Irish Hit The Road To Face Panthers

Feb. 4, 2005

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(#6 AP/#7 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-3, 7-2)
vs.
Pittsburgh Panthers (11-9, 3-6)

The Date and Time: Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005, at 2 p.m. ET.

The Site: Petersen Events Center (12,508) in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356), the Pittsburgh athletics ticket office (412-648-8300) or at the door on game day.

The Radio Plans: Saturday’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.

Real-Time Statistics: Live in-game statistics are available for the Pittsburgh game, via the Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com) athletics web site.

Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com).

#6/7 NOTRE DAME BEGINS RUGGED STRETCH DRIVE SATURDAY AT PITTSBURGH
After playing five ranked opponents in a recent seven-game stretch and winning four times, No. 6/7 Notre Dame now faces the difficult task of playing five of its final seven regular-season games on the road, beginning Saturday with a 2 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST Conference matchup at Pittsburgh. The Irish also will be likely be challenged by a large and boisterous crowd, as the Panthers are conducting a special discounted-ticket promotion for the game.

Notre Dame (19-3, 7-2 BIG EAST) won its sixth consecutive game Wednesday night with a 64-57 victory over No. 16/13 Boston College at the Joyce Center. Trailing by a point with 6:46 to play, the Irish closed the game on an 11-3 run, holding the Eagles to a single three-point basket down the stretch.

Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast scored all of her game-high 15 points in the second half, while senior center Teresa Borton added 12 points and a team-best six rebounds for Notre Dame. Defensively, the Irish held BC, the nation’s top shooting club, to a season-low .345 field goal percentage.

Pittsburgh (11-9, 3-6) has lost three in a row, following a 70-49 setback at home to Villanova on Wednesday evening. The Panthers simply ran into a hot-shooting VU squad that connected at a .571 clip in the contest. Freshman center Marcedes Walker had 14 points, while freshman forward Vika Sholokhova added 11 points for UP.

Walker has been one of the top freshmen in the BIG EAST this year, ranking among the top 10 in the conference in scoring (13.0 ppg.), rebounding (8.4 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.493). Junior guard Katie Histed is one of the league’s top outside threats, shooting .400 from the arc and logging 12.2 ppg.

Head coach Agnus Berenato is 17-30 (.370) in two years at Pittsburgh, and 300-293 (.506) in 21 seasons overall. She is 0-2 all-time vs. Notre Dame.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
It’s hard to say a 13-3 team was at a crossroads in its season, but Notre Dame found itself in such a situation entering its Jan. 16 game with No. 20 Purdue. The Irish had opened with wins in 13 of their first 14 games, including a memorable run to the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT title that included victories over a pair of top-10 opponents (No. 6 Duke and No. 10 Ohio State). However, after rising as high as third in the polls, a pair of bitter losses to BIG EAST foes Villanova and No. 16 Connecticut sapped some of the team’s confidence and left them searching for answers heading into the Purdue contest.

After a tense struggle through the first 10 minutes, Notre Dame pulled away and put together its second-highest offensive production of the season while ending a four-game losing streak to its in-state rival. The victory sparked a current Irish six-game winning streak that has seen Notre Dame win three times by double figures, and four times against ranked opponents (two vs. top-10 foes). In addition to the Purdue victory, the Irish also have come back a 13-point deficit to defeat No. 6/7 Rutgers, gone on the road to oust No. 9/10 Connecticut (snapping the Huskies’ 112-game BIG EAST regular-season home winning streak) and fought past No. 16/13 Boston College.

Despite the added focus shown to her by opposing teams (and a recent bout with a stomach virus), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was a major catalyst for the Irish this season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. A three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and member of the Wooden Women’s Award Midseason Top 20 List, Batteast has scored in double digits 19 times this season, has earned game-high scoring honors on 12 occasions and has five double-doubles. She also moved into the top five on Notre Dame’s career lists for points (1,710), rebounds (890), blocks (153) and double-doubles (37), needing 10 rebounds to become only the third Irish player to amass 1,700 points and 900 rebounds (joining All-Americans Katryna Gaither and Ruth Riley).

Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 11.6 points per game with a team-high 5.5 assists (second in the BIG EAST and 25th in the nation) and 2.91 steals per game (first in the BIG EAST and 38th in the nation). Duffy also leads the league and is fifth nationally with a .907 free throw percentage (88-97) this season, sparking the Irish to a .744 free throw ratio (second in the league and 19th in the NCAA as of Feb. 1).

In the post, senior center Teresa Borton is showing capable leadership by example. In her past nine games, Borton is averaging 11.1 ppg. and 7.0 rpg. with a .612 field goal percentage (41-67) and has five double-figure scoring games. She is third on the team in scoring this season (8.7 ppg.), second in rebounding (6.0 rpg.) and first in both blocked shots (1.64 bpg.) and field goal percentage (.567).

SOME POTENT NOTABLES ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame won its first seven games this season, the second-best debut 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 also 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 7-1 on the road this year, and won their first five road games this season for the second time in school history. The 2000-01 club opened with a 10-game road winning streak to set the school standard. Ironically, Notre Dame struggled in true road games last year, losing its first four and six of its first seven on the opposition’s floor.
• Notre Dame has been a fixture near the top of all major RPI charts this season. Through Feb. 3, the Irish are fourth in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, with the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule.
• Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting 11 times in the first 13 polls of the year, checking in at No. 6 for the second consecutive week. On three other times in school history have the Irish spent longer in the AP top 10 during one season – 1998-99 (16 weeks), 1999-2000 (15 weeks) and 2000-01 (18 weeks). All told, Notre Dame has now spent 67 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 103-18 (.851) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
• The Irish have posted 36 wins over AP Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present), including six this year (No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 20 Purdue, No. 6 Rutgers, No. 9 Connecticut and No. 16 Boston College). Notre Dame is tied for the second-most Top 25 wins this season, exceeded only by Ohio State’s seven such victories. During the past two years, the Irish have 13 wins over ranked opponents.
• Notre Dame has defeated 23 top-10 opponents in its history, adding to that total with four victories this season. The four top-10 wins represent the second-highest total in school history (and tie Penn State for the most by any team in the nation this season) – the 2000-01 squad holds the Irish record with seven top-10 victories.
• Notre Dame owns a unique distinction with victories over both the No. 2 (Ohio State) and No. 3 (Duke) teams in this week’s Associated Press poll. In fact, the Irish are one of only two teams to defeat Duke so far this season, and also one of just two squads to solve OSU in 2004-05.
• Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 403-152 (.726) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, having logged the milestone 400th victory Jan. 23 against Rutgers. She also has a 491-193 (.718) overall record in 23 seasons, leaving her only nine victories shy of the 500-win plateau for her career.

A QUICK LOOK AT PITTSBURGH
Behind a renewed spirit and enthusiasm instilled by second-year head coach Agnus Berenato, Pittsburgh is evolving into a team to be reckoned with in the BIG EAST Conference. The Panthers have nearly doubled their overall and conference win totals from last season and already have a pair of regular-season tournament titles in their pocket this year.

UP (11-9, 3-6 BIG EAST) opened the season with six consecutive wins, with five of those coming away from home. However, the Panthers then began a string of trading off three wins and three losses, with the most frustrating defeat being an 84-79 overtime loss to Penn State. In another unorthodox twist, Pittsburgh is 10-4 away from home, but only 1-5 inside the Petersen Events Center.

The Panthers currently are riding a three-game losing streak, following a 70-49 setback to Villanova at home on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh simply ran into a hot-shooting Wildcat squad that connected on 57.1 percent of its shots, including eight three-point field goals. Freshman center Marcedes Walker scored a team-high 14 points and freshman forward Vika Sholokhova added 11 points for UP.

The 6-foot-3 Walker has emerged as one of the top rookies in the BIG EAST this season. She leads the Panthers in scoring (13.0 ppg.), rebounding (8.4 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.493), ranking among the top 10 in the conference in all three categories. She also has six double-doubles this season, tying for the second-most in the BIG EAST. Junior guard Katie Histed complements Walker on the perimeter, averaging 12.2 ppg. with a .400 three-point percentage (team-high 40-for-100).

