Irish Play Host To #21/22 Rutgers On Senior Day

Feb. 23, 2007

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2006-07 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 28
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-8 / 10-4 BIG EAST) vs.
#21/22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-7 / 11-3 BIG EAST)

Storylines

• Notre Dame has won 17 of its last 18 Senior Day games and is 24-5 all-time in its regular-season home finale.
• With a victory, the Irish would clinch a first-round bye for the upcoming BIG EAST Championship.

Irish Play Host To No. 21/22 Rutgers On Senior Day
Riding its longest winning streak of the season, Notre Dame will look to keep building momentum for the postseason when it plays host to No. 21/22 Rutgers Saturday at noon (ET) at the Joyce Center. The game will be broadcast live as part of the BIG EAST Regional Sports Network television package, with a full list of broadcast outlets available on page 9 of this notes package. It can also be seen live via the BIG EAST Conference All-Access multimedia package at www.bigeast.org.

The Irish stretched their current winning streak to six games with a 73-48 victory over Georgetown on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame jumped out to a 20-2 lead nine minutes into the game and kept the Hoyas at arm’s length from there while posting arguably the best Irish defensive night of the year.

Junior center Melissa D’Amico continued her late-season reusrgence, scoring a game-high 15 points and grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. Junior guard Tulyah Gaines capably complemented her classmate with 14 points, four assists and four steals.

Rankings

• Notre Dame is receiving votes in the Associated Press poll.
• Rutgers is ranked 21st in the AP poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll.

Web Sites

• Notre Dame: http://www.und.com
• Rutgers: http://www.scarletknights.com
• BIG EAST: http://www.bigeast.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 612-274 (.691).

Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw

Saint Joseph’s ’77

• 20th season at Notre Dame
• 448-175 (.719) at Notre Dame.
• 536-216 (.713) 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
Now in the final month of the 2006-07 regular season, the growth of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team already is evident, and the best may be yet to come. With a young and inexperienced roster that has only two seniors and is missing its top returning scorer from a year ago, the Irish have had to learn on the run – and run is exactly what they have done this season. Notre Dame is averaging 71.3 points per game thus far, a significant improvement over the previous five Irish squads, none of which has averaged better than 66.3 points per night.

Of course, the Irish have traditionally hung their hat on their defense, a trait that is much harder to master and takes a bit longer. On the one hand, Notre Dame’s aggressive style has rattled opponents, causing 21.3 turnovers per game (including a BIG EAST-best 11.2 steals per night). However, the flip side has seen the Irish allow opponents to shoot .417 from the floor (.354 from the three-point line), while the Irish claim just a 2.5 rpg. edge on the boards), two areas Notre Dame will continue to focus on during as it winds down BIG EAST play.

Junior guard Charel Allen has been one of the main offensive catalysts for the Irish to this point, averaging a team-high 17.1 ppg., while scoring in double figures in 24 of 27 outings to date. The Monessen, Pa., native, who is a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and four-time BIG EAST Honor Roll selection, also is collecting a team-high 6.5 rebounds and 2.11 steals per game. Allen’s classmate and backcourt running partner, Tulyah Gaines, is easily one of the conference’s most improved players this season. The speedy Gaines has stoked the Notre Dame offensive fire to an even hotter level, averaging 9.6 points and 3.93 assists per game. Gaines, who came into the season with a 3.7 ppg. career scoring average, has scored 20 points in a game three times this year, including a career-high 27 points on Jan. 10 in a win over Cincinnati.

The most pleasing contributions of the year for Notre Dame to this point have come from its freshmen. Guard Ashley Barlow, who made her first career start Feb. 11 vs. DePaul, is second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg.) and steals (2.11 spg.), and had a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds on Dec. 28 vs. Prairie View A&M. Center Erica Williamson (6.2 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 1.31 bpg.) logged her first career double-double at South Florida with 11 points and 18 rebounds (an Irish freshman record). And, guard Melissa Lechlitner (6.4 ppg., 3.0 apg.) has been particularly sharp of late with a 1.63 assist/turnover ratio in conference play. She also scored a career-high 18 points vs. Syracuse and delivered a personal-best nine assists (without a turnover) against St. John’s.

