Irish Set To Host DePaul Sunday Night On ESPN2

Feb. 10, 2007

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2006-07 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 24
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-8 / 6-4 BIG EAST) vs.
DePaul Blue Demons (15-9 / 5-6 BIG EAST)

Storylines

• Notre Dame renews one of the longest-running rivalries in program history as the Irish meet DePaul for the 26th time on Sunday.
• The Irish will be making their ninth television appearance of the season and their fourth on the national airwaves.

Irish Set To Host DePaul Sunday Night On ESPN2
Fresh off its second win over a ranked opponent this season, Notre Dame aims to keep its momentum going when it plays host to BIG EAST Conference rival DePaul Sunday at 5:40 p.m. (ET) at the Joyce Center. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 as part of that network’s “February Frenzy” coverage that will mimic its broadcast patterns for the upcoming NCAA Tournament (click here for Sunday’s ESPN2 women’s basketball broadcast schedule and coverage maps).

Notre Dame used a 16-0 run late in the second half to erase an early 12-point deficit and post a 64-55 victory over No. 17/16 Louisville on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center. The Irish trailed by nine midway through the second half before going on their game-changing run, during which they forced the Cardinals into six turnovers and four missed shots.

Junior guard Charel Allen scored eight of her team-high 21 points in the second-half run, including the go-ahead jumper with 8:05 to play. Allen also piled up team bests of seven rebounds and four assists, in addition to pacing four Irish scorers in double figures. Freshman guard Ashley Barlow came off the bench to chip in 15 points and six rebounds.

Rankings

• Notre Dame is not ranked.
• DePaul is not ranked.

Web Sites

• Notre Dame: http://www.und.com
• DePaul: http://www.depaulbluedemons.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 608-274 (.689).

Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw
Saint Joseph’s ’77

• 20th season at Notre Dame
• 444-175 (.717) at Notre Dame.
• 532-216 (.711) 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 70.3 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 21.1 turnovers per game (including a BIG EAST-best 11.3 steals per night). However, the flip side has seen the Irish allow opponents to shoot .424 from the floor (.370 from the three-point line), while the Irish claim just a 2.2 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 16.3 ppg., while scoring in double figures in 20 of 23 outings to date. The Monessen, Pa., native, who is a three-time BIG EAST Honor Roll selection and was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 22, also is collecting team highs of 6.4 rebounds and 2.22 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 9.7 points and 3.91 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.

Another Irish junior, 6-foot-5 center Melissa D’Amico, continues to make strides in the post. The second-year starter is carding 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game with a team-high .526 field goal percentage. She also earned a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Dec. 18, and has posted two double-doubles this year.

The most pleasing contributions of the year for Notre Dame to this point have come from its freshmen. Guard Ashley Barlow is second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg.) and steals (2.04 spg.), and came up with a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds on Dec. 28 vs. Prairie View A&M. Center Erica Williamson (6.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 1.4 bpg.) logged her first career double-double at South Florida with 11 points and 18 rebounds (an Irish freshman record). And, guard Melissa Lechlitner (5.4 ppg., 3.0 apg.) has been particularly sharp of late, ranking second in the BIG EAST with a 2.36 assist/turnover ratio in conference play (3.22 in her last seven games). 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 262 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 10th nationally in attendance (6,227 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 91 of its last 93 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 DePaul
On the heels of its first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006, DePaul had three starters and 10 letterwinners returning to try and build on last year’s success. The Blue Demons looked sharp during the non-conference portion of the season, winning 10 of their first 11 games and rising as high as No. 17 in the national polls.

However, injuries have challenged DePaul throughout the season, at times trimming the Blue Demons’ active roster to just seven players. Still, DePaul has persevered and as the squad has continued to get healthier, Blue Demon fortunes have brightened with wins in four of the past seven games.

DePaul (15-9, 5-6 BIG EAST) is coming off one of its stronger performances of the conference season, knocking off South Florida, 72-65 on Tuesday night in Chicago. The Blue Demons took the lead midway through the first half and used a pair of sizeable runs in each period to keep the Bulls at bay.

