Irish Open Road Schedule Thursday At Penn State

Nov. 15, 2006

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2006-07 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 3
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0 / 0-0 BIG EAST) vs.
Penn State Lady Lions (3-0 / 0-0 Big Ten)

Storylines

• Notre Dame visits Penn State for the second time in school history and first since 1993.
• The Irish have won their last two road openers, defeating USC in 2004 and Western Michigan last season.

Building off the confidence of a comeback overtime win over Bowling Green, Notre Dame takes to the road for the first time this season when it pays a visit to Penn State Thursday for a 7 p.m. (ET) contest. The game will be broadcast live to a nationwide audience on College Sports Television (CSTV), the first of at least 10 televised regular-season games for the Irish this season.

Notre Dame picked up its second win of the year in thrilling fashion on Monday night, rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat two-time defending Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green, 85-81 in overtime. The Irish outscored the Falcons, 7-3 in the extra session to lock up the victory.

The junior backcourt tandem of Tulyah Gaines and Charel Allen led the way for Notre Dame, with each registering a new career-high point total (Gaines – 25; Allen – 21). Freshman guard Ashley Barlow also was a major factor in the Irish victory, tallying 19 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Barlow also scored six points in OT, including two free throws with 3.8 ticks left to ice the win.

Rankings

• Notre Dame is not ranked.
• Penn State is receiving votes in the Associated Press poll.

Web Sites

• Notre Dame: http://www.und.com
• Penn State: http://www.gopsusports.com
• BIG EAST: http://www.bigeast.org
• Big Ten: http://www.bigten.org

Setting The Standard Under the guidance of 20th-year head coach Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame has evolved into one of the country’s leading women’s basketball powers. The Irish have appeared in 13 NCAA Tournaments (including a current streak of 11 in a row) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 six times in the previous 10 years. Notre Dame also has reached the NCAA Women’s Final Four twice, winning college basketball’s ultimate prize with the 2001 national championship.

In its history, Notre Dame has developed eight All-Americans, nine WNBA players (including six draft picks in the past six years) and four USA Basketball veterans (eight medals won). Now in their 30th season in 2006-07, the Irish own an all-time record of 595-266 (.691).

Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw Saint Joseph’s ’77 20th season at Notre Dame

• 431-167 (.721) at Notre Dame.
• 519-208 (.714) in 25 years as head coach.

NOTES

• 2001 consensus National Coach of the Year
• Four-time Naismith Coach of the Year finalist
• Four-time conference Coach of the Year
• BIG EAST Conference (2001)
• Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1991)
• North Star Conference (1988)
• East Coast Conference (@ Lehigh) (1983)

A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
A large majority of college basketball programs would be pleased with an 18-12 record and an 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Then again, those programs aren’t Notre Dame.

The Irish players and coaches alike feel dissatisfied with last season’s performance, which started well with a 9-2 non-conference record and a top-15 national ranking, but ended with an NCAA first-round loss to Boston College. Along the way, Notre Dame also posted an 8-8 record in the rugged BIG EAST Conference, collected three victories over ranked opponents, and won the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas with a convincing victory over eventual NCAA regional finalist Utah (68-55).

The Irish know they will face a host of challenges in 2006-07, with hurdles that include replacing All-America point guard Megan Duffy, tackling a schedule that features 16 postseason qualifiers (and 11 NCAA Tournament participants), and most recently, dealing with the season-ending knee injury to sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader. The Bartlett, Ill., product was slated to be Notre Dame’s top returning scorer this season, having carded 10.5 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game during her rookie campaign.

However, this year’s Irish squad already may be living up to the phrase “expect the unexpected.” When many outside observers dismissed Notre Dame’s chances, the players and coaches have pulled even closer, with team chemistry and cohesion becoming the single greatest strength the Irish will possess in 2006-07. In fact, between seven other returning monogram winners and four other players with significant starting experience, not to mention four talented freshmen, those who want to write off Notre Dame before the season even starts may do so at their peril.

Junior guard Charel Allen (8.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.) takes over as the top returning scorer for the Irish. The Monessen, Pa., resident spent much of last season working her way back to 100 percent after a March 2005 knee injury, saving her strongest efforts for the final month of the season, averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in the season’s last 11 games.

Allen’s backcourt mate and fellow junior, Tulyah Gaines (4.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg., 1.7 apg.), assumes the mantle of court leadership for Notre Dame as both a team co-captain and the new starting point guard. Like her classmate, Gaines was very sharp down the stretch in 2005-06, averaging 8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio in the final six games of the year.

