April 9, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Fresh off helping the Notre Dame women’s basketball team to its second consecutive National Championship game appearance, tri-captain Brittany Mallory is joining the No. 7 women’s lacrosse team for the remainder of the season, Notre Dame head women’s lacrosse coach Christine Halfpenny announced on Monday.
Mallory, who started all 39 games for the Irish women’s basketball squad this past season and averaged 5.8 PPG in 29.4 minutes of action a game, was a two-time U.S. Lacrosse honorable mention All-American in high school and will wear No. 32 for the Irish women’s lacrosse team.
“We are excited to add Brittany Mallory to the roster now that her basketball season/career has come to a close,” said Halfpenny. “Brittany has played the sport of lacrosse in high school and has stayed connected with it over the past five years. She looks forward to getting out on the field and competing with our team in practice and games. I am excited about the unique contributions that Brittany can add to our already strong and balanced team for the remainder of the season. Without a doubt her championship character will be a natural fit with the goals this team has set for the program.”
On the basketball court, Mallory was known as a talented leader who displayed a strong will to win along with an impressive three-point shot. The two-year captain also had the reputation as a strong defender, leading a Notre Dame defense that set a school record by allowing just 52.9 points per game this past season (good for 13th in the nation). Mallory ranked eighth in the BIG EAST Conference in steals at 2.1 per game, sparking the Fighting Irish to a school-record 502 steals and 873 forced turnovers in 2011-12.
Mallory concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader in games played with 151, including 74 starts over the last two years. She also ended her career ranked fifth in school history in steals (272) and three-point field goal attempts (466) and sixth in three-point field goals made (153).
Mallory grew up in the lacrosse hotbed of Baltimore, Md., and played the sport for her first three years of high school, where she racked up all sorts of accolades. The midfielder led McDonogh School to the IAAM A Conference championship game in 2006 and was a two-time IAAM A Conference All-Star and all-metro/all-county selection in addition to the pair of All-America scrolls. In 2006 she was named to the high school All-Tewaaraton Team, which recognizes some of the nation’s top talent.
“I’m really excited to be able to join the women’s lacrosse team for the rest of the season,” said Mallory. “I played in middle and high school and I love the sport. I’m friends with many of the girls on the team and have missed playing while I have been here at Notre Dame. I just want to come in and help out the team in whatever way I can.”
Mallory and her new women’s lacrosse teammates hit the road this weekend for an 11:00 a.m. (ET) match with Connecticut in Storrs on Saturday. Fans can follow the game for free with live stats or pay a fee to watch Connecticut’s live video feed. The Irish (9-2, 3-2 BE) are looking to reach the 10-win mark for the 10th time in the program’s 16-year history.
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