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 266 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 currently is ranked 11th nationally in attendance (6,280 fans per game). Last season marked the sixth consecutive campaign the Irish were among the national top 20 in attendance (No. 11 ranking). Notre Dame also has attracted 5,000-or-more fans to 93 of its last 95 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 the campaign 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 in ’06.
• 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 was 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 Rutgers
After a rough early stretch of the season marked by a brutal schedule and untimely injuries, Rutgers (18-7, 11-3 BIG EAST) has bounced back extremely well, winning 16 of the past 19 games, with two of those losses coming to ranked opponents on the road (Connecticut and Louisville). The resurgence has lifted the Scarlet Knights back into the Top 25, with RU currently ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. Rutgers last played on Tuesday, notching its fourth consecutive win with a 69-34 conquest of Providence at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J. Junior guard Matee Ajavon erupted for 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting (including 3-of-3 from three-point range) to lead three Scarlet Knights in double figures. RU also turned in another signature defensive effort, holding Providence to a .306 field goal percentage and just 14 first-half points.

Freshman guard Epiphanny Prince has been a major contributor from the moment she set foot on campus, ranking 16th in the BIG EAST in scoring (13.8 ppg.) and second in three-point percentage (.410). Sophomore center Kia Vaughn is second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg.) and second in the BIG EAST in rebounding (9.8 rpg.) while leading the loop in blocked shots (2.88 bpg.) and standing third in field goal percentage (.573). Junior forward/guard Essence Carson also is scoring in double figures this year (12.5 ppg.).

Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer is in her 12th season at Rutgers with a 248-123 (.668) record at the school. In her storied 36-year coaching career, she has an all-time record of 768-258 (.749), including a 10-9 mark against Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-Rutgers Series
The series between Notre Dame and Rutgers has featured some of the more exciting games in BIG EAST Conference history. The Scarlet Knights hold a 13-9 edge in the series with the Irish, although Notre Dame is 5-2 against Rutgers at the Joyce Center. Still, RU has won five of the past six meetings with the Irish, with Notre Dame’s lone win in that span coming on the Scarlet Knights’ last trip to South Bend (63-47 on Jan. 23, 2005).

The Last Time Notre Dame and Rutgers Met
Matee Ajavon scored a season-high 28 points and No. 10/9 Rutgers held No. 21 Notre Dame to one point over the game’s first 11 minutes in a 69-43 victory on Jan. 24, 2006 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Cappie Pondexter had 20 for Rutgers, including 14 in the second half when she and Ajavon led a 32-6 run that put away the Irish. Notre Dame had clawed back from a 20-1 deficit to trail by eight points at halftime.

Notre Dame made it 28-24 early in the second half on a three-pointer by Breona Gray before Ajavon and Pondexter combined for 23 of RU’s 32 points over the next eight minutes. Rutgers’ suffocating defensive pressure also forced 22 turnovers that led to 35 points.

Considering the way the Irish began the game, the fact they trailed only 26-18 at halftime had to be considered quite a feat. After Crystal Erwin’s free throw 18 seconds into the game, they didn’t score again until Megan Duffy hit a three-pointer with 8:42 left.

During that stretch, Ajavon got the Scarlet Knights going with consecutive three-pointers. Two jumpers by Michelle Campbell gave them a 14-1 lead, and six straight points by Pondexter made it 20-1 with 9:26 left.

The Irish scored the next 13 points, starting with the three-pointer by Duffy and ending with a putback by Gray. Ajavon then scored on a three-point play and hit a three-pointer to extend the lead back to double digits. Duffy finished with 10 points for Notre Dame.

The Last Time Notre Dame and Rutgers Met At The Joyce Center
Notre Dame had the better second half – Jacqueline Batteast made sure of that.

After sixth-ranked Rutgers held Notre Dame to its lowest scoring half of the 2004-05 season (20 points) in the first half, the 11th-ranked Irish held the Scarlet Knights to their lowest scoring half (16 points) in the second. Batteast had two more points in the second half than the Knights, finishing with 27 points to lead the Irish to a 63-47 victory on Jan. 23, 2005 at the Joyce Center.