Junior forward Caprice Smith led five DePaul players in double figures with 17 points, while adding a game-high 15 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Junior guard Allie Quigley added 13 points, while classmate Missy Mitidiero came off the bench to score 11 points.

Smith ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in both scoring (12th – 15.5 ppg.) and rebounding (fourth – 8.8 rpg.). Quigley is right behind Smith at 13th in the conference in scoring (15.3 ppg.), while also standing eighth in the loop in three-point field goals made (1.71 per game) and 11th in three-point percentage (.363). Senior guard Jenna Rubino is third on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg.) and 11th in the conference in three-pointers per game (1.67).

Veteran head coach Doug Bruno is in his 21st season at DePaul with a 390-226 (.633) record in Lincoln Park. He is 8-4 all-time against Notre Dame, with a 2-3 record at the Joyce Center.

The Notre Dame-DePaul Series
Through four decades and two different conference affiliations, the Notre Dame-DePaul series has been one of the top rivalries in the Midwest. The Irish and Blue Demons will be tangling for the 26th time on Sunday night, with DePaul owning a 15-10 series edge vs. Notre Dame. However, the Irish have a 6-5 series lead when the scene shifts to the Joyce Center, including wins in their last three home matchups with the Blue Demons.

The series itself has been close of late, with the two sides splitting the past six contests (each winning on their home floor). For the second consecutive year, DePaul is Notre Dame’s “repeat” opponent in the BIG EAST, with the teams slated to square off again in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26 in Chicago.

The Last Time Notre Dame and DePaul Met
Allie Quigley had 26 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 17/15 DePaul over Notre Dame 79-50 on Feb. 12, 2006 at the DePaul Athletic Center in Chicago.

Khara Smith had 12 points and 19 rebounds for DePaul (20-5, 7-5 BIG EAST). Caprice Smith and Erin Cattell added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Notre Dame (14-9, 5-7) got 15 points and six rebounds from Charel Allen. Megan Duffy had 12 points and Courtney LaVere added 10 for the Irish, who shot a season-low 25 percent from the floor.

DePaul’s defense held Notre Dame without a field goal for the first six minutes of the game en route to a 13-3 lead. But the lead didn’t last long as Notre Dame went on a 14-1 run to take a 24-21 lead with 3:17 remaining. DePaul then answered with an 8-2 run that gave the Blue Demons a 29-26 advantage at halftime.

DePaul extended its lead with a 11-2 run midway through the second half to make it 40-31. A 15-0 run minutes later extended DePaul’s lead to 21.

The Last Time Notre Dame and DePaul Met At The Joyce Center
Megan Duffy did a bit of everything to help No. 24/22 Notre Dame avoid another loss.

After Suzanne Morrison scored on a layup to cap an 18-0 run for No. 10 DePaul and give the Blue Demons a 12-point lead, Duffy had two assists, a defensive rebound and a steal in the span of 51 seconds to get the Irish going again, sparking their own 18-0 run.

Duffy finished with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to lead Notre Dame to a 78-75 victory over the Blue Demons on Jan. 17, 2006 at the Joyce Center.

DePaul (16-2, 3-2 BIG EAST), which saw its nine-game winning streak end, had a chance to tie it at the end, but a half-court shot by Allie Quigley bounced hard off the back of the rim.

It was just the second win in six games for the Irish (11-5, 2-3). Early in the second half it appeared the Irish, who led 37-33 at the half, wouldn’t have a chance to win.

Jenna Rubino, who had a career-high 25 points, started DePaul’s 18-0 spurt with three straight three-pointers and Rachael Carney, who had 12 points, added another 3. Quigley had 19 points for the Blue Demons, who made a season-high 13 three-pointers (tying a Notre Dame school and arena opponent record) while shooting a season-best 45 percent from beyond the arc.

But the Irish finally found DePaul’s scorers, holding them scoreless for 8:29 in the second half. The Blue Demons went 0-for-12 during the stretch, made some substitutions and Notre Dame began getting more chances.

DePaul closed to 65-64 on a three-pointer by Carney with 2:40 remaining, but Duffy answered with a basket. The Irish then made 9-of-12 free throws in the final 1:34 to hold on.

