Jan. 21, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
(#11 AP/#10 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-3, 3-2) vs. (#6 AP/#7 ESPN/USA Today) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-3, 4-0)
The Date and Time: Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005, at 2 p.m. ET.
The Site: Joyce Center (11,418) in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356) or at the Joyce Center Gate 10 ticket windows on game day.
The TV Plans: BIG EAST TV syndicated broadcast with Jim Barbar (play-by-play), Margo Plotzke (analysis), Steve Johnson (producer) and Dennis Lanius (director). A full list of the broadcast outlets carrying the game appears in a box on page 10 of these notes.
The Radio Plans: Sunday’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) and former Irish standout Sara Liebscher (analysis) 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 Rutgers game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) athletics web site.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Rutgers (www.scarletknights.com).
#11/10 NOTRE DAME WELCOMES #6/7 RUTGERS FOR SUNDAY MATINEE
For the sixth time this season, No. 11/10 Notre Dame will play host to a ranked opponent when No. 6/7 Rutgers visits the Joyce Center Sunday for a 2 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST Conference game. The Scarlet Knights also represent the third top-10 squad the Irish will play this season, following on the heels of No. 6 Duke and No. 10 Ohio State back in November.
Notre Dame (15-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) picked up its second consecutive victory Wednesday night, completing a season sweep of Syracuse with a 74-61 win in central New York. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast led four Irish players in double figures with 19 points, and junior forward Courtney LaVere posted her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Rutgers (13-3, 4-0) comes into Sunday’s contest having won eight of its last nine games, including a 74-40 victory over Providence on Thursday night. Senior guard Cappie Pondexter tossed in a game-high 19 points for the Scarlet Knights.
Freshman guard Matee Ajavon leads RU in scoring (13.7 ppg.), assists (3.1 apg.) and steals (2.4 spg.) this season, while junior forward Michelle Campbell is second in scoring (13.2 ppg.) and first in both rebounding (5.9 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.609).
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer is 188-107 (.637) in 10 seasons at Rutgers. She is 8-8 all-time against Notre Dame in her storied 33-year career.
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, coupled with a 74-61 road win at Syracuse on Wednesday night, has renewed Irish spirits and left them hungry for more success with six weeks remaining in the regular season.
Despite the added focus shown to her by opposing teams, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was a major catalyst for the Irish this season, averaging 18.6 points (34th in the nation as of Jan. 17), 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 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 16 Irish games this season, has earned game-high scoring honors 10 times and has four double-doubles. With her 22-point effort at Villanova on Jan. 9, Batteast also moved into fifth place on Notre Dame’s career scoring list (now with 1,649 points), giving her top-five placement on the school’s all-time points, rebounds and blocks charts.
Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 11.9 points per game with a team-high 5.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Duffy also leads the BIG EAST and is sixth in the nation with a .919 free throw percentage (68-for-74) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .753 free throw ratio (15th in the NCAA as of Jan. 17).
Duffy’s backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray, has also shown great improvement this year. Moviing easily into the starting lineup, the Las Vegas native has more than doubled her scoring average from last season (2.1 to 5.8 ppg.), highlighted by a career-high 17-point effort vs. Syracuse on Jan. 5, and she is tied with Batteast for second on the team with 24 steals (1.33 spg.).
In the post, senior center Teresa Borton is showing capable leadership by example. In her past five games, Borton is averaging 13.4 ppg. with a .643 field goal percentage (27-for-42) and has scored in double figures three times. She is third on the team in scoring this season (8.8 ppg.), second in rebounding (5.7 rpg.) and first in both blocked shots (1.6 bpg.) and field goal percentage (.569).
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 6-1 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 Jan. 20, the Irish are sixth in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, with the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule.
• Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting nine times in the first 11 polls of the year, just missing that level this week at No. 11. 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 65 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 100-17 (.855) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
• The Irish have posted 33 wins over Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present). Two of those wins came in Notre Dame’s first four games this year (76-65 vs. No. 6 Duke and 66-62 vs. No. 10 Ohio State), while the third came Jan. 16 vs. No. 20 Purdue (86-69) in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge.