Batteast scored the first 12 points of the second half to get the Irish (16-3, 4-2 BIG EAST) back into the game, then added six more points during a 23-0 run down the stretch that put the game away.

The Scarlet Knights (13-4, 4-1) looked to be too quick for the Irish in the first half, jumping to a 13-point lead. But in the second half, Notre Dame’s zone defense was too much for the Knights, repeatedly forcing them to take bad shots to avoid shot-clock violations.

The victory was the 400th for Irish coach Muffet McGraw at Notre Dame. In the first half it looked as if she would have to wait a game to get it. The Scarlet Knights turned 16 turnovers into 19 points. But the Irish turned the ball over just five times in the second, while the Knights turned it over eight times, leading to 10 points for the Irish.

The Scarlet Knights, who shot 47 percent in the first half and led by as many as 13, shot just 17 percent in the second.

Batteast was the only Irish player in double figures, but Megan Duffy had a career-high 11 assists, including eight in the second half, and Crystal Erwin added nine rebounds. Cappie Pondexter scored 17 points for Rutgers.

Other Notre Dame-Rutgers Series Tidbits

• The series is nearly evenly split (RU leads 10-9) since Notre Dame and Rutgers joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96.
• The Irish will be playing host to Rutgers at the Joyce Center for only the third time in the past six seasons. The teams also have met four times in Piscataway and once at the BIG EAST Championship in Hartford during that span.
• Both teams are known for their defense, so it should come as no surprise that neither side has cracked 70 points in a regulation game since a 77-57 Rutgers win on Feb. 13, 1999 in Piscataway.
• Nearly half (10) of the 22 series matchups between Notre Dame and Rutgers have been decided by single-digit margins, including two overtime contests (both in 2000).
• Notre Dame freshman guards Ashley Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner, as well as Rutgers freshman guard Dee Dee Jernigan, helped lead the 2006 Indiana All-Star Team to a two-game sweep of Kentucky last summer.
• Barlow, Jernigan and RU freshman guard Epiphanny Prince also were named to the ’06 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School All-America Team and subsequently played in the WBCA High School All-America Game in Boston last April. Barlow and Prince were teammates on the White Team, but Jernigan’s Red Team pulled out a 68-61 victory.
• Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw and Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer both rank among the 20 winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, with a combined total of more than 1,300 victories in their illustrious careers.
• McGraw and Stringer both are members of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Board of Directors.

Going Out On Top
Notre Dame is 24-5 (.828) all-time on Senior Day, including a 17-2 (.895) record in the Muffet McGraw era (1987-present). In fact, the Irish lost their first Senior Day game under McGraw (69-68 vs. DePaul in 1988), but have proceeded to win on 17 of the past 18 Senior Nights since then. The only setback during this current stretch came in 2002, when Villanova edged the Irish, 48-45 and broke Notre Dame’s school-record 51-game home winning streak in the process.

Last season, the Irish sent off Megan Duffy and Courtney LaVere in fine fashion with a 72-65 Senior Night victory over Pittsburgh on Feb. 28, 2006 at the Joyce Center.

A Six-Figure Season
With an expected crowd of more than 7,000 for Saturday’s home finale vs. Rutgers, Notre Dame will have attracted more than 100,000 fans this season (the Irish currently have drawn 94,205 fans to their 15 home games). The only other time Notre Dame posted a six-figure women’s basketball attendance total was 2001-02, when a school-record 109,549 patrons cheered on the Irish at the Joyce Center.

Allen Makes Fourth Appearance On BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Junior guard Charel Allen continued to pile up the individual accolades this season, when she was named to the BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll for the fourth time in 2006-07, the league office announced Monday. Allen previously was chosen for that award on Dec. 4, Jan. 8 and Feb. 5, and she also has twice been selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week (Jan. 22 and Feb. 12). Allen is one of three Irish players who have been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll a total of six times this season, joining senior guard Breona Gray, who took the award on Dec. 11, and junior center Melissa D’Amico, who was accorded that status on Dec. 18.