A third junior, center Melissa D’Amico, will seek to anchor the Irish post game. Standing 6-foot-5, the Manorville, N.Y., native started 17 times last season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while ranking eighth in the BIG EAST in blocked shots (1.17 bpg.). She also owned a solid .468 field goal percentage and named the MVP of the Duel in the Desert (and subsequently the BIG EAST Player of the Week) after collecting 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with an .824 field goal percentage in the two-game tourney.

Complementing the Notre Dame veterans is a freshman class that was ranked 21st in the nation by All-Star Girls Report. Guards Melissa Lechlitner and Ashley Barlow finished second and third, respectively, in the 2006 Indiana Miss Basketball voting, with Barlow winning MVP honors for the 2006 Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series after scoring 20.0 points per game. Meanwhile, 6-3 forward Danielle Ben-Tsvulun is a two-time all-area pick out of Fort Wayne, Ind., while 6-4 center Erica Williamson averaged a double-double (10.0 ppg., 10.4 rpg.) in her final two prep seasons, winning state titles in two different states during that time.

Potent Notables About The Irish

• Notre Dame is among the nation’s winningest programs during the past 11 seasons (1996-97 to present), ranking seventh with 249 victories in that span.
• Notre Dame’s incoming class of 2007 (announced Nov. 8) has been ranked 11th in the nation by Blue Star Basketball, marking the 11th consecutive season that the Irish have had a top-25 recruiting class. Notre Dame is one of only three schools (along with Connecticut and Tennessee) to have an active streak of that length. A thumbnail sketch of the newest Irish signees can be found on page 8 of these notes.
• Notre Dame was ranked 11th in the nation in attendance in 2005-06 (6,601 fans per game), marking the sixth consecutive season the Irish have ranked among the national top 20 in attendance. Notre Dame also has attracted 5,000-or-more fans to 80 of its last 82 home games, including three Joyce Center sellouts of 11,418 (most recently on Dec. 31, 2005 vs. Tennessee).
• For the sixth time in school history, Notre Dame has been selected to host NCAA Tournament action, as the Joyce Center will be the site of NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games in 2010. In four of the five previous instances, Notre Dame was involved in NCAA Tournament play, going 6-1 all-time and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 three times (2000, 2001, 2004), with only a first-round loss to Minnesota in 1994 blotting the resume. Notre Dame also hosted the 1983 NCAA Mideast Regional at the Joyce Center, with Georgia defeating Tennessee, 67-63 in the regional final.
• The Irish have become a regular fixture in the WNBA Draft in recent years, as six Notre Dame players have been selected in the past six seasons. All-America guard Megan Duffy was the most recent Irish player to be chosen, going to the Minnesota Lynx in the third round (31st overall pick) of the 2006 WNBA Draft. Other active Notre Dame players in the WNBA during the 2006 season included Ruth Riley and Jacqueline Batteast (league champion Detroit Shock), while Niele Ivey sat out this year as a free agent, rehabilitating an injury after previously playing with Indiana, Detroit and Phoenix. Riley’s WNBA title with Detroit was her second (she was the 2003 WNBA Finals MVP), while Batteast earned her first pro crown this year.
• Notre Dame has been an elite program in the classroom as well. The Irish posted a perfect 100-percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), according to figures released by the NCAA in October 2006. Notre Dame was one of 16 Division I-A programs to achieve this distinction, and one of only two BIG EAST programs (Syracuse is the other). Furthermore, since Muffet McGraw became the Irish head coach in 1987, every Notre Dame women’s basketball player that has completed her athletic and academic eligibility at the University has graduated.