• 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.
• Notre Dame owns a unique distinction with victories over both the No. 1 (Duke) and No. 3 (Ohio State) teams in this week’s Associated Press poll. In fact, the Irish are the only team to defeat top-ranked Duke so far this season, and one of just two squads to solve OSU in 2004-05. Notre Dame came within mere seconds of handing No. 8 (and twice-beaten) Michigan State a third loss this year, leading the Spartans by six in the final half-minute of regulation, but MSU rallied to force overtime and left the Joyce Center with an 82-73 win on Dec. 2.
• Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 399-152 (.724) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, which puts her just one win shy of the 400-win mark for her Notre Dame career.
A QUICK LOOK AT RUTGERS
Certainly, Rutgers moved to the forefront of the women’s college basketball scene with its three consecutive victories over top-10 opponents in an eight-day span earlier this month. However, as most BIG EAST Conference observers will tell you, the Scarlet Knights’ success is no accident.
Early on this season, RU tested the patience of even its most ardent supporters. The Scarlet Knights were without the services of All-American guard Cappie Pondexter (personal reasons) for the first eight games of the year, and they also had to break in an extremely talented, yet inexperienced group of freshmen. Rutgers rolled through its bracket at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but had a pair of small blemishes with road losses at Old Dominion and Temple.
Pondexter returned to the active roster on Dec. 29 against Tennessee, and her return kicked the Scarlet Knights’ play up several notches, highlighted by the thrilling eight-day spree at the start of the new year. That run also ignited a jump of historical proportions through the Associated Press poll, as RU went from No. 24 to No. 4 in only two weeks, the biggest rise in the survey’s 29-year history. The only team to stunt the Scarlet Knights’ recent momentum was fifth-ranked Ohio State, which pulled out a narrow 52-50 victory on Jan. 16 at home in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge.
Rutgers bounced back from that loss to OSU in fine fashion Thursday night, returning home to blow out Providence, 74-40. The Scarlet Knights led by 20 points at the half and never took their foot off the gas, shooting 51.7 percent from the floor and forcing 25 Friar turnovers in the win. Pondexter led four players in double figures with 19 points, while freshman guard Matee Ajavon added a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, as no RU player saw more than 29 minutes of court time Thursday night.
Ajavon has stepped effortlessly into the college game, leading Rutgers in scoring (13.7 ppg.), assists (3.1 apg.) and steals (2.4 spg.) this season while being named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times. Junior forward Michelle Campbell has lent a solid post presence for the Scarlet Knights, averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game, while ranking among the nation’s leading shooters with a .609 field goal percentage.
Legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer is in her 10th season at Rutgers with a record of 188-107 (.637) at the school. She also has coached at Cheyney (Pa.) and Iowa during her 33-year career and has an overall record of 708-242 (.745), having been the only coach to guide three different schools to the NCAA Final Four. She is 8-8 in her career against Notre Dame.
THE NOTRE DAME-RUTGERS SERIES
In what has been the true definition of a rivalry, Notre Dame and Rutgers have put on some of the most exciting games in recent BIG EAST Conference women’s basketball history. The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series, 11-8, having won the past three matchups and four of the past five contests in the series. However, the Irish hold the edge when the scene shifts to South Bend, going 4-2 against Rutgers at the Joyce Center.
The rivalry between Notre Dame and Rutgers dates back to the 1982-83 season, when the teams met for the first time at DePaul’s Orange Crush Classic in the famed Rosemont Horizon. The Scarlet Knights won that initial game, 81-74, and added two more wins four years later, before the series went on hiatus for nearly a decade.
Once both schools joined the BIG EAST in time for the 1995-96 campaign, the rivalry was rekindled, with Notre Dame winning the first league game, 66-54 early that season and RU coming back to win the second matchup, 73-62 in Piscataway. During the following six years, the Irish won seven of the next 11 series games, but never came away with more than two consecutive victories.
