Jan. 2, 2000
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – The Irish got the message.
After enduring a 12:01 a.m. practice just hours after a lackadaisical effort in a victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday, 10th-ranked Notre Dame came out shooting against Marquette and beat the Golden Eagles 75-60 on Sunday.
Niele Ivey scored 19 points and handed out 12 assists, while Ruth Riley had 18 points and nine rebounds.
It was the fifth consecutive win for the Irish (9-2). Marquette is 9-3.
“I was really pleased with our defense, we’re definitely making some strides there,” said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. “We did a good job with our help rotation.
“And the player of the game was Ruth Riley. She played like an All-American. She dominated at both ends of the floor.”
Three minutes into the second half, the score was tied 36-36.
Then the Irish went on a 6-0 run, sparked by two Ivey baskets and a layup by Danielle Green off an Ivey assist. The Irish outscored the Golden Eagles 20-6 over a 10-minute stretch for a 56-42 lead.
Ivey then hit consecutive 3-pointers with less than six minutes remaining, bumping Notre Dame’s lead to 63-46.
Ivey hit 3-of-7 from 3-point range for the game.
“It was kind of the Niele Ivey highlight show,” McGraw said. “It (Ivey’s 3s) really broke open a close game. That second 3-pointer really broke their back. That was a critical moment in the game.”
Marquette was hurt by poor shooting. After going 11-of-27 from the field in the first half, the Golden Eagles hit only five of their first 20 shots in the second half. Marquette finished the game 19-of-58. Notre Dame hit 16-of-29 in the second half.
The Irish outscored the Golden Eagles 44-32 in the second half.
“We simply had a lapse in the second half,” said Marquette coach Terri Mitchell. “We weren’t running offenses and we weren’t running back on defense, and that just changed the whole game.”
Heidi Bowman led Marquette with 15 points. Green added 15 for the Irish.