A Quick Look At Penn State
One of the pillars of women’s college basketball for many years, and among the regular standard-bearers in the Big Ten Conference, Penn State has a rich tradition and history upon which to call. Thus, when the Lady Lions posted a 13-16 record last season (their first-ever sub-.500 mark), most figured it would be an aberration. Early indications seem to show that assumption is correct, as PSU has jumped to a 3-0 record this season, posting wins over Drexel (74-56), Syracuse (71-46) and South Carolina (68-57). It’s the first 3-0 start for the Lady Lions since 2003, when they won four in a row before bowing at Kansas State in the Preseason WNIT title game. Redshirt junior guard Kamela Gissendanner leads a balanced Penn State offense with 14.7 points per game, as well as a team-high .545 field goal percentage. Freshman guard Tyra Grant is next at 13.0 ppg. and a .524 field goal percentage, while senior center Amanda Brown is averaging a double-double (11.0 ppg., 11.7 rpg.) and shooting .464 from the field this year. Grant was the star in Tuesday night’s win over South Carolina, coming off the bench to score 19 points (3-5 FG, 12-13 FT) in 21 minutes. Gissendanner added 16 points and junior guard Adrienne Squire offered up 11 points, including three three-pointers. Head coach Rene Portland is in her 27th season at Penn State, sporting a 594-220 (.730) record at the school. Including earlier two-year stints at Saint Joseph’s (1976-78) and Colorado (1978-80), Portland has a 31-year coaching record of 681-249 (.732), including a 4-0 mark against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Penn State Series
Notre Dame and Penn State have played one another four times previously, with the Lady Lions winning all four matchups. The teams have not faced off since the 2004 NCAA Tournament, when PSU squeezed past the Irish, 55-49 in the East Regional semifinals at the Hartford Civic Center. Thursday will mark just the second time ever that Notre Dame has visited Penn State. In 1993, the Lady Lions defeated the Irish, 87-66 at historic Rec Hall (the full-time home of the PSU basketball program from 1979-96).

The Last Time Notre Dame And Penn State Met
Notre Dame did nearly everything it wanted to do in its NCAA East Regional semifinal matchup with top-seeded Penn State. The Irish turned the game into a defensive slugfest, keeping the high-powered Lady Lion offense and one of the nation’s top scorers, PSU guard Kelly Mazzante, off balance all day long. In the end, it would still not be quite enough. Mazzante nailed a transition jumper with 46 seconds remaining and Notre Dame missed two shots to tie or take the lead in the final minute as fifth-ranked Penn State squeezed out a 55-49 victory over the Irish at the Hartford Civic Center on March 27, 2004. It was a bitter pill for Notre Dame to swallow, made even more distasteful by its shooting struggles from the floor (.322) and the foul line (.600). Junior forward Jacqueline Batteast wrapped up a superb ’04 NCAA Tournament with her third consecutive double-double, amassing game highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Le’Tania Severe ended her Irish career with nine points and a game-high six steals, the latter figure tying for the second-best NCAA tourney mark in school history. Jessica Brungo scored a team-high 20 points and Mazzante added 17 points for PSU. Notre Dame’s shooting woes were evident from the outset, as the Irish missed on five of their first six shots. However, Penn State was only able to open up a six-point lead, which was quickly erased when Notre Dame went on a 9-0 run behind four points from Severe. The Irish lead ballooned to five points (20-15) before the Lady Lions countered with an 8-2 spurt in the final 3:34 of the period to take a one-point edge at the break. In the second half, Notre Dame seemed unfazed by its surroundings or circumstances, regaining a pair of five-point leads, the second at 41-36 on a jumper by sophomore forward Courtney LaVere with 10:24 to play. Penn State responded again with nine of the next 11 points to retake a two-point lead three minutes later. It stayed a one-possession game for either side during the next six minutes with the final tie coming at 49-49 on a Batteast layup at the 1:47 mark. The Irish had two chances to grab the lead again, but Batteast’s jumper with 57 seconds left came up just short and LaVere’s putback attempt didn’t find the mark. Mazzante then leaked out on the break and hit a pull-up jumper on the baseline to put her team in front for good. She added a steal on Notre Dame’s next possession and the Lady Lions locked up the win with two free throws each from Brungo and Tanisha Wright in the final half-minute.

The Last Time Notre Dame And Penn State Met In University Park
Letitia Bowen scored 18 points to lead three Notre Dame players in double figures, but it wasn’t enough as the Irish fell at No. 21 Penn State, 87-66 on Jan. 19, 1993 at Rec Hall. While the visitors did outshoot the Lady Lions, Notre Dame bent under the weight of 32 turnovers, as well as PSU’s +12 edge on the boards. Coquese Washington added 13 points and Kristin Knapp tossed in 12 points for the Irish. Missy Masley came off the bench to record a double-double (19 points, 12 rebounds) for Penn State, while Jackie Donovan also had a double-dip (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Katina Mack contributed 13 points. Things looked promising for Notre Dame in the early going, as the Irish jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind seven quick points from Bowen. The Irish would stay in front for the balance of the half, but the lead began to shrink around the time Bowen went to the bench with her second foul (9:38). However, Notre Dame still led 33-30 after Audrey Gomez made two foul shots at the 4:49 mark. That’s when Penn State made its move, closing out the first half on a 12-0 run, with Mack and Helen Holloway tallying four points each. Not only did the Lady Lions grab a nine-point lead going into the locker room, but they took a sizeable chunk of momentum as well. The Irish came out with renewed vigor in the second half and got as close as 44-41, when Washington canned a triple from the right corner with 17:21 left. Yet, PSU came right back with a 15-4 run covering the next six minutes to push its lead into double figures, where it would remain the rest of the way. One interesting sidebar to this game – although obviously not aware of it at the time, two of Notre Dame’s current assistants were on opposite sides of the fence. Washington (now the Irish associate head coach) was Notre Dame’s point guard on this day, while current Irish assistant coach Angie Potthoff was in the midst of her freshman season as a forward at PSU, coming off the bench to score four points and grab three rebounds in eight minutes.