The most memorable games in that stretch included a pair of overtime games in the 1999-2000 season – Notre Dame won the regular-season contest, 78-74, as Alicia Ratay went 7-for-7 from three-point range, including two in the final 16 seconds of regulation to force OT, while Rutgers won the rematch, 81-72 in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals. A year later, the Scarlet Knights toppled the Irish from their No. 1 ranking and handed Notre Dame the first of only two losses in its national championship season, 54-53 in Piscataway.
RU’s current run of success has been marked by a pair of comebacks from sizeable deficits. In 2003, Notre Dame led by 15 points with less than 13 minutes remaining at home, but the Scarlet Knights rallied for a 64-61 win. Last season in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals, the Irish took a 17-2 lead, only to see Rutgers clamp down on defense and pull ahead in the final 90 seconds for the win.
Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast leads all current Notre Dame players with an average of 18.7 points against the Scarlet Knights (she missed the 2002 regular-season game with a knee injury). Junior forward Courtney LaVere also has a double-figure career average vs. RU (12.3 ppg.).
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND RUTGERS MET
Jacqueline Batteast scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but it was not enough as the second-seeded Notre Dame women’s basketball team was upset by the No. 7 seed Rutgers, 51-45, on March 7, 2004, in the quarterfinals of the 2004 BIG EAST Championship at the Hartford Civic Center.
Batteast moved into 12th place on the Irish career scoring list with 1,249 points, tallying 16 of her points in the first half. However, she was the only Notre Dame player to score in double figures. Courtney LaVere had eight points and Katy Flecky came off the bench to kick in eight points and a season-high seven rebounds for the Irish. Cappie Pondexter led Rutgers with 24 points, while Dawn McCullouch added 15 markers for the Scarlet Knights, who picked up their third consecutive series win over Notre Dame.
The Irish exploded from the gate in the early going, racing out to a 17-2 lead with 10:54 remaining in the first half behind 11 points from Batteast. Rutgers steadied itself, but Notre Dame still held a 20-10 lead with 4:09 left in the period. That’s when the Scarlet Knights went on a 9-3 run to end the half, pulling within 23-19 at the break.
Notre Dame remained in front for the first seven minutes of the second half, fighting off several RU attacks. However, the Scarlet Knights’ pressure finally paid off as they took their first lead of the game at 29-28 on Courtney Locke’s jumper with 12:39 to go. From there, the Irish went on a 7-0 run to take their largest edge of the second half (35-29) at the 10:13 mark. At that time, Notre Dame went scoreless for five minutes while Rutgers tied the game twice. The Scarlet Knights finally took the lead for good on two Pondexter free throws with just over five minutes left. Rutgers had a 43-40 lead after Michelle Campbell beat the shot clock with a baseline jumper at the 2:09 junction. Le’Tania Severe answered with an old-fashioned three-point play on Notre Dame’s next possession and the score was tied with 1:48 left.
Pondexter gave her team the lead for good with two free throws 18 seconds later, followed by a jumper with 28 seconds to go which made it 47-43. Batteast hit a putback with 7.6 seconds to go, getting her team within two points, but Pondexter iced the victory with two free throws and McCullouch hit a breakaway layup in the waning moments for the final margin. Pondexter wound up going 12 for 12 at the foul line, part of Rutgers’ 16 for 18 effort (.889).
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND RUTGERS MET AT THE JOYCE CENTER
Cappie Pondexter hit a 12-foot jumper with 26 seconds left as Rutgers came back from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat No. 21 Notre Dame 64-61 on Jan. 18, 2003, at the Joyce Center.
The Scarlet Knights held the Irish scoreless for 6:37 to cut the lead to 50-48. They moved ahead 61-59 with 1:41 left on a three-pointer by Mauri Horton, who led Rutgers with 19 points.
Alicia Ratay tied it for the Irish by going 2-of-4 from the free-throw line, but the 5-foot-9 Pondexter put the Knights ahead 63-61 when she hit a jumper over 6-foot-3 Courtney LaVere.
The Irish had several chances to tie the score, but Ratay missed a 17-foot jumper, Katy Flecky missed a shot underneath and LaVere and Flecky both missed shots in the paint. Horton tacked on a free-throw with 0.3 seconds left to close out the win for the Scarlet Knights.