Allen averaged 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with a .588 field goal percentage last week, as Notre Dame won at Villanova, 75-58, and registered an 82-65 win at Providence. Against Villanova, Allen scored a game-high 25 points, connecting on her first seven shots from the field. She also added six rebounds and a career-high six assists (without a turnover) as the Irish posted their highest point total at VU since 1997. Last weekend at Providence, Allen tallied a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, scoring 14 of those markers during a 31-3 Notre Dame run that lasted more than 12 minutes and crossed between halves.

The Deuce Is Loose
Junior guard Charel Allen is playing some of the best basketball of her college career during the past month. The Monessen, Pa., native is averaging 21.1 points in the past 10 games, cracking the 20-point mark seven times and scoring 25-or-more points on six occasions (including four of the past six contests).

Allen also scored 25+ points in Notre Dame’s back-to-back-to-back wins over DePaul, Villanova and Providence. Previously, the last time an Irish player tallied at least 25 points in three consecutive games was from March 17-28, 1997, when Katryna Gaither closed her career with four straight 25-point outings in the NCAA Tournament as the Irish made their first trip to the Final Four – at Texas (29), vs. Alabama (26), vs. George Washington (25) and vs. Tennessee (28).

Having A Grand Time
Only 29 points now separate junior guard Charel Allen from becoming the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Upon reaching that milestone, Allen will be the 14th player in the past 13 seasons to do so, with at least one Notre Dame player scoring her 1,000th career point in 10 of the past 13 seasons (1994-95 to present).

Barlow, Sell High
Freshman guard Ashley Barlow has come alive once again during Notre Dame’s current six-game winning streak. The rookie from Indianapolis has scored in double figures in four of the six Irish wins, averaging 12.5 ppg. with a .482 field goal percentage (27-of-56) over that time. She also has contributed in other ways, averaging 6.5 rebounds and 2.33 steals in the past six outings, including five thefts at Villanova (her third five-steal night of the year).

Pine Time Players
Part of the reason for Notre Dame’s success this season can be traced to the production the Irish have gotten from their bench (comprised almost entirely of their freshmen class). The Notre Dame reserves are averaging 23.6 points per game and are outscoring the opposition’s bench by 8.9 points per game.

For the year, the Irish second unit has outscored the opponent reserves in 21 of 27 games, with Notre Dame posting a 16-5 record in those contests.

Peaking When It Counts
When the regular season enters its stretch run in the month of February, Notre Dame historically seems to raise its level of play. Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96, the Irish are 71-17 (.807) in February games, including a 41-3 (.932) mark at home. Two of those February home losses for the Irish in the past 12 seasons came against Villanova (48-45 on Feb. 26, 2002; 69-65 in overtime on Feb. 7, 2006), with the other coming at the hands of Connecticut (79-64 on Feb. 19, 2006).

In the 20-year Muffet McGraw era (1987-present), the Irish are 119-32 (.793) in the month of February, including a 63-9 (.875) home record. In that time, Notre Dame has not had a losing February, and only once did the Irish end the month at .500 (4-4 in 1988-89, McGraw’s second season in South Bend).

The Best Things In Life Are Free
Notre Dame ranks ninth in the nation in free throw percentage (.770), through games of Feb. 18. Should it hold up, that figure would shatter the school’s single-season record for foul shooting (.743), currently held by the 1996-97 Final Four squad.

The Irish also lead the BIG EAST Conference with a .766 free throw percentage in league play. The BIG EAST record for foul shooting in regular-season conference games is .787, set by Seton Hall in 1986-87.

Clutch When It Counts
Notre Dame is shooting 74.6 percent from the foul line (103-of-138) this season inside the final five minutes of regulation and overtime.

Upon closer inspection, the Irish have gotten some of their most critical free throw production from their freshmen – guards Melissa Lechlitner and Ashley Barlow are a combined 26-of-31 (.839) at the charity stripe down the stretch.