Other Notre Dame-DePaul Series Tidbits

• With Sunday’s 26th series matchup, Notre Dame will have played only two schools more often than DePaul in its 30-year history – Marquette (32) and Dayton (28).
• The Irish and Blue Demons have previously faced off as members of the North Star Conference from 1983-88, with the two sides splitting their 10 NSC games.
• Neither team has won consecutive games in the series since 1993, when DePaul won its second in a row over the Irish, 71-55 in Chicago.
• In each of the past six series games, the winning team has scored at least 75 points. The Blue Demons kept that trend going with a 79-50 victory over Notre Dame on Feb. 12, 2006 in Chicago.
• Both head coaches have ties to the old Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL). Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw was a point guard for the California Dreams in 1979, while DePaul’s Doug Bruno was the head coach and director of player personnel for the Chicago Hustle from 1978-80.
• Bruno is in his second year as president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), and in June 2005, McGraw was one of his first appointments to the WBCA Board of Directors, assuming the title of that body’s NCAA Division I Legislative Chair from another BIG EAST coach, Marquette’s Terri Mitchell.
• Notre Dame sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett HS) is the 10th Illinois native to play for the Irish, and the ninth to come from the Chicagoland area. Some of the other notable Notre Dame products from the Windy City include NCAA career three-point percentage leader Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich/Lake Zurich HS), as well as 1,000-point scorer and 2004 Purple Heart recipient Danielle Green (Chicago/Roosevelt HS). The Irish will add another Chicago native next season when forward Devereaux Peters of national prep power Fenwick High School enrolls at Notre Dame.
• Schrader was the 2005 Illinois Miss Basketball, having claimed that honor last spring by the sixth-largest margin (374 points) since the award was created in 1986.

Allen Named To BIG EAST Honor Roll
For the third time this season, junior guard Charel Allen has been named to the BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll, the league office announced Monday. Allen previously earned that distinction on Dec. 4 and Jan. 8, before garnering the BIG EAST Player of the Week award on Jan. 22. Allen is one of three Irish players who have been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll 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 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in two BIG EAST games last week, as Notre Dame dropped a narrow 71-62 road contest at Pittsburgh, before coming back with a 77-67 victory over West Virginia Sunday night at the Joyce Center. In her second career homecoming game at Pitt, Allen turned in a sharp all-around effort with a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds and a career-best six assists. Four nights later against WVU, she rolled up game highs of 26 points (20 in the second half) and nine rebounds as the Irish led from start to finish to pick up the win.

For the season, Allen leads the team and ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.3 ppg.), while also collecting a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game (20th in the BIG EAST). Besides her scoring total, Allen is among the conference leaders in steals (sixth – 2.22 spg.) and free throw percentage (fourth – .853, also 30th in NCAA), and she has scored in double figures 20 times in 23 games this season. During conference play, Allen ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (19.1 ppg.) and free throw percentage (.882), with four of her six 20-point games this year coming against league opponents (all in the past seven outings).

It’s Clear As Glass
Notre Dame’s strength on the boards has been evident in its last two games and played a critical role in its wins over West Virginia and No. 17/16 Louisville. The Irish have averaged 40.0 rpg. and allowed their opponents just 26.0 rpg. in the past two games (6.0 offensive rpg.), with WVU’s 23 rebounds standing as a Notre Dame opponent season-low. The Irish then limited the BIG EAST’s top rebounding club, UofL, to a season-low 29 rebounds, including only 12 caroms in the second half.

The past two games mark the first time Notre Dame has held consecutive opponents to less than 30 rebounds since Feb. 9-12, 2005 vs. Providence (24 rebounds) and Georgetown (21 rebounds).

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 23.4 points per game and are outscoring the opposition’s bench by more than nine points per game.

For the year, the Irish second unit has outscored the opponent reserves in 19 of 23 games, with Notre Dame posting a 14-5 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 67-17 (.798) in February games, including a 39-3 (.929) 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 115-32 (.782) in the month of February, including a 61-9 (.871) 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 seventh in the nation in free throw percentage (.778), through games of Feb. 8. 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 .784 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 76.1 percent from the foul line (83-of-109) 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 Ashley Barlow and Melissa Lechlitner are a combined 18-of-21 (.857) at the charity stripe down the stretch.