Berenato, a 21-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, has a 17-29 (.370) record in two seasons at Pittsburgh. She is 300-293 (.506) overall, including stops at Rider and Georgia Tech. She is 0-2 all-time against Notre Dame (one loss each at Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh).

THE NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES
Although Notre Dame and Pittsburgh did not begin to play one another until the Irish joined the BIG EAST 10 seasons ago, the series has become one of the more frequently-played matchups on Notre Dame’s conference docket. In fact, the Irish and Panthers have played 14 times in the previous nine years, with five seasons where the teams played twice. Notre Dame leads 14-0 in the series with Pittsburgh, including a 7-0 record in the Steel City (1-0 at the recently-constructed Petersen Events Center).

The first 11 games in the series were a bit one-sided, with the Irish winning by double figures on nine occasions. However, the past three contests between the clubs have seen Pittsburgh getting steadily closer to its first win over Notre Dame, culminating with last year’s narrow four-point victory for the Irish at the Petersen Events Center.

Junior forward Courtney LaVere leads all current Irish players with a 15.0 ppg. scoring average and .690 field goal percentage (20-for-29) in three career games vs. Pittsburgh. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast is next with 14.5 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game, as well as two double-doubles in four career starts against the Panthers.

THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND PITTSBURGH MET
Jacqueline Batteast scored 17 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 41.3 seconds remaining as Notre Dame fought back a determined challenge from Pittsburgh, 72-68, on Feb. 21, 2004 before a raucous crowd of 7,814 at the Petersen Events Center. The Irish shot 56.5 percent from the floor (26-for-46) to record their eighth win in the last nine games and their fourth road win in five tries.

Jeneka Joyce lit up the skies with a career-high performance for the third consecutive game, scoring 16 points and tying her personal best with five three-point field goals. Courtney LaVere chipped in with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Latoya Kincaid led all scorers with 24 points for Pittsburgh, which suffered its 10th consecutive loss.

Notre Dame (17-8, 10-3 BIG EAST) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead behind a pair of treys from Joyce. The Irish pushed their advantage to seven points on two occasions, the second at 21-14 on a fastbreak layup by LaVere with 9:19 to go in the first half. Boosted by their largest crowd of the season, the Panthers (6-18, 2-12) battled back with a 9-4 spurt, getting within 25-23 on a bucket by Stacy Moore with six minutes left in the frame.

From there, the teams traded baskets over the next four minutes before Kincaid scored 10 straight points for her team, giving them their first lead at 35-32 at the 1:58 mark. Joyce then closed out the first half like she had opened it, banging home two triples to highlight an 8-2 Notre Dame run as the Irish took a 40-37 lead to the locker room.

Notre Dame continued its sharp offensive play early in the second half, opening the period on a 15-4 run to take its largest lead of the day at 55-41 with 16:01 to play. All told, the Irish had ripped off a 23-6 run in 5:28 spanning the two halves and the visitors were seemingly in control at the first media timeout of the second half.

However, as quickly as Notre Dame built its edge, Pittsburgh came roaring back with a 16-3 charge, including seven points from Jennifer Brown, and cut the margin to a single point (58-57) with 8:29 still to play. With its collective backs against the wall, the Irish regained their footing as Crystal Erwin hit a layup and Batteast converted an old-fashioned three-point play to rebuild a 63-57 advantage at the 6:36 mark. But, that only served as a temporary break in the Pittsburgh comeback, as the Panthers then scored 11 of the next 15 points and took their first lead of the second half when Amy Kunich nailed a three-pointer over two Irish players as the shot clock expired for a 68-67 edge with 2:18 remaining.

Notre Dame’s resolve was tested even further after misfiring on its next possession, but Pittsburgh couldn’t expand its lead, missing a shot of its own and Joyce was fouled on the rebound. She would hit one of two foul shots to tie the game at 68-68 with 1:31 remaining. After the Panthers then came up empty again on their offensive end, the Irish got the ball to Batteast and she was fouled by Brown with 41.3 seconds left. The Naismith Award finalist canned the first of her two charities, putting her team back in front, but she missed the second free throw, giving Pittsburgh a chance. That opportunity was quashed when LaVere swatted away a Panther shot and Megan Duffy was fouled after collecting the loose ball with 16 seconds to play.