Chelsea Newton added 16 points and four assists for Rutgers and Pondexter piled up 14 points, four assists and four rebounds.
LaVere led the Irish with 23 points and nine rebounds and Ratay added 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Jacqueline Batteast, who played only 15 minutes because she was in foul trouble, had nine points.
The Irish led 21-9 when LaVere scored on her own rebound with 13:01 to go in the half as they were 9-of-12 from the field. After LaVere scored again on a rebound off her own missed shot on Notre Dame’s next possession, the Irish were 1-of-6 from the field the rest of the half. The Scarlet Knights used a 10-3 run at the end of the half to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 34-28 at the break.
Notre Dame opened a 50-35 lead when LaVere completed a three-point play inside with 12:44 to go, but the Irish started turning the ball over to let the Scarlet Knights get back into the game.
OTHER NOTRE DAME-RUTGERS SERIES NOTES
• Rutgers is one of only two BIG EAST Conference opponents with a winning series record against Notre Dame. The other is Connecticut, which is 16-3 all-time against the Irish.
• Ten of the 19 games in the series have been decided by single-digit margins, with two contests going into overtime. The series has been especially close of late, with eight of the past 11 games decided by nine points or less, including four of the last five (all by six or less). Overall, Rutgers holds a narrow victory margin in the series of 4.6 points per game.
• To add to the recent nail-biting theme in the series, Notre Dame has held a 15-point lead in two of the past three games with Rutgers (2003 at the Joyce Center, 2004 in the BIG EAST Championship), only to see the Scarlet Knights come back and defeat the Irish on both occasions.
• Rutgers’ current three-game winning streak matches the longest run of success by either team in the series. The Scarlet Knights also won the first three games in the series, once in 1982 and twice in 1986.
• Notre Dame is 6-4 all-time when it is ranked heading into the Rutgers game (2-1 at home). Sunday’s game represents the seventh time both squads will be ranked at tipoff, with each side winning three times previously.
• Two of the top women’s basketball coaches in the country will meet when Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw squares off with Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer. The two coaches have combined to post a staggering record of 1,195-435 (.733) in 56 seasons of coaching, averaging better than 21 wins per year. McGraw and Stringer also have guided 28 teams to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four on five occasions.
THE BEAST OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 127-30 (.809) 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 140-39 (.782) against league opponents – when factoring in these 22 postseason tilts, the Irish are 71-8 (.899) at home, 56-25 (.691) on the road and 13-6 (.684) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.
POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 176-43 (.804) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are 11th entering Sunday’s game against Rutgers). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 82-10 (.891) as a ranked host after posting a 9-2 record at the Joyce Center this season. Conversely, the Irish are 70-25 (.737) all-time when they play on the road as a ranked team.
Sunday’s game with No. 6 Rutgers also marks the 18th time a ranked Notre Dame team has played host to a ranked opponent. The Irish are 11-6 (.647) at home when both teams are in the AP poll at tip time, including a 3-2 mark this season.
One interesting side note: Notre Dame is 8-0 (1.000) all-time when it is ranked exactly 11th in the Associated Press poll, including victories earlier this season over No. 6 Duke and No. 10 Ohio State. Prior to the second week of this season, the last time the Irish were No. 11 in the AP rankings was the week of Dec. 13, 1999 – Notre Dame played just once that week, claiming a 68-62 win at Florida International.
IT’S “T” FOR TWO
Senior center Teresa Borton has been a solid presence in the middle for the Irish this season, but the past five games (beginning with the first Syracuse contest) have been especially productive for the Yakima, Wash., resident. Borton scored a (then) season-high 17 points in both a win over SU and a loss at Villanova and added seven points vs. No. 16 Connecticut. She then came back with a season-best 18 points and nine rebounds in the win over 20th-ranked Purdue before carding eight points and six rebounds in the rematch at Syracuse. She is averaging 13.4 points per game in those five outings, shooting a combined 64.3 percent from the floor (27-for-42).
During the early part of BIG EAST Conference play, Borton has been a big factor for Notre Dame, ranking second on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg.) and posting a .600 field goal percentage (21-for-35).