Poise Under Pressure
The Irish are 8-4 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 28-11 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 (16.3 ppg.) and Tulyah Gaines (9.7 ppg.), and center Melissa D’Amico (8.6 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 39 double-digit efforts.

Spread The Wealth
The Irish have fielded at least three double-figure scorers in 14 games this season, going 11-3 in those contests (losses at Penn State, South Florida and No. 17/18 Marquette). The Jan. 13 overtime loss at USF marked the fourth time this year Notre Dame had five players crack double digits in the same contest.

Keeping The Home Fires Burning
Notre Dame has been largely solid at home this season, going 12-1 due in part to a crisp offense that has averaged 78.6 points per game on the Joyce Center hardwood. Led by junior guard Charel Allen (17.9 ppg.), the Irish also have four players scoring in double figures through their 13 home outings and are shooting .461 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 17 minutes per game, all three having scored in double figures at least four times, and both Barlow and Williamson have posted double-doubles this season.

Barlow also is second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg.) and ranks among the BIG EAST Conference leaders in both free throw percentage (second at .885; also 14th in NCAA as of Feb. 9) and steals (tied-eighth at 2.04 spg.). Williamson is carding 6.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.41 blocks per game, ranking seventh in the conference in the latter category. And, Lechlitner is logging 5.4 points and 3.0 assists per night with a 1.65 assist/turnover ratio that is good for 10th in the BIG EAST. Lechlitner has been even better in conference play, placing second in the BIG EAST with a 2.36 assist/turnover ratio – that includes a 3.22 mark in her last seven games with 29 assists and just nine turnovers (four giveaways came at Pittsburgh on Jan. 31).

The Five-Finger Discount
Notre Dame’s aggressive defense has forced 21.1 turnovers per game this season, logging 20-or-more takeaways in 16 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 11.3 steals per night. In fact, Notre Dame has posted double-digit steal totals in 15 games this season, with junior guard Charel Allen committing the most larcenies to date (51, 2.22 per game, sixth in BIG EAST) and leading four Irish players with at least 39 steals this season. In addition, freshman guard Ashley Barlow recorded a combined 11 steals vs. Western Michigan (six) and at USC (five). That made her the first Notre Dame player with back-to-back five-steal games since March 30-April 1, 2001, when Niele Ivey did so against Connecticut (five) and Purdue (six) at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in St. Louis.

The Familiar Five
The Irish have used the same starting lineup in all 23 games this season, with guards Tulyah Gaines, Charel Allen and Breona Gray joined by forward Crystal Erwin and center Melissa D’Amico. Notre Dame is the only BIG EAST school that has started the same lineup in every game it has played this season.

Game #23 Recap: Louisville
For a while it looked as though Angel McCoughtry might outscore Notre Dame by herself.

She couldn’t, though. Not even with the help of her Louisville teammates. After making her first seven shots – including five three-pointers – the Irish switched from a zone defense in the first half to a box-and-one and McCoughtry went 3-of-8 the rest of the way. The Irish then used a 16-0 run late to beat the No. 17/16 Cardinals 64-55 Wednesday night at the Joyce Center.

Notre Dame (15-8, 6-4 BIG EAST), which trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, was down 48-43 after Chauntise Wright scored inside with 9:30 left. But Charel Allen, who led the Irish with 21 points and seven rebounds, hit a shot from 17 feet, then found Tulyah Gaines to trigger a decisive 16-0 run. Allen scored eight points during the burst. McCoughtry scored 19 points in the first half to lead Louisville (21-3, 7-3), but was held to just 10 points in the second half (six from the field) by Breona Gray. Ashley Barlow added 15 points for the Irish, Gaines had 13 and Gray tossed in 12. Patrika Barlow scored 10 points for Louisville.