Duffy kept things interesting by making just the second of her two free throws for a 70-68 Notre Dame lead. However, with the crowd at a fever pitch and time winding down, Le’Tania Severe stepped into the passing lane and picked off Kunich’s pass before she was fouled with 4.7 seconds left. The Irish captain calmly knocked down both of her free throws and Notre Dame’s victory was secure.

OTHER NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES NOTES

• Notre Dame is 14-0 all-time against Pittsburgh, one of three BIG EAST Conference opponents the Irish have never lost to. The others are Providence (12-0) and St. John’s (15-0).
• Nine of the 14 games in the series have been decided by double-digit margins in favor of Notre Dame. However, the past three games between the Irish and Panthers were single-digit verdicts.
• In the history of the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh series, the Irish have never scored less than 65 points in any game against the Panthers. Conversely, UP has hit the 65-point mark five times in 14 games, including each of the past three contests.
• Notre Dame has the best record of any visiting team in Pittsburgh’s history, going 7-0 all-time on the Panthers’ home floor. Two other schools – Cheyney State (4-0) and Maryland (3-0) – are undefeated at Pittsburgh with at least three visits to their credit, although neither of those schools has visited the Steel City since 1983.

NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH CONNECTIONS

• The relationship between the two head coaches – Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw and Pittsburgh’s Agnus Berenato – dates back more than 20 years to their formative days in the coaching ranks. The pair matched wits on several occasions during the early 1980s in the old East Coast Conference when McGraw was the head coach at Lehigh and Berenato held a similar post at Rider (McGraw won all five of their matchups from 1982-85). The duo renewed acquaintances on Nov. 30, 1997, when McGraw’s ninth-ranked Irish defeated Berenato’s Georgia Tech squad, 76-69 in Atlanta to win the Comfort Inn Downtown Classic, en route to Notre Dame’s first NCAA Final Four appearance.
• Notre Dame freshman guard Charel Allen is a native of Monessen, Pa., having graduated from Monessen High School in 2004. She was the two-time Associated Press Pennsylvania Class A Player of the Year (2003, 2004) and ended her prep career as the second-highest scorer in WPIAL history and fifth-highest in state history (3,110 points).

PROTECTING PERFECTION
Coming into the 2004-05 season, Notre Dame had a perfect all-time record against four of the opponents on its schedule. Pittsburgh represents the third foe in that list, with the Irish holding a 14-0 series record against the Panthers. In fact, of the four perfect series the Irish will defend this season, the Irish have defeated all four opponents at least 10 times – the others are Valparaiso (18-0 after a 69-59 win on Nov. 30), St. John’s (15-0 after a 72-65 win on Jan. 26) and Providence (12-0).

STREAKING ACROSS THE BIG EAST
The Irish have winning streaks of 10 or more games against three of their 13 BIG EAST Conference opponents. Their longest active conference winning streak is 15 games against St. John’s, followed by a 14-game streak against Pittsburgh and a 12-game success string against Providence. The longest current Irish winning streak vs. any opponent is 18 games against Valparaiso.

THE BEAST OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 131-30 (.814) in regular-season competition against the rest of BIG EAST Conference, owning the best conference winning percentage of any current member of the BIG EAST since joining the circuit for the 1995-96 campaign. The Irish also have finished either first or second in the BIG EAST eight times in their nine-year membership, and claimed a share of their first-ever regular-season conference championship in 2001.

When including postseason competition (BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments), Notre Dame is 144-39 (.787) against league opponents – when factoring in these 22 postseason tilts, the Irish are 74-8 (.902) at home, 57-25 (.695) on the road and 13-6 (.684) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.

POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 180-43 (.807) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are sixth entering Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 85-10 (.895) as a ranked host after posting a 12-2 record at the Joyce Center this season. Conversely, the Irish are 71-25 (.740) 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 103-18 (.851) as a top-10 squad, including a 51-4 (.927) 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.