Poise Under Pressure
The Irish are 9-4 this season in games decided by 10 points or less, including a 4-1 record when the margin is five points or fewer. Going back the previous two seasons (2004-05 to present), Notre Dame is 12-5 in five-point games and 29-11 in 10-point contests – with four of those 11 losses coming in overtime.

In addition, four times this season, the Irish have sent a player to the free throw line with less than five seconds remaining in regulation or overtime and the game hanging in the balance. In those clutch situations, Notre Dame is 7-for-8 at the charity stripe, with the only miss being a semi-intentional one by senior guard Breona Gray on the second of two tries with 1.2 seconds to go in a 60-59 win at Valparaiso on Dec. 19.

Junior Achievement
The common basketball adage holds that college players make their biggest improvement between their freshman and sophomore seasons. However, for Notre Dame, it’s been the time between the sophomore and junior years that has been conducive to the most development.

Three of the top four Irish scorers this season are juniors and all three are posting the best scoring averages of their careers – guards Charel Allen (17.1 ppg.) and Tulyah Gaines (9.6 ppg.), and center Melissa D’Amico (8.8 ppg.). Allen came into the year with an 8.1 ppg. career average, while D’Amico had a two-year ratio of 4.0 ppg., and Gaines was averaging 3.7 ppg. Between them, the junior trio had a combined 37 double-figure scoring games in two seasons entering the 2006-07 campaign – so far this year alone, they have 48 double-digit efforts.

Spread The Wealth
The Irish have fielded at least three double-figure scorers in 18 games this season, going 15-3 in those contests (losses at Penn State, South Florida and No. 17/18 Marquette). Notre Dame also has had four double-figure scorers on 10 occasions (9-1 record, loss at USF in overtime) and five double-digit scorers four times (3-1).

Keeping The Home Fires Burning
Notre Dame has been largely solid at home this season, going 14-1 due in part to a crisp offense that has averaged 78.2 points per game on the Joyce Center hardwood. Led by junior guard Charel Allen (17.9 ppg.), the Irish also have three players averaging at least 12.0 ppg.through their 15 home outings and are shooting .458 from the floor in front of the Notre Dame faithful.

Contribute Early, Contribute Often
Notre Dame’s freshman class has wasted little time in making its presence felt this season. Three of the Irish rookies – guards Ashley Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner, and center Erica Williamson – make up the team’s primary bench rotation, with all three averaging at least 16 minutes per game, all three having scored in double figures at least six times, and both Barlow and Williamson have posted double-doubles this season. Barlow, who got her first career start on Feb. 11 vs. DePaul, also is second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg.) and ranks among the BIG EAST Conference leaders in both free throw percentage (fourth at .844) and steals (tied-eighth at 2.11 spg.). Williamson is carding 6.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and a team-high 1.31 blocks per game, tying for ninth in the conference in the latter category. And, Lechlitner is logging 6.4 points and 3.0 assists per night with a 1.45 assist/turnover ratio. Lechlitner has been even better in conference play, placing seventh in the BIG EAST with a 1.63 assist/turnover ratio and 15th in assists (3.38 apg.).

The Five-Finger Discount
Notre Dame’s aggressive defense has forced 21.3 turnovers per game this season, logging 20-or-more takeaways in 19 games. In addition, the Irish caused an opponent season-high 30 turnovers at Michigan on Dec. 1, the first 30-turnover outing by the Notre Dame defense since Feb. 25, 2004 (37 turnovers by Miami at the Joyce Center). The Irish also lead the BIG EAST Conference with 11.19 steals per night. In fact, Notre Dame has posted double-digit steal totals in 18 games this season, with junior guard Tulyah Gaines committing the most larcenies to date (59, 2.19 per game, sixth in BIG EAST) and leading three Irish players with at least 50 steals this season. In addition, Notre Dame is poised to have three players (Gaines, junior guard Charel Allen and freshman guard Ashley Barlow) record 60 steals this season. That feat hasn’t been accomplished by the Irish since 1996-97, when Jeannine Augustin (92), Katryna Gaither (76) and Beth Morgan (66) all eclipsed the 60-steal mark in leading Notre Dame to the NCAA Final Four (the Irish finished with 394 thefts that year, the second-highest total in school history).