Other Notre Dame-Penn State Series Tidbits

• Notre Dame assistant coach Angie Potthoff was a two-time All-America forward at Penn State during her career from 1993-97, helping the Lady Lions to three NCAA Tournament berths, two Sweet 16 appearances and a berth in the 1994 regional finals. She also scored 30 points in PSU’s 1995 victory over Notre Dame at the Kona Women’s Basketball Classic in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Potthoff graduated from Penn State in 1997 with a B.S. in exercise and sports science.
• Current Penn State assistant coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl was Potthoff’s position coach with the Lady Lions during her playing career; Potthoff later served as Fruchtl’s assistant at Beaver (Pa.) Area High School from 2002-04 before Potthoff succeeded Fruchtl as the Bobcats’ head coach when the latter returned to the PSU staff in 2004.
• Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw closed out her college career at Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) in 1976-77, playing for current Penn State head coach Rene Portland, who was in her first season piloting the SJU program. The Hawks went 23-5 that season, rising as high as third in the national rankings en route to a berth in the AIAW National Tournament.
• Fresh out of college, McGraw cut her coaching teeth at Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor, Pa., where she was the head girls’ basketball coach for two seasons (1977-79). Her star player on that squad was current Penn State associate head coach Annie Troyan, who helped lead ACHS to a 50-3 combined record, including a 28-0 mark in 1978-79. That season, Archbishop Carroll won the Philadelphia Catholic League title, McGraw was named the league’s Coach of the Year, and Troyan was tapped as its Most Valuable Player.
• Notre Dame junior guard Charel Allen and Penn State redshirt junior guard Kamela Gissendanner enjoyed a spirited rivalry during their high school days in western Pennsylvania. Their careers overlapped for three seasons (2000-01 to 2002-03), with Allen’s Monessen High squad meeting Gissendaner’s Clairton High crew in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Class A title game twice. In fact, the 2001 championship contest was perhaps the most memorable duel between the pair, with Allen scoring a WPIAL postseason-record 39 points and Gissendaner scoring 35 points in Clairton’s victory. Both players also scored over 2,700 points in their respective prep careers (Allen – 3,110; Gissendaner – 2,703).
• Allen also played in the same AAU program (the Western Pennsylvania Bruins) as Penn State sophomore guards Mashea Williams and Brianne O’Rourke.
• Notre Dame senior guard Breona Gray and Penn State senior forward Charity Renfro were teammates at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas from 1999-2003. As prep seniors, Gray and Renfro played key roles in helping Bishop Gorman win a regional title and advance all the way to the state championship game.
• Penn State sophomore forward Courtney Molinaro is the younger brother of former Notre Dame offensive lineman Jim Molinaro, who played for the Irish from 2000-03 and now is in his third season with the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Notre Dame vs. The Big Ten Conference
Notre Dame is 32-44 (.421) all-time against the Big Ten Conference, although the Irish have won five of their last seven games against that league during the past two seasons. Last year, Notre Dame went 3-1 against the Big Ten, defeating Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, while falling at Purdue.

Penn State is the first of four Big Ten teams on this year’s Irish schedule, with a trip to Michigan (Dec. 1), and home matchups against Indiana (Dec. 3) and Purdue (Dec. 6), waiting in the wings.

A November To Remember
Notre Dame’s success during the past dozen years has been aided by its ability to get off to a good start. To wit – the Irish are 43-8 (.843) in November games since they joined the BIG EAST Conference in time for the 1995-96 season. In addition, Notre Dame has won 14 in a row and 25 of its last 30 games during the year’s penultimate month. The last time the Irish lost a game in November was on Nov. 30, 2003 – an 83-59 setback at No. 3 Tennessee.

Balance Is Key, Grasshopper
Notre Dame has gotten off to one of its higher scoring starts in recent memory, thanks to contributions from numerous different sources. In fact, the Irish have had six separate players score in double figures in its first two games, with junior guard Charel Allen being the lone player to do so in both contests.

