Irish Prepare To Host Richmond Tuesday Night

Complete Notes (PDF)

Nov. 27, 2006

Storylines

• Notre Dame has been particularly sharp in its three home games this season, averaging 86.7 points per game with a .481 field goal percentage.
• The Irish will be playing their first Atlantic 10 Conference opponent in nearly two seasons, dating back to a 65-39 win at Dayton on Dec. 9, 2004.

Irish Prepare To Host Richmond Tuesday Night
After a whirlwind cross country trek to Los Angeles during the Thanksgiving holiday, Notre Dame is back home to play four of its next five games at the Joyce Center, beginning Tuesday with a 7 p.m. (ET) contest against Richmond. The Irish have not played the Spiders in more than 17 years, dating back to the end of head coach Muffet McGraw’s second season at Notre Dame.

The Irish (3-2) are coming off a 69-58 loss at USC last Friday night in a game that saw the visitors playing from behind almost the entire way. Notre Dame doggedly stuck with the Women of Troy throughout the contest, getting within a point three times in the first half and getting as close as three points in the second period, but it was not enough.

Junior guard Charel Allen led the Irish with 13 points and a season-high eight rebounds, while freshman center Erica Williamson piled up season bests of 12 points and nine rebounds. As a team, Notre Dame also forced an opponent season-high 27 turnovers (including 16 steals).

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 596-268 (.690).

A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Less than one month into the 2006-07 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 early this season. Notre Dame is averaging 73.4 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. In addition, Notre Dame is shooting .420 from the floor, a mark the program hasn’t reached since its 2000-01 national championship season (.464).

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 throughout the campaign, causing 22.6 turnovers per game (including 13.8 steals per night). However, the flip side has seen the Irish allow opponents to shoot .416 from the floor (.395 from the three-point line) and claim a 1.6 rpg. edge on the boards, two areas Notre Dame will continue to focus on as it works through the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Junior guard Charel Allen has been one of the main offensive catalysts for the Irish to this point, averaging a team-high 14.6 ppg., while scoring in double figures in all five outings to date. The Monessen, Pa., native, who was limited last year while recovering from knee surgery in the summer of 2005, also is collecting 4.6 rebounds per game (fourth on the squad) and appears to have regained the form that put her on the ’05 BIG EAST Conference All-Freshman Team.

Allen’s classmate and backcourt running partner, Tulyah Gaines, is a very early candidate as one of the conference’s most improved players. The speedy Gaines has assumed the large footprint left at the point by All-American (and WNBA Draft pick) Megan Duffy and has stoked the Notre Dame offensive fire to an even hotter level, averaging 11.2 points and 3.8 assists per game with a .514 field goal percentage. Gaines, who came into the season with a 3.7 ppg. career scoring average, was a critical factor in Notre Dame’s 85-81 overtime win over two-time Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green in early November, tallying a career-high 25 points.

Another Irish junior, 6-foot-5 center Melissa D’Amico, continues to make strides in the post. The second-year starter is averaging 8.6 points and 1.6 blocks per game with a .500 field goal percentage, and twice has scored a season-high 16 points (vs. Central Michigan and Western Michigan) in the first five games of the year.

The most pleasing contributions of the year for Notre Dame to this point have come from their freshmen, three of whom have seen significant playing time. Guard Ashley Barlow is third on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg.) and tops in steals (3.0 spg.), and came up with a superb 19-point, 10-rebound effort against Bowling Green, capping an 11-of-12 free throw shooting night by hitting two clinching foul shots with 3.8 seconds left. Meanwhile, center Erica Williamson (7.0 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 1.5 bpg., .571 FG%) is proving to be a capable understudy to D’Amico, most recently amassing season highs of 12 points and nine rebounds at USC. And, guard Melissa Lechlitner (5.6 ppg., 2.4 rpg., 2.4 apg.) has shown little drop off at the point behind Gaines, registering five assists twice already this year, and carding a season-high 11 points (including 3-of-4 three-pointers) at Penn State.

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 250 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.

• After ranking 11th in the nation in attendance last season (6,601 fans per game), Notre Dame is at it again, averaging 6,198 fans through its first three home games this year. Last season marked the sixth consecutive campaign the Irish have ranked among the national top 20 in attendance. Notre Dame also has attracted 5,000-or-more fans to 81 of its last 83 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 Richmond
After an injury-ravaged 2005-06 season left Richmond with a 13-17 record, the Spiders are glad to have all the pieces back in place for a return to the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

While technically not having a single starter back from last season, UR has two players returning from injuries that caused them to miss the majority of the ’05-06 campaign (redshirt junior forward Christina Campion and senior guard DeUnna Hendrix). Add to that a veteran crew of eight returning letterwinners and a highly-anticipated crop of five newcomers and you have the makings of a bright future in the Virginia state capital.

When healthy, Campion has started every game of her college career (76 and counting) and is averaging a team-high 12.0 points per game this season. She also is second on the squad in rebounding (5.5 rpg.), assists (1.8 apg.) and three-point field goals (five), and scored 13 points in both of Richmond’s games last weekend at the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico (lost to Drake, 77-64; defeated Bucknell, 58-40).

Freshman guard Kara Powell has energized the Spider offense at the point, collecting 8.5 ppg. and a team-best 3.0 apg. along with a sharp .500 three-point percentage (7-of-14). Another rookie to keep an eye is forward Nikita Thomas, who averages a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game and came up with her first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the win over Bucknell last Saturday.