DETHRONING THE CHAMPS
Notre Dame achieved a historic basketball feat last Sunday, becoming the first school ever to defeat both the reigning men’s and women’s NCAA champions in the same season on two occasions. This past weekend, the Irish women ousted Connecticut, 65-59 in Storrs, a mere three hours after the Notre Dame men also toppled the Huskies, 78-74 in South Bend.

Last season, Notre Dame became just the fourth school since the inception of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in 1982 to have both its men’s and women’s basketball teams beat the defending national champions in the same season. The Irish women did their part by ousting Connecticut (66-51) on Jan. 13, 2004, while the Notre Dame men completed the double with an 84-72 win at Syracuse on Feb. 16, 2004.

The only other schools that can lay claim to this accomplishment are Duke (1998-99), Tennessee (1999-2000) and Michigan State (1999-2000), with Notre Dame and Michigan State being the only institutions to turn the trick in the regular season (Duke’s women beat Tennessee in the ’99 NCAAs, while Tennessee’s men downed Connecticut in the ’00 NCAAs).

THE QUICK DISH
With apologies to ESPN.com’s Melanie Jackson, Notre Dame has its own true “Quick Dish” in junior guard Megan Duffy. During the past nine games (starting with the first matchup vs. Syracuse on Jan. 5), Duffy is averaging 7.0 assists per game, with at least five handouts in eight of nine contests. In that time, she also has posted a sharp 1.97 assist/turnover ratio (63 assists, 32 turnovers).

And lest you think these numbers have been piled up against Podunk Tech, Notre Dame has played five ranked opponents (No. 16 Connecticut, No. 20 Purdue, No. 6/7 Rutgers, No. 9/10 Connecticut and No. 16/13 Boston College) in that nine-game span, and Duffy has averaged 6.8 assists per game with a 1.70 assist/turnover ratio (34 assists, 20 turnovers) against those top-25 squads.

THE SEASON FOR SHARING
One of the key elements in Notre Dame’s success this season has been its penchant for distributing the ball well. In fact, the Irish have 369 assists (16.78 apg.; third in the BIG EAST and 24th in the nation as of Feb. 1) on 546 field goals made (24.8 per game), including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State.

Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 5.45 assists per game (second in the BIG EAST and 25th in the nation), with at least five dimes in 14 contests this year, including a career-high 11 assists vs. Rutgers on Jan. 23. Duffy also is second in the BIG EAST with 6.67 apg. in conference play.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are 7-1 on the road this season, a far cry from last year’s struggles away from the Joyce Center, when they lost their first four and six of their first seven true road contests. In fact, Notre Dame won its first five road games this year, marking only the second time in school history the Irish opened with five or more road victories (they won 10 in a row to begin the 2000-01 campaign).

Accenting Notre Dame’s play on the road has been its defensive prowess. The Irish are holding opponents to 53.6 ppg., a .339 field goal percentage (149-for-439) and a .223 three-point percentage (31-for-139) away from home and have allowed more than 60 points only once in their eight road games this year (61 by Syracuse on Jan. 19, although SU needed a Rochelle Coleman bucket with five seconds left to reach the mark).

PINE TIME PLAYERS
Notre Dame is 14-0 this year (5-0 vs. BIG EAST Conference opponents) when its bench outscores the opposition’s reserves. For the season, the Irish understudies are averaging 16.5 ppg., compared to 13.7 ppg. for Notre Dame opponents. Freshman guard Charel Allen has been the top Irish reserve this season, logging 7.6 ppg., followed by junior forward Courtney LaVere (7.4 ppg.), who has been coming off the bench ever since her Dec. 30 return from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Notre Dame’s bench play has been especially important during its current six-game winning streak. The Irish are getting an average of 22.2 ppg. from their reserves in that stretch, compared to 13.5 ppg. from the opposition’s bench. Allen (10.2 ppg.) and LaVere (8.8 ppg.) have been the key bench contributors during the streak, never more so than when they combined for 25 points on 11-for-16 (.688) shooting in the Jan. 30 victory at No. 9/10 Connecticut.

THREE-FENSE
In the past 19 games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .246 three-point percentage (82-for-333), 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 .258 mark (99-for-384) from long range.

THE FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT Notre Dame ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference in steals this season, averaging 9.82 thefts per game (216 total). The Irish have come up with at least 10 steals in 10 games and had a season-best 20 thefts on Nov. 22 vs. Colorado State, the most by a BIG EAST team this season.