Among the pleasant early surprises for Notre Dame have been junior guard Tulyah Gaines (career-high 25 points vs. Bowling Green), sophomore forward Chandrica Smith (career-high 11 points vs. Central Michigan; first career double-figure game) and freshman guard Ashley Barlow (19 points, 10 rebounds vs. Bowling Green in her second collegiate game).

Closing In On Another McGraw Milestone
Seems like it’s becoming an annual occurrence, as Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw will reach another career coaching milestone this weekend. When the Irish play host to Western Michigan Sunday at the Joyce Center, McGraw will coach her 600th game at Notre Dame – she has a record of 431-167 (.721) in 20 seasons under the Golden Dome.

Game #2 Recap: Bowling Green
Notre Dame charged back from an 11-point deficit with 10 minutes to play, ousting Bowling Green, 85-81 in overtime on Monday night before a boisterous crowd of 5,746 fans at the Joyce Center. The Irish actually trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but held the Falcons to two field goals during an eight-minute stretch late in the second half and then limited BGSU to three points in the extra session to pull out the victory.

Junior guard Tulyah Gaines had a career night, scoring 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and adding six rebounds. Junior guard Charel Allen also had a career-high with 21 points, while also snaring six boards. Freshman guard Ashley Barlow played a pivotal role off the bench for Notre Dame, registering her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, not to mention scoring six of the seven Irish points in overtime.

Notre Dame ended up successfully winning the war on the glass by a 45-33 margin (32-17 after halftime), and also shot well from the foul line for the second consecutive game, hitting 23-of-28 charities (82.1 percent). The Irish also forced 19 Falcon turnovers, with 14 of those coming from steals.

The veteran Bowling Green squad, which had all five starters back from last year’s 28-3 club, saw those five players each score in double figures. Guard Kate Achter had a team-high 20 points and nine assists, while Megan Thorburn tossed in 17 points, including 5-of-6 three-pointers.

Notre Dame (2-0) looked sharp in the opening minutes, scoring the game’s first six points behind their two seniors, guard Breona Gray and forward Crystal Erwin. Yet, that lead didn’t last long, as BGSU went on a 16-2 run over the next 5:25, with Carin Horne scoring nine of her 16 points consecutively during that stretch. The Irish then trimmed the margin with six in a row off buckets from Barlow, Gaines and Erwin.

But that only briefly stemmed the tide, as Bowling Green ripped off 11 consecutive points, highlighted by a pair of treys from Thorburn, to take its largest lead of the night at 27-14 with 6:15 to go in the first half. A nine-point Irish run seemed to take the bite out of the Falcon spurt, but in what would be a recurring theme for much of the game, BGSU never let Notre Dame get closer than four points before ballooning its lead back to a comfortable length. By halftime, the Falcons had a 38-31 lead, thanks to a sizzling .565 field goal percentage (13-of-23), including a .556 three-point ratio (5-of-9), over the first 20 minutes.

Bowling Green (1-1) made a bid to ice the game early in the second half, moving out to a double-digit lead on four occasions, including a 61-50 edge when Liz Honegger canned a three-pointer with 10:04 to play. Little did they know it at the time, but the Falcons would find the range from distance only once the rest of the way.

Slowly and methodically, Notre Dame began chipping away at the BGSU lead, finally getting within one possession at 66-63 on Gaines’ jumper at the 6:49 mark. Less than two minutes later, the Falcons’ edge was gone, as Erwin converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 68-68 ballgame and five minutes to go. The teams then essentially traded baskets down the stretch before Gaines came up with a critical steal inside the final minute and set up Allen on the ensuing possession for a 15-foot jumper that put the hosts in front, 77-75 with 26.7 seconds to play.

Horne missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer on BGSU’s next possession and Thorburn fouled Gaines on the rebound, sending the Notre Dame co-captain to the line to try and seal the comeback. However, she missed the front end of two shots (one of only two misses in 11 tries on the night), opening the door for the Falcons. Honegger took advantage of the opportunity, wriggling free on the right wing and stepping into a game-tying three-pointer that beat the regulation horn.

Bowling Green took the early overtime lead when Achter made one of two free throws 34 seconds in. From there, the Notre Dame defense clamped down, forcing four consecutive missed shots by the Falcons. Meanwhile, Barlow put back an Allen miss midway through the extra session to lift the Irish ahead, 80-79, then hit two foul shots with 21 seconds to play, pushing the lead out to three points.

