. The Irish are 6-3 in conference openers since joining the BIG EAST a decade ago, although they dropped a 76-73 decision at Georgetown in their first league contest last season.

Seton Hall (6-3) will come directly to South Bend from Columbia, S.C., after participating in the South Carolina Tournament Wednesday and Thursday. The Pirates were scheduled to face Campbell in the opening round, with the second-day opponent slated to be either South Carolina or Coastal Carolina. SHU entered that tournament on a four-game winning streak, most recently dispatching San Francisco, 69-59 at home on Dec. 20.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Seton Hall, 12-3, including a 6-1 mark at the Joyce Center. However, the Pirates won last year’s only matchup between the teams, 51-45 in South Orange, N.J., as the Irish did not have a single player score in double figures for only the second time in school history.