Irish Set To Take On Marquette

Dec. 17, 2004

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#7 AP/#5 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (6-2)

The Date and Time: Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004, at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET in South Bend).

The Site: Al McGuire Center (4,000) in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356) and the Marquette athletics ticket office (414-288-7127).

The Radio Plans: Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend with Sean Stires (play-by-play) calling the action. These broadcasts also are available through the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com.

Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Marquette (www.gomarquette.com).

#7/5 NOTRE DAME PREPARES FOR SUNDAY MATINEE MATCHUP AT MARQUETTE
After spending the better part of the past week concentrating on final exams, No. 7/5 Notre Dame will turn its focus back to the basketball court as it travels to Milwaukee Sunday for a 1 p.m. (CT) contest at Marquette. The Irish will be playing their only game in a 19-day span, with the team scheduled to break for the Christmas holiday followiing Sunday’s contest.

Notre Dame (9-1) has not taken the floor since Dec. 11, when the Irish led virtually from the opening tip to the final horn in a 72-58 victory over Washington at the Joyce Center. Sparked by a season-best .60 field goal percentage (29-of-48) and a strong 38-28 edge on the glass, Notre Dame opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half and then used a 14-2 run in the second half to beat back a rally by the Huskies.

Sophomore forward Crystal Erwin posted career highs of 24 points and seven rebounds to lead four Notre Dame scorers in double figures. Erwin made all nine of her shots from the floor, tying an 18-year-old arena record, and her shooting performance also matched the second-best mark in school history. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast chipped in with her second double-double of the season (and 34th of her career), carding 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Irish.

Like Notre Dame, Marquette (6-2) has not played in the past eight days, following a 78-61 win at Rhode Island on Dec. 11. Junior guard Carolyn Kieger scored a team-high 21 points and senior forward Lesley Juedes added 17 points off the bench to pace the Golden Eagles, who snapped a two-game losing skid.

Kieger is one of three players scoring in double figures for Marquette this season, posting a team-high 13.9 points per game along with 6.6 assists per night. Sophomore forward Christina Quaye is second in scoring (13.0 ppg.) and first in rebounding (7.0 rpg.) for the Golden Eagles.

Head coach Terri Mitchell is in her ninth season at Marquette with a 157-88 (.641) career record.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
With four starters and seven monogram winners back in the fold, Notre Dame would appear to have all the pieces in place for a magical 2004-05 season.

Tested early and often by both a rugged schedule (eight games in the first 20 days of the season) and demanding opposition (No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State), the Irish have been up to the challenge, opening with seven consecutive victories and claiming the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. The pollsters have apparently taken notice of Notre Dame’s success, as the Irish have been a fixture in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this season, checking in at No. 7 and No. 5, respectively in this week’s polls.

Despite the added focus shown to her by opposing teams, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast has been a major catalyst in the early-season charge for the Irish, averaging 18.3 points (39th in the nation), 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She was named the Preseason WNIT Most Valuable Player and BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after logging a career-high 32 points in the WNIT championship game against Ohio State. She has scored in double digits in eight Irish games this season and has been Notre Dame’s leading scorer five times. In addition, she has two double-doubles this year, most recently chalking up 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds vs. Washington.

Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 12.9 points and a team-high 5.0 assists per game, serving as the focal point on an Irish offense that has raised its scoring average by nearly eight points per game from last year. Duffy also leads Notre Dame and ranks 11th in the nation with a .938 free throw percentage (45-for-48) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .763 free throw ratio (19th in the NCAA).

Injuries also have not been enough to slow Notre Dame so far this season. When junior forward Courtney LaVere was sidelined in late November with minor knee surgery, sophomore forward Crystal Erwin stepped into the breach and has filled the role nicely. In four starts, Erwin is averaging 12.0 points per game, including a career-high 24 points (on 9-for-9 shooting) in Notre Dame’s last game on Dec. 11 against Washington. Prior to this season, Erwin had scored in double figures only once in her career, but she has done so four times this year, including three times in the past six games alone.

SOME POTENT NOTABLES ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame opened the season with a 7-0 record for only the second time in school history, with both coming in the past five seasons. The 2000-01 squad opened with a 23-game win streak en route to school’s first national championship.
• The Irish are 3-0 on the road this year, after losing their first four road games and six of their first seven to begin last season. Notre Dame has won its first four road games of the season just three times in school history (1982-83, 1998-99 and 2000-01).
• Notre Dame played eight games in 20 days to open this season, including three contests vs. top-15 opponents. The Irish now are in the midst of a stretch of just four games in 30 days, including only one home game (a Dec. 11 victory vs. Washington).
• With this week’s No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press poll, Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting five times in the first six polls of the year. On four other times in school history have the Irish spent longer in the AP top 10 – 1998-99 (16 weeks), 1999-2000 (15 weeks), 2000-01 (18 weeks) and 2002-03 (five weeks). All told, Notre Dame has spent 51 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 95-16 (.856) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
• The Irish have posted 32 wins over Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present), including two in its first four games this year (76-65 vs. No. 6 Duke and 66-62 vs. No. 10 Ohio State).
• The Irish have defeated 20 top-10 opponents in their history, adding to that total with their victories over sixth-ranked Duke and 10th-ranked Ohio State in the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT.
• With her next win, head coach Muffet McGraw will pass Digger Phelps for the most wins ever by a Notre Dame basketball coach (men’s or women’s). In 17-plus seasons with the Irish, McGraw has a 393-150 (.724) record, which also puts her just seven victories shy of the 400-win mark for her Notre Dame career.