After allowing Achter a virtually uncontested layup, Gaines made one of two charities at 0:14, then Barlow came up with a steal as BGSU was maneuvering for a game-tying or game-winning shot inside of five seconds to go. The Irish rookie then walked to the west end of the Joyce Center court, stepped to the stripe and calmly buried two free throws to conclude matters for the night.

Noting The Bowling Green Win

• The double-digit comeback was Notre Dame’s first since Feb. 28, 2006, when the Irish climbed from a 15-point hole to defeat Pittsburgh, 72-65 on Senior Night at the Joyce Center.
• It was Notre Dame’s fifth overtime game in its last 19 outings, with the Irish going 3-2 in extended play over that span; Notre Dame also is 7-5 all-time in overtime games at the Joyce Center, but the BG win snapped a two-game home overtime losing streak for the Irish (first win since Jan. 10, 2006 – a 67-65 conquest of Marquette).
• In their three series wins over the Falcons, the Irish have shot a combined .605 from the field (52-of-86) in the second half, with a .500 percentage (15-of-30) on Monday night.
• Notre Dame is 64-16 (.800) lifetime against Ohio schools, including a 31-7 (.816) record at the Joyce Center; the Irish also have won 12 consecutive home games against the Buckeye State, dating back more than 13 years.
• Notre Dame is 29-14 (.674) against the current Mid-American Conference alignment (18-4, .818, at home) and has won its last 12 games against that league’s present membership.
• Notre Dame has scored 80 points in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 14 & 21, 2002, when they defeated Temple (84-61) and IPFW (82-54) at the Joyce Center.
• The Irish have opened the season with back-to-back 80-point efforts for the first time since Nov. 24 & 26, 1995, when they won at Indiana (82-73) and back home vs. Bowling Green (92-67).
• Notre Dame had two 20-point scorers in the same game for the first time since March 21, 2005, when Megan Duffy scored 24 and Jacqueline Batteast tallied 20 in a 70-61 loss to Arizona State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Fresno, Calif.

2006-07: The Anniversary Season

• 2006-07 marks the 30th season of Notre Dame women’s basketball, with the Irish having compiled an all-time record of 594-266 (.691) since making their varsity debut in 1977-78. Actually, Notre Dame spent its first three seasons at the Division III level, playing under the banner of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) before making the move to Division I status in 1980-81 (the NCAA began sponsoring a women’s basketball championship the following season). The Irish have an overall Division I record of 545-246 (.689).
• This year also will represent Muffet McGraw’s 20th season as the head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame and her 25th campaign overall, including her five-year run at Lehigh (1982-87). McGraw’s record is a stellar one – she is 430-167 (.720) at the helm of the Irish and has a career record of 518-208 (.713) in her silver anniversary season on the sidelines.
• In addition, Notre Dame will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of women’s athletics at the University during the 2006-07 season. All Irish women’s sports teams will hold events to commemorate this milestone during their respective seasons. What’s more, all Notre Dame women’s teams are sporting special 35th anniversary logo patches on their uniforms for the ’06-07 campaign.

Injury Bug Bites Irish Early
Sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader will miss the 2006-07 season after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee during practice on Oct. 15. Schrader underwent corrective surgery on Oct. 27, with the normal rehabilitation timeline extending 6-9 months. Schrader was to be Notre Dame’s top returning scorer and rebounder this season, after averaging 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during her rookie campaign in 2005-06.

Notre Dame Ranked 11th In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll
According to a preseason survey of the BIG EAST Conference coaches, Notre Dame is expected to finish 11th in the conference this season. Those were the results released at the league’s annual Media Day Oct. 26 at the ESPN Zone in New York’s Times Square. The Irish earned 108 points, while reigning BIG EAST Championship victor, Connecticut (221 points, 11 first-place votes) was tabbed first, just ahead of regular-season champion Rutgers (215 points, five first-place votes). The BIG EAST sent 11 of 16 teams to the postseason last year, including seven NCAA Tournament participants (of which Notre Dame was one).

The Irish are beginning their 12th season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference in 2006-07. The Irish have gone 145-39 (.788) all-time in regular-season conference games, posting the best winning percentage in league history. Connecticut is second with a .783 success rate. Notre Dame also has finished among the top three in the final BIG EAST regular-season standings nine times in its first 11 seasons in the conference, including a share of the BIG EAST title in 2000-01.