Individually, junior guard Megan Duffy is tops in the conference in steals and 38th in the nation as of Feb. 1 (2.91 spg., 64 total), while her backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray is second on the team with 1.36 steals per game (30 total). Four other Notre Dame players have at least 15 steals this year – senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (28), freshman guard Charel Allen (25), senior center Teresa Borton (18) and freshman guard Tulyah Gaines (17).

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 are second in the BIG EAST Conference and 19th nationally (as of Feb. 1), shooting 74.4 percent from the charity stripe. In fact, they set a school record by going a perfect 18-for-18 on Nov. 30 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 (.907, 88-97), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.827, 86-104) and freshman guard Charel Allen (.815, 44-54). Duffy currently ranks first in the BIG EAST and fifth in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast is third in the conference and has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with a 20-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 70 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .868 clip (203-234) on her foul shots. She also has made 96 of her last 106 free throws (.906) in the past 28 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 – registered 400th win at Notre Dame on Jan. 23 vs. Rutgers (current record: 402-152, .726)
• 500th victory overall – needs nine wins (current record: 491-193, .718)

BATTEAST NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD MIDSEASON TOP 20 LIST
Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast has been named to the John R. Wooden Women’s Award Midseason Top 20 List, recognized the leading candidates for the honor that goes to the nation’s outstanding women’s college basketball player. In March, approximately 15 finalists for the Wooden Women’s Award will be placed on the voting ballot by the award’s National Advisory Board, which is comprised of some of the country’s leading sportswriters and sportscasters who cover women’s basketball on a regular basis. Those ballots will then be mailed to more than 250 voters across the nation, with the top five vote-getters earning Wooden Award All-America honors, as well as a trip to the Wooden Award trophy presentation ceremony April 9 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles.

THE BOSTON COLLEGE RECAP
Notre Dame senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast wasn’t feeling well enough to play more than seven minutes in the first half. She didn’t improve much after the break, but made Boston College do the suffering.

Batteast scored all 15 of her points in the second half, the sixth-ranked Irish beat the No. 16/13 Eagles 64-57 Wednesday night at the Joyce Center.

Batteast proved it by overcoming another obstacle. After scoring the first two baskets of the second half, she left briefly to have her left ankle retaped after injuring it.

The Eagles (15-4, 6-2 BIG EAST) went ahead 54-53 when Lisa Macchia scored inside with 6:45 left. But the Irish (19-3 7-2) took the control with an 8-0 run, getting four of their points from baskets inside. It started with Batteast going around Macchia to score.

Batteast was double-teamed down low on Notre Dame’s next possession, but passed to senior center Teresa Borton, who was wide open for a basket. After Macchia was called for a travel, junior forward Courtney LaVere hit a 15-foot shot to put the game away as the Eagles went five minutes without scoring, going 0-for-6 during that stretch.

Borton added 12 points for the Irish, who outscored the Eagles 44-18 inside despite being outrebounded 45-32.

Clare Droesch led BC with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Aja Parham had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Sarah Marshall added 11 points and Kindyll Dorsey, who entered the game with 10 points this season, added 10 points.

The Eagles, the nation’s best-shooting team, couldn’t overcome a season-low 34.5 percent or a season-high 22 turnovers. But BC managed to make a game of it after falling behind by nine points early in the second half. The Eagles had a 19-6 run and led 49-45 on a layup by Parham midway through the half.

Boston College kept the score close throughout the first half despite missing its first 10 shots and losing leading scorer Jessalyn Deveny five minutes in with a reinjured right Achilles’ tendon. Deveny wasn’t planning on playing, but felt good during the shootaround and decided to give it a try. Inglese said she would be re-examined in Boston.