Game #27 Recap: Georgetown
Notre Dame jumped to a 20-2 lead less than nine minutes into Wednesday night’s game with Georgetown and never looked back, rolling to a 73-48 BIG EAST Conference victory over the Hoyas at the Joyce Center. The Irish (19-8, 10-4 BIG EAST) also extended their winning streak to a season-long six games and posted at least 10 conference wins for the 11th time in their 12-year BIG EAST membership.

Junior center Melissa D’Amico led another quartet of Notre Dame players who scored in double figures, with the 6-5 post registering a game-high 15 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) and a team-best seven rebounds. Junior guard Tulyah Gaines added 14 points, four assists and four steals, while junior guard Charel Allen and freshman guard Melissa Lechlitner each contributed 11 points.

As a team, the Irish turned in one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding Georgetown (12-15, 2-12) to an opponent season-low 48 points while forcing 29 turnovers. Kate Carlin was the lone Hoya to score in double figures on Wednesday night, finishing with 15 points on five three-pointers. Notre Dame also clamped down on GU’s leading scorer, Kieraah Marlow, who came into the contest averaging 16.2 points per game, but ended up with just six points and one field goal (which came with 6:44 to play).

The Irish wasted little time in taking control of the game, scoring the first 11 points of the night, with Gaines tallying five markers and two steals during the opening spurt. A jumper in the lane by Georgetown’s Shanice Fuller got the visitors on the board at the 15:01 mark, but Notre Dame answered with nine more points, taking a 20-2 lead on the first of two Lechlitner free throws with 11:10 remaining in the first half. During that time, the Irish made four of their first six shots, while limiting the Hoyas to one field goal on 11 attempts and causing 11 GU turnovers.

Georgetown then clawed its way back into the game with a 16-3 run over the next six minutes. A jumper by Kristin Heidloff trimmed the Notre Dame lead to 23-18 with 4:46 to go, but the Hoyas couldn’t draw any closer. The Irish rebuilt a 33-23 edge by halftime when freshman guard Ashley Barlow canned a jumper in the lane with 1:24 on the clock.

Notre Dame went on a 7-2 run to start the second half, but Georgetown again battled back and got as close as 10 points on two occasions, the last at 43-33 on Carlin’s fourth trey of the night with 13:50 left. However, Allen stepped forward and scored five consecutive points, igniting a 14-0 Irish charge during the ensuing five minutes that staggered the Hoyas for good. Notre Dame maintained a lead of at least 19 points the rest of the game, getting the margin as high as 25 points twice, including the final score.

Noting The Georgetown Win

• The six-game Irish winning streak matches the success string Notre Dame put together to start last season.
• The Irish are 21-2 all-time vs. Georgetown, the fourth-highest win total vs. one opponent in school history (topped only by 27 vs. Marquette and 22 each vs. Dayton and Detroit).
• Notre Dame is 17-1 vs. Georgetown since joining the BIG EAST, including a 17-0 mark when holding the Hoyas under 70 points.
• The Irish held GU to its lowest point total in the series since March 4, 2001, when Notre Dame downed Georgetown, 89-33 in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals at Storrs, Conn..
• The 25-point margin of victory is the most for Notre Dame in the series since a 74-49 victory on Feb. 5, 2003 at the Joyce Center.
• The 48 points allowed by Notre Dame were a season-low (previous: 54-51 loss to Indiana on Dec. 3) and fewest yielded by the Irish since Feb. 4, 2006 (a 66-48 win over Providence at the Joyce Center).
• Georgetown’s .333 field goal percentage was the second-lowest by an Irish opponent this year (.325 by Providence on Feb. 17), and the Hoyas’ 29 turnovers were the second-most caused by Notre Dame this year (30 by Michigan on Dec. 1).
• The Irish improve to 14-1 at home this season, including a current 10-game winning streak – in fact, the Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball programs are a combined 31-1 (.969) in front of the Joyce Center faithful this season.
• The Irish now have had four double-figure scorers in each of their last five games (9-1 record this season).
• Melissa D’Amico scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, the first time she has done that since Dec. 16-28.