DUFFY LENDS A HAND
During the past five games (starting with the first matchup vs. Syracuse), junior guard Megan Duffy is averaging 6.8 assists per game, with at least six handouts in each contest. In that time, she also has posted a sharp 1.89 assist/turnover ratio (34 assists, 18 turnovers).
ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are off to a 6-1 start 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 52.9 ppg., a .336 field goal percentage (130-for-387) and a .185 three-point percentage (22-for-119) away from home and have allowed more than 60 points only once in their six road games this year (61 by Syracuse on Jan. 19).
THREE-FENSE
In the past 15 games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .227 three-point percentage (59-for-260), 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 .244 mark (76-for-311) from long range.
THE FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT
Notre Dame ranks fourth in the BIG EAST Conference in steals this season, averaging 9.67 thefts per game (174 total). The Irish have come up with at least 10 steals in eight 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 (2.78 spg., 50 total), while her backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray, and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast are tied for second on the team with 1.33 steals per game (24 total). Five other Notre Dame players have at least 10 steals this year – freshman guard Charel Allen (17), senior center Teresa Borton (15), sophomore forward Crystal Erwin (13), freshman guard Tulyah Gaines (13) and junior forward Courtney LaVere (11).
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 301 assists (16.72 apg.; third in the BIG EAST and 27th in the nation as of Jan. 17) on 449 field goals made (24.9 per game), including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State. Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 5.06 assists per game (third in the BIG EAST), with at least five dimes in 11 contests this year, 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 15th nationally (as of Jan. 17), shooting 75.3 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 (.919, 68-74), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.828, 77-93) and freshman guard Charel Allen (.818, 36-44). Duffy currently ranks first in the BIG EAST and sixth 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 more than 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 66 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .867 clip (183-211) on her foul shots. She also has made 76 of her last 83 free throws (.916) in the past 24 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 one win (current record: 399-152, .724)
• 500th victory overall – needs 13 wins (current record: 487-193, .716)
THE SYRACUSE RECAP
Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast scored a game-high 19 points to lead No. 11/10 Notre Dame past Syracuse, 74-61 on Wednesday night at Manley Field House.
Notre Dame (15-3, 3-2 BIG EAST) improved its record against Syracuse to 15-1 since the Irish joined the BIG EAST Conference for the 1995-96 season. The Orange’s lone victory came in the 2002 BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals at Piscataway, N.J.
Junior guard Megan Duffy and freshman guard Charel Allen each had 17 points, and junior forward Courtney LaVere added 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds to pick up her second double-double of the season for the Irish, who outrebounded Syracuse 40-27.
Notre Dame’s bench also contributed 30 points while Syracuse’s three reserves netted only three points, all on free throws.
Rochelle Coleman led the Orange (10-6, 2-3) with 16 points, Chineze Nwagbo had 15, Jessica Richter logged 14. Freshman center Vaida Sipaviciute had 10 points, eight blocks, and six rebounds.
The Orange trailed by 13 at halftime and drew to 56-49 on a three-point play by Nwagbo at 11:04. Batteast was called for her fourth foul on the play and had to sit. The Irish missed their next five shots, but Syracuse also sputtered and only managed to close to 57-51 on a layup by Sipaviciute at 7:27.
Batteast returned and hit a driving layup, senior center Teresa Borton followed with another layup, and Batteast hit a pair of free throws and a three-point play to boost the Notre Dame lead to 66-54 with 3:27 remaining, putting the game out of reach.
Syracuse, riding a modest two-game win streak in the league, took a 15-9 lead midway through the first half. The Orange went 5-for-9 from the field while Notre Dame shot just 4-for-18.
That changed in a hurry. After a Notre Dame timeout, the Irish hit six of their next seven shots and scored 14 straight points to take control. Batteast began the run with a jumper in the lane, Duffy followed with four straight points and LaVere added six, her turnaround jumper in the lane giving Notre Dame a 23-15 lead with 9:13 left.
LaVere was a torrid 6-for-7, scoring all of her points in the opening period. She drained a three-pointer from the right corner with 1:17 left to boost the lead to 40-26. It was her first triple of the season and only her second attempt from beyond the arc.