NOTING THE BOSTON COLLEGE WIN

• Notre Dame jumps to 9-4 all-time against Boston College, including a perfect 7-0 at the Joyce Center.
• Notre Dame earns its sixth victory in eight tries against a ranked opponent this season.
• The Irish also have defeated four Top 25 teams in the past six games (No. 20 Purdue, No. 6/7 Rutgers, No. 9/10 Connecticut and No. 16/13 Boston College).
• The six wins over ranked opponents in the regular season are second-most in school history, topped only by the seven such victories Notre Dame recorded last season (13 wins over Top 25 teams in less than two years).
• The Irish remain unbeaten this season (15-0) when leading at halftime.
• Notre Dame also is a perfect 14-0 this year when its bench outscores the opposition’s understudies (24-14 vs. BC).
• For the second consecutive game and 10th time this season, the Irish registered double-digit steals, finishing the night with 14 thefts.
• The Notre Dame defense also caused 22 BC turnovers, marking the 11th time this year the Irish have come up with at least 20 takeaways.
• Notre Dame is 13-1 this season when limiting opponents to less than 60 points.
• Despite an ongoing bout with a stomach virus (which began over the weekend), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast posted a game-high 15 points and became the fifth player in school history to amass 1,700 career points.
• Junior guard Megan Duffy had her streak of five-assist games snapped at eight in a row; however, she did grab a season-high six rebounds, tying for team-best honors.
• Both freshman guard Tulyah Gaines and sophomore guard Breona Gray tied their career highs with three steals, which they had most recently set vs. Seton Hall on Jan. 2.
• Freshman guard Charel Allen came off the bench to score at least eight points for the seventh consecutive game.

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 92-7 (.929) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame is 15-0 in such games this season, including a 5-0 record in BIG EAST Conference play.

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 142-8 (.947) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game, including a 13-1 mark this season.

… 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 90-3 (.968) 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 has tacked two more wins onto that ledger with its victories this season over Illinois State and Purdue.

NOTRE DAME AMONG RECENT WINS LEADERS
Notre Dame has won 221 games over the past nine seasons, which is 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 125 of their last 136 games (.919) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 74-8 (.902) home record in BIG EAST play.

The Irish have been particularly strong when it comes to non-conference games at home, winning 54 of their last 57 non-BIG EAST contests (.947) 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 275-72 (.793) 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 current returns indicate this season may be no different. According to the Jan. 31 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 17th in the nation with an average of 5,635 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 63 of the past 65 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 lost to No. 16 Connecticut, 67-50 on Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center and will visit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of the CSTV cameras.

In addition, Notre Dame will play twice on ESPN2 this year. On Jan. 16, the Irish downed No. 20 Purdue, 86-69 in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Two weeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame was back on ESPN2 as it defeated No. 9/10 Connecticut, 65-59 at Gampel Pavilion.

The BIG EAST also added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame lost at Villanova, 59-54 on Jan. 9 and defeated No. 6/7 Rutgers, 63-47 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.

Detroit-based Comcast Local (Channel 3 on Comcast cable systems in South Bend) 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) – with former Irish All-America center, WNBA champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Ruth Riley slated to provide color commentary on the final three broadcasts. 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).

PROMOTIONAL CORNER
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season:

• Feb. 12 vs. Georgetown – Notre Dame women’s basketball dry erase boards (first 2,000 fans)
• Feb. 26 vs. West Virginia – Notre Dame women’s basketball beanie bears (first 1,000 fans)

NEXT GAME: PROVIDENCE
The Irish will be back on the road next Wednesday night when they venture to Providence for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) matchup with the Friars. The game will be the second of five road contests in the final seven games of the regular season for Notre Dame.

Providence (1-18, 0-8) has struggled mightily this year, thanks in no small part to a revamped roster that featured seven new players at the start of the season and only two upperclassmen (one of whom was an incoming junior college transfer). To make matters worse, the Friars’ lone senior and arguably their best player, forward Gayle Nwafili was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered in an exhibition game. Consequently, PC is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and has lost 30 consecutive BIG EAST games, dating back to the 2002-03 season. The Friars will play host to No. 11 Connecticut Saturday before the Irish come to town next week.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Providence, 12-0, including a 6-0 record at PC. In their only meeting last season, the Irish posted an 81-51 victory over the Friars at the Joyce Center, as five players scored in double figures. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast logged a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) despite playing just 22 minutes, while Jeneka Joyce scored a (then) career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (4-of-8 from three-point range).