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 612-274 (.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 563-254 (.689).
• This year also represents 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 448-175 (.719) at the helm of the Irish and has a career record of 536-216 (.713) in her silver anniversary season on the sidelines.
• In addition, Notre Dame is 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 35th anniversary logo patches on their uniforms for the ’06-07 campaign.

Notre Dame Ranked 11th In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll
According to a preseason poll of the BIG EAST Conference coaches, Notre Dame will 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, ahead of regular-season champion Rutgers (215 points, five first-place votes). The BIG EAST sent 11 teams to the postseason last year, including seven NCAA Tournament qualifiers (Notre Dame was one). The Irish now are in their 12th season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference in 2006-07. The Irish have gone 155-43 (.783) all-time in regular-season conference games, posting the second-best winning percentage in league history. Connecticut is first with a .791 success rate (314-83). 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 123-11 (.918) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead, including wins in 51 of their last 56 such contests. Notre Dame has led at the break 15 times this year, winning on 14 occasions. The Jan. 31 loss at Pittsburgh was Notre Dame’s first setback when leading at the half since Jan. 7, 2006 (led Seton Hall 32-27, but ended up losing, 74-61 at the Joyce Center).

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 167-10 (.944) record when they hold their opponents below 60 points in a game. Notre Dame has held nine foes to less than 60 points this season, and is 8-1 in those games (losing only to Indiana).

…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 100-3 (.971) 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 nine times this season, winning on each occasion (Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Richmond, Prairie View A&M, Cincinnati, St. John’s, Syracuse and Providence). The nine 80-point games are the most for the Irish in a single season since 2000-01, when Notre Dame reached that level 15 times during its run to the national championship.

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 149 of their last 166 games (.898) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center, including winning streaks of 51 and 25 games in that span. Notre Dame also has an 87-12 (.879) 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 64 of their last 69 non-BIG EAST contests (.928) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the 1994-95 season. Four 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), Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 OT) and Indiana this year (54-51), with the fifth 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 299-78 (.793) 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. This season looks to be no exception, as the Irish currently are 11th in the nation in average attendance (6,280 fans per game), according to the latest unofficial weekly rankings compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office. What’s more, each of the top 20 women’s basketball crowds in Joyce Center history have occurred during the 20-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 93 of their last 95 home games, including 15 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).

States of Grace
Notre Dame is one of 12 schools in the country to have more than one player on its roster who was named a high school Player of the Year in their home state. Irish junior guard Tulyah Gaines was tapped as the 2004 Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year, while sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader was chosen as the 2005 Illinois Miss Basketball and Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.

Notre Dame On The Small Screen
Notre Dame will have 11 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 and continuing through this year, Notre Dame has played in 80 televised games, including 49 that were broadcast nationally.

Irish Debut Free Video Coverage
In the latest instance of the wide-ranging media avenues afforded the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, the Irish had several of their 2006-07 home games televised free of charge through the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). Thanks to the considerable efforts of CSTV Online (based in Carlsbad, Calif.) and its new Fighting Irish All-Access package, fans of Notre Dame women’s basketball were able to watch every minute of exciting action at the Joyce Center live from the comfort of their own homes. The video was supplemented by a simulcast of the Notre Dame radio broadcast, led by veteran sportscaster Sean Stires. This free service was limited to those home games that have were not selected for broadcast by other TV outlets. All told, the Irish were seen on und.com seven times this season (Indiana, IUPUI, Cincinnati, St. John’s, Syracuse and Louisville and Georgetown).

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

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.

Next Game: DePaul
The Irish will close out the 2006-07 regular season Monday with an 8 p.m. (CT)/9 p.m. (ET) game at DePaul. The game will be broadcast live to a national television audience by CSTV.

Notre Dame and DePaul will be meeting for the second time in two weeks, after the Irish logged a 78-70 win on Feb. 11 at the Joyce Center. The Blue Demons (17-10, 7-7) have won both of their games since then, and will visit Pittsburgh Saturday before returning home to play Notre Dame.