Half And Half
During the past seven seasons, Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable when it has the lead at halftime. The Irish are 110-10 (.917) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead, including wins in 38 of their last 42 such contests. This trend continued in last Friday’s season opener, when the Irish took a 17-point lead to the locker room against Central Michigan.

The Best Offense Is A Good Defense…
During the past 12 seasons, 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 159-9 (.946) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game.

…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. During the past 12 seasons (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 93-3 (.969) 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 topped the 80-point mark in each of its first two games this season (both wins).

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 137 of their last 153 games (.895) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center, including winning streaks of 51 and 25 games in that span. Notre Dame also has a 80-12 (.870) record in BIG EAST Conference play at the Joyce Center, sporting a 31-game league winning streak at home before it ended with a 48-45 loss to Villanova in the ’02 home finale.

The Irish have been particularly strong when it comes to non-conference games at home, winning 59 of their last 63 non-BIG EAST contests (.937) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the 1994-95 season. Three of the losses in that span came at the hands of Big Ten Conference opponents – Wisconsin in 1996 (81-69), Purdue in 2003 (71-54) and Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 OT), with the fourth defeat coming to Tennessee last year (62-51). The Purdue loss also snapped a 33-game non-conference home winning streak which began after the UW setback.

Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center, posting a 287-77 (.788) record at the venerable facility. Three times (1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), the Irish went a perfect 15-0 at home, setting a school record for home wins in a season. The 2006-07 campaign will tie for the most regular-season home games (16) in school history, although in 2004-05, the Irish played host to all four rounds of the Preseason WNIT before its regular 12-game home slate began.

Jammin’ The Joyce
Beginning with its national championship season of 2000-01, Notre Dame has ranked among the top 20 in the nation in attendance each of the past six years, including a No. 11 rating in 2005-06 (6,601 fans per game). This season, the Irish are averaging 6,224 fans in their first two home contests.

What’s more, each of the top 20 women’s basketball crowds in Joyce Center history have occurred during the 19-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw (1987-present), with 19 of those 20 occurring in the past seven seasons (2000-01 to present). Lastly, the Irish have attracted at least 5,000 fans to 80 of their last 82 home games, including 14 contests with at least 8,000 fans and the first three sellouts in the program’s history (two in 2000-01, one in 2005-06).

Oh Captain, My Captain
Senior guard Breona Gray and junior guard Tulyah Gaines will serve as team captains for the 2006-07 season. Both players are serving as captains for the first time in their respective careers, and each received the captain’s honor following a vote of their teammates prior to the season.

Notre Dame On The Small Screen
Notre Dame will have 10 of its regular-season games televised during the 2006-07 season. Highlighting this year’s television docket are five nationally-televised Irish women’s basketball contests, including a pair of games on the ESPN family of networks a week apart in early February.

This year’s TV slate continues a recent trend that has seen the Irish become a regular fixture on television. Beginning with the NCAA championship season of 2000-01, Notre Dame has played in 71 televised games, including 45 that were broadcast nationally. Last year, the Irish had 11 games televised, with eight being national broadcasts.

Notre Dame will make its 2006-07 television debut Thursday when its 7 p.m. (ET) road opener at Penn State is aired live on College Sports Television (CSTV), which is picking up the local broadcast by WPSU-TV in University Park, Pa. That will be the first of three Irish women’s basketball broadcasts for the national cable network, with the second coming Jan. 23 at Marquette (7 p.m. CT tip) and the third coming in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26 at DePaul (8 p.m. CT). The latter two contests are part of the BIG EAST-CSTV Game of the Week package, now in its second season. CSTV has aired 11 Notre Dame women’s basketball games during the past four seasons, with the first being that network’s inaugural broadcast of any sport (a Feb. 2003 game at Connecticut).

The Irish also are scheduled to make two appearances on the ESPN family of networks, beginning with a Feb. 4 home game against West Virginia that will be broadcast live on ESPNU and will start at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The following Sunday (Feb. 11), Notre Dame will play host to DePaul for a 5:30 p.m. (ET) game that will air on ESPN2 as part of that network’s “February Frenzy” split-national coverage designed to preview a similar coverage pattern for the NCAA Tournament. During the past six seasons, Notre Dame has appeared on the ESPN family of networks 28 times, averaging nearly five telecasts per year on “The Worldwide Leader in Sports”.

In addition, Notre Dame will play in five regionally-televised games this season. The first of those will come Dec. 6, when the Irish welcome Purdue to the Joyce Center for a 7 p.m. (ET) game that will air live on Comcast Local (based in Detroit). On Dec. 30, Notre Dame will venture to Tennessee for a 2 p.m. (ET) contest at Thompson-Boling Arena that can be seen live on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. And, on Jan. 27, the Irish will visit Connecticut for a 7 p.m. (ET) matchup that will be carried live on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV).