Noting The Louisville Win

• Notre Dame earns its second win over a ranked opponent in five games this season (also downed No. 10/9 Purdue, 67-58 on Dec. 6).
• The Irish still trail Louisville in the abbreviated series, 3-2, but record their first-ever win over the Cardinals at the Joyce Center and first series victory since Feb. 21, 1994 (69-54 at Cardinal Arena).
• UofL’s 55 points were the second-fewest by a Notre Dame opponent this year (Indiana scored 54 on Dec. 3); it also was the Cardinals’ second-lowest offensive output of the season (defeated Rutgers, 53-50 on Jan. 21).
• Louisville’s 23 second-half points were an Irish opponent season-low (previous: 24 by Purdue in the second half on Dec. 6).
• Notre Dame limited UofL to a season-low 29 rebounds, after the Cardinals came into the game as the top rebounding club in the BIG EAST (47.8 rpg.).
• The Irish post their third victory this season after trailing at halftime (also vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 13 and Purdue on Dec. 6).
• Notre Dame’s 16-0 second-half run was its longest uninterrupted string of points this season, exceeding its 14-0 game-opening run vs. West Virginia three nights earlier.
• The Irish had four players score in double figures for the 14th time this year, and first since Jan. 13 at South Florida, when they put five in double digits during an overtime loss.
• Charel Allen topped the 20-point mark for the fourth time in the past seven games.
• Breona Gray notched double-digit points for the first time since Jan. 2 at Seton Hall (14 points).
• Tulyah Gaines posted her highest point total since Jan. 10 vs. Cincinnati (career-high 27 points).

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.

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 608-274 (.689) 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 559-254 (.688).
• 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 444-175 (.717) at the helm of the Irish and has a career record of 532-216 (.711) 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 151-43 (.778) all-time in regular-season conference games, posting the second-best winning percentage in league history. Connecticut is first with a .789 success rate (311-83). 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 119-11 (.915) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead, including wins in 47 of their last 52 such contests. Notre Dame has led at the break 11 times this year, winning on 10 occasions (Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Richmond, IUPUI, Valparaiso, Prairie View A&M, Cincinnati, St. John’s, Syracuse and West Virginia). 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 165-10 (.943) record when they hold their opponents below 60 points in a game. Notre Dame has held seven foes to less than 60 points this season, and is 6-1 in those games (wins over Michigan, Purdue, Valparaiso, Prairie View A&M, Syracuse and Louisville; loss 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 99-3 (.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 eight times this season, winning on each occasion (Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Richmond, Prairie View A&M, Cincinnati, St. John’s and Syracuse).

The eight 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 147 of their last 164 games (.896) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center, including winning streaks of 51 and 25 games in that span. Notre Dame also has an 85-12 (.876) 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 297-78 (.792) 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 10th in the nation in average attendance (6,227 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 91 of their last 93 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.

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.

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 79 televised games, including 48 that were broadcast nationally.

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).

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 will have 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 can watch every minute of exciting action at the Joyce Center live from the comfort of their own homes. The video will be supplemented by an audio simulcast of the Notre Dame radio broadcast, led by veteran sportscaster Sean Stires.

This free service is limited to those home games that have not been selected for broadcast by other TV outlets. The Irish have been seen on und.com six times this season (Indiana, IUPUI, Cincinnati, St. John’s, Syracuse and Louisville), with one more Internet video broadcast scheduled for this season (Feb. 21 vs. Georgetown).

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.

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/tickets). Consult the Notre Dame promotions web site (www.notredamepromotions.com) for the latest information:

• Feb. 11 vs. DePaul – Kidahoopla (special pre-game extravaganza for kids from 3:30-5:30 p.m. ET in the Joyce Center Fieldhouse) … Curious Kids Museum Day … Notre Dame women’s basketball glowsticks to the first 3,000 fans, courtesy of Waterford Estates Lodge … post-game autograph session on upper arena concourse with selected Irish players.

Next Game: Villanova
Notre Dame will renew one of its most exciting BIG EAST series Tuesday when it travels to Villanova for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) game at The Pavilion in suburban Philadelphia. The past six games between the Irish and Wildcats have been decided by a grand total of 17 points (2.8 ppg.) and all six were in doubt in the final minute, including VU’s 69-65 overtime win last season at the Joyce Center.

Villanova (7-16, 1-9 BIG EAST) has lost eight in a row, all in conference play, and has one win in the 2007 calendar year. The Wildcats will venture to Seton Hall Sunday afternoon before returning home to await Notre Dame.