Michael Shafer is in his second season as the head coach at Richmond, having compiled a 15-21 (.417) record with the Spiders. Formerly an assistant and associate head coach at Georgia under the legendary Andy Landers from 1994-2005, Shafer will be facing Notre Dame for the first time as a head coach.

The Notre Dame-Richmond Series
Notre Dame and Richmond are set to renew acquaintances after more than 17 years of dormancy. The Irish and Spiders have played one another just once before, with Notre Dame edging UR, 51-46 on March 25, 1989, in the seventh-place game of the old National Women’s Invitation Tournament (NWIT) in Amarillo, Texas. The NWIT (not connected in any way to the current WNIT) was an eight-team event in which all participants were guaranteed to play three games, with championship, consolation and placement games.

The Last Time Notre Dame And Richmond Met
Notre Dame scored 10 of the final 14 points to come from behind down the stretch and ease past Richmond, 51-46 on March 25, 1989, in the seventh-place game at the National Women’s Invitation Tournament (NWIT) at Cal Farley Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas. The win was a bright finish to the 1988-89 season (Muffet McGraw’s second at Notre Dame), a year that also saw the Irish claim the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) regular-season and tournament titles despite losing star center Heidi Bunek to a season-ending knee injury six games into the campaign (one more than allowed for a possible medical redshirt).

Against Richmond, sophomore guard Krissi Davis scored a game-high 14 points and junior forward Annie Schwartz tallied all 12 of her points in the second half, as the Irish finally wriggle free from the Spiders after neither team led by more than six points until the waning seconds.

Ginny Norton was only Richmond player to score in double figures, matching Davis for game-high honors with 14 points. Meanwhile, Pam Bryant, who remains the third-leading scorer in UR history, was held to nine points on 4-of-15 shooting.

The first half was a tight affair, with Notre Dame never trailing, but never getting ahead by more than one possession either. The Irish finally broke loose when freshman forward Comalita Haysbert dropped in three quick buckets to push her team in front, 25-19 with 4:10 to go in the period. However, Notre Dame scored just one basket the rest of the frame, while the Spiders inched back to 27-25 by halftime.

Richmond finally caught and passed the Irish when Norton hit the second of four consecutive field goals with 14:49 left in the game. The Spider lead grew as large as 38-33 on Julie Scherbenske’s long jumper just before the midpoint of the final stanza.

That’s when Schwartz went to work, scoring 10 of Notre Dame’s next 12 points (all on perimeter jumpers), while the Irish defense limited UR to one field goal during a 9:08 span down the stretch. Schwartz’s final two baskets lifted Notre Dame in front, 45-42, with 3:41 to go, but the margin was still three with one minute to play. The turning point came when Scherbenske was called for an intentional foul on sophomore guard Karen Robinson with 50 seconds left, allowing Notre Dame to salt the game away at the foul line.

Other Notre Dame-Richmond Series Tidbits

• Richmond is the third of three opponents Notre Dame is facing for the first time in at least 10 years. The others were Central Michigan (ND 88-66 on Nov. 10) and Bowling Green (ND 85-81 in overtime on Nov. 13).

• The Irish have had just one Virginia native on their roster in the program’s 30-year history. Fairfax native Cynthia Battel was a guard on the 1978-79 Notre Dame squad, averaging 1.8 points and 0.5 rebounds in 12 games for the Irish, who went 16-6 in their second season of existence (and were playing in the AIAW as a Division III member).

• Guard Brittany Mallory (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh School), who signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Notre Dame next season, was a member of the Fairfax Stars AAU program, but did not play last summer while rehabilitating a knee injury.

• Richmond senior guard DeUnna Hendrix is a native of Kokomo, Ind., and graduated from Kokomo High School in 2003.

• UR freshman forward Katie Holzer is a 2006 alum of Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor, Pa., the same school where Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw made her head coaching debut from 1977-79 (leading the ACHS girls’ basketball team to a combined 50-3 record and the 1979 Philadelphia Catholic League title).

• Richmond assistant coach Chris Carroll came to the school after a four-year stint (2001-05) as recruiting coordinator at Liberty. He spent his final two seasons working alongside former Irish forward Kelley (Siemon) Deyo on the Flames’ staff before handing off the title of recruiting coordinator to Deyo when Carroll moved to UR.

• Notre Dame is 9-10 (.474) all-time against Virginia schools, including a 4-1 (.800) record at the Joyce Center.

• The Irish have played six Virginia schools in their history, but none since Jan. 10, 2004, when they ousted No. 16/15 Virginia Tech, 53-40 at the Joyce Center.

Notre Dame vs. The Atlantic 10 Conference
Notre Dame is 62-18 (.775) all-time against the current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, including wins in its last nine games against that league’s present alignment. Richmond is the first A-10 opponent for the Irish since Dec. 9, 2004, when Notre Dame posted a 65-39 win at Dayton.

The Irish also are 28-8 (.778) lifetime at home against Atlantic 10 schools, with an active six-game winning streak. Dayton was the last A-10 squad to visit the Joyce Center on Dec. 13, 2003, with Notre Dame posting a 78-41 victory behind a game-opening 26-0 run (the longest scoring surge to start a game in school history).

The last time the Irish lost to a current Atlantic 10 school occurred on Feb. 18, 1995, when La Salle defeated Notre Dame, 84-68 in Philadelphia, when both schools were then part of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League). In an interesting twist, the Explorers also were responsible for Notre Dame’s last loss at home to a present A-10 institution, taking an 85-75 MCC regular-season win out of South Bend on Feb. 17, 1994.