Notre Dame will appear twice on the BIG EAST-Regional Sports Network (RSN) package this season with contests at South Florida (Jan. 13, noon ET) and home against Rutgers (Feb. 24, noon ET). SportsNet New York will serve as the flagship for the BIG EAST package, with additional clearances to be announced at a later date.

Notre Dame On The Airwaves
For the 11th consecutive season, every Irish women’s basketball game (home and away) will air on commercial radio in South Bend, and for the seventh year in a row, Notre Dame can be heard on the flagship station of the Artistic Media Partners (AMP) Network – WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcaster and AMP sports director Sean Stires is now in his seventh season handling the play-by-play for Notre Dame. The Irish also can be heard free of charge on the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com).

Joyce Center Arena Renovation On Tap
On Oct. 5, Notre Dame announced plans for a nearly $25 million renovation of the Joyce Center arena, including new chairback seating, a four-sided digital video scoreboard, and a club/hospitality area (as part of a new two-story addition to be built on the south side of the facility).

The $24.7 million renovation project has been underwritten with a $12.5 million leadership gift from Philip J. Purcell III, a Notre Dame alumnus and Trustee, and the retired chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley. Upon completion, the arena will be known as Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. The Purcell gift, combined with other benefactions, including a $5 million gift from 1959 Notre Dame graduate and Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Vince Naimoli, brings the total contributions to the project to $22 million.

In accordance with University policies for new construction, work on the renovation will begin after the project is fully funded and designed. The University is actively seeking additional contributions.

Women’s Basketball History On Display
In conjunction with the program’s 30th anniversary season, a photo display of great moments and players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history has been unveiled on the lower (inner) concourse of the Joyce Center, adjacent to the Gate 1 ramp leading to the arena floor. The arrangement was made possible thanks to the considerable efforts of the staff at Lighthouse Imaging of Mishawaka, Ind., led by proprietors Mike and Sue Bennett.

Danielle Green Featured On CSTV Show
Former Notre Dame women’s basketball guard Danielle Green (1995-2000) is one of the subjects of a new documentary entitled “From Ballfields to Battlefields: Stories From Iraq” that is now airing on College Sports Television (CSTV). The one-hour special is narrated by veteran actor Matthew Modine and focuses on athletes whose lives have been changed due to combat injuries suffered during the war in Iraq.

Following her graduation from Notre Dame (and a brief coaching career), Green enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq with the 571st MP Company (out of Fort Lewis, Wash.) in January 2004. Five months later, she suffered significant arm and leg injuries when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded on the roof of a Baghdad police station near where she was patrolling. She subsequently was presented with a Purple Heart and returned to the U.S. to continue her rehabilitation before being honorably discharged from the Service. Green currently resides in Chicago.

The CSTV special debuted on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and will be replayed numerous times during the next month. Consult the CSTV web site (www.cstv.com) for the exact programming schedule.

Promotional Corner
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Irish athletics ticket office (second floor of the Joyce Center through Gate 1; 574-631-7356), on game day at the Gate 10 ticket windows of the Joyce Center, or via the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com). Please note – additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date, so consult the Notre Dame promotions web site (www.notredamepromotions.com) for the latest information:

• Nov. 19 vs. Western Michigan – Family Day (4 tickets/hot dogs/sodas for $25) … free Irish women’s basketball senior player trading cards to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Chase … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Irish players.
• Nov. 28 vs. Richmond – Notre Dame women’s basketball calendars to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Waterford Estates Lodge … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Irish players.
• Dec. 3 vs. Indiana – Hoosier State Game of the Year … Clancy’s Kids Club Day (free admission to club members and three guests) … Notre Dame blinking shamrocks to first 5,000 fans, courtesy of CW 25 Michiana … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Irish players.

Next Game: Western Michigan
Notre Dame returns home Sunday for a noon (ET) matchup with Western Michigan at the Joyce Center. The Irish and Broncos will be meeting for the ninth time, with Notre Dame having won all eight prior contests with WMU, although last season’s 71-68 Irish win was the closest in the series.

Western Michigan has dropped a pair of narrow decisions to open the 2006-07 season, falling at Illinois-Chicago (87-83) and Wisconsin (80-77). The Broncos will open their home schedule Friday night against Detroit before venturing south to take on the Irish this weekend.