A three-pointer by Duffy from the right wing in the final minute helped give the Irish a 43-30 lead at the break, marking their second consecutive game with a double-digit halftime advantage.
NOTING THE SYRACUSE WIN
• Notre Dame earns its fifth consecutive victory over Syracuse, improves to 18-2 all-time against SU (8-1 at Manley Field House) and sweeps the season series from the Orange.
• Notre Dame now has won all 14 regular-season matchups with Syracuse since the Irish joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96.
• The win also marked the 16th time in the 20-game series with Syracuse that Notre Dame has scored at least 70 points.
• The Irish defeated the Orange by double digits for the 16th time in their 18 series wins.
• Notre Dame is 34-2 (.944) all-time against New York-based schools, and has a 15-1 (.938) record when playing in the Empire State.
• The Irish improve to 6-1 on the road this season, although the Syracuse game marked the first time Notre Dame had given up more than 59 points on the road (it took a Rochelle Coleman bucket with five seconds left to put SU over the mark).
• Notre Dame topped the 45-percent shooting mark for the second consecutive game and is 7-0 this season when connecting on at least 45 percent of its shots.
• The Irish took a 13-point lead to the locker room and jumped to 13-0 this year when leading at halftime.
• The Notre Dame bench also played a pivotal role in the win, outscoring its Syracuse counterparts, 30-3; the Irish are 11-0 this season when their bench outscores the opposition’s understudies.
• Notre Dame had four double-figure scorers for the sixth time this season and moves to 9-1 this year when it has at least three players in double figures (only loss was in overtime vs. No. 15 Michigan State).
• Freshman guard Charel Allen scored a career-high 17 points, one more than the tally she had against No. 6 Duke on Nov. 17.
• Junior forward Courtney LaVere turned in her best performance since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery Dec. 30, posting her second double-double of the season (also 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Duke).
• Junior guard Megan Duffy had at least six assists for the fifth 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 90-7 (.928) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame is 13-0 in such games this season, including a 3-0 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 139-7 (.952) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game, including a 10-1 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 217 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 122 of their last 133 games (.917) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 71-8 (.899) 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 272-72 (.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 Jan. 17 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 14th in the nation with an average of 5,457 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 60 of the past 62 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 faced Connecticut Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center and will 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 battled Purdue in the second annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. A week from Sunday (Jan. 30), Notre Dame is back on ESPN2 when it travels to Storrs, Conn., to meet Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion.
The BIG EAST also added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame already visited Villanova on Jan. 9 and will play host to Rutgers Sunday, 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 (additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date):
• Jan. 23 vs. Rutgers – Notre Dame leprechaun nesting dolls (first 500 fans)
• Jan. 26 vs. St. John’s – Notre Dame women’s basketball foam fingers (first 1,500 fans)
• Feb. 2 vs. Boston College – Notre Dame women’s basketball trading cards (first 1,500 fans)
NEXT GAME: ST. JOHN’S
The Irish remain at home Wednesday for a 7 p.m. (ET) contest with St. John’s at the Joyce Center. The game will be televised live to a regional audience by Comcast Local out of Detroit (Channel 3 on Comcast cable systems in South Bend), with former Notre Dame All-America center, WNBA champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Ruth Riley slated to provide color commentary on the broadcast.
St. John’s (13-3, 2-3 BIG EAST) opened this season with 11 consecutive victories, capturing the attention of not only BIG EAST Conference followers, but many national observers as well. The Red Storm has stumbled slightly since league play began earlier this month, although two of their losses have come at the hands of nationally-ranked Connecticut and Rutgers. Still, SJU has made tremendous strides in the past three seasons after a 3-24 campaign in 2001-02. The Red Storm were slated to play host to Syracuse Saturday afternoon before coming to South Bend.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series with St. John’s, 14-0, including a 6-0 record at home. The Irish won last year’s only meeting between the clubs, 69-56 in Queens, holding the Red Storm to only 20 points in the second half and hitting 22-of-26 free throws, including a career-high 11-of-13 charities by Megan Duffy.