A QUICK LOOK AT MARQUETTE
It might be easy to label this season as a transitional one for Marquette, with the Golden Eagles preparing to make the jump from Conference USA to the BIG EAST in 2005-06. However, coming off a second-round appearance in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Marquette has given every indication it plans to be a contender, no matter what league it’s a part of.

The Golden Eagles are off to a 6-2 start this year, including a perfect 5-0 mark in their new arena, the Al McGuire Center, which opened midway through last season. Marquette opened the 2004-05 campaign with five consecutive victories, including an impressive 78-64 thumping of Wisconsin on Dec. 1. The Golden Eagles then suffered a pair of hiccups on the road, losing at Wisconsin-Green Bay (69-51) and Iowa (78-72), although the Hawkeyes have since moved into the top 25 in both major national polls.

Marquette returned to the win column in their last outing on Dec. 11, picking up a road victory at Rhode Island, 78-61. Junior guard Carolyn Kieger led four Marquette players in double figures with 21 points, along with a team-best five assists. Senior forward Lesley Juedes came off the bench to provide some perimeter punch, scoring 17 points and knocking down 5-of-7 three-point attempts. As a team, the Golden Eagles dominated the Rams on the boards, 42-23, and shot 47.4 percent from the floor (52.9 percent from the three-point line).

While running the point, Kieger leads Marquette in scoring (13.9 ppg.) and assists (6.6 apg.) while posting a strong 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore center Christina Quaye, who played a pivotal role in the Golden Eagles’ NCAA tournament run last year, is second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg.) and tops in rebounding (7.0 rpg.). Junior forward Efueko Osagie has shown some of the greatest improvement for Marquette this season, averaging 9.3 ppg. while logging team-high marks in field goal percentage (.554) and steals (3.3 spg.).

Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell is in her ninth season piloting the Golden Eagles, with a career coaching record of 157-88 (.641). She is 0-5 in her career against Notre Dame.

THE NOTRE DAME-MARQUETTE SERIES
Notre Dame and Marquette will be playing for the 30th time on the hardwood in what has been the most frequent series in school history. Beginning with the elevation of the Irish program to varsity status in 1977-78, the two teams met in 18 of the next 19 seasons before going on a three-year hiatus from 1996-98. The series restarted in 1999 and has continued ever since. Next year, the rivalry will be moved to a conference setting, as Marquette joins Notre Dame in the BIG EAST.

Notre Dame holds a 25-4 edge in the all-time series and a 9-3 advantage in Milwaukee, although the Irish will be playing for the first time at the new Al McGuire Center. Marquette actually won three of the first four games in the series, but the Irish since have claimed 24 of the past 25 meetings. The Golden Eagles’ last win in the series came on Dec. 1, 1992, a 66-62 victory in Milwaukee.

THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND MARQUETTE MET
Notre Dame fought through a rocky first half and used timely free throw shooting down the stretch to defeat Marquette, 72-64 on New Year’s Day 2004 at the Joyce Center. The Irish have won eight in a row and 24 of their last 25 meetings against the Golden Eagles.

Megan Duffy was one of four Irish players to score in double figures vs. Marquette, connecting for a game-high 18 points. She also dished out a game-best seven assists, while Courtney LaVere chipped in with 16 points on six of 11 shooting, and Teresa Borton added 14 points and a game-best seven rebounds. Jacqueline Batteast rounded out the double-digit quartet for Notre Dame with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Kelley Schwerman was Marquette’s leading scorer with 12 points, while Katie O’Grady came off the bench to log 11 points and five steals, and Sarah Shouse notched 10 points.

Notre Dame (7-4) secured the victory based on two key statistics – rebounding and foul shooting. The Irish won the battle on the boards by a 40-24 margin, including a 20-7 spread in the second half. The hosts also shot 90 percent (27-of-30) from the free throw line, knocking down 20-of-22 (.909) charities in the second half.

It was evident from the opening tip that the game would be closely contested as the teams combined for five ties and five lead changes in the first half. Notre Dame opened up a pair of four-point leads in the early stages, the last coming at 16-12 when Duffy canned a long three-pointer from the top of the key with 11:52 to go in the period.

Marquette (8-3) answered right back with a 23-12 run over the next nine and a half minutes, taking its largest lead of the game at 35-28 on a layup by Shouse with 2:23 to play until the break. Notre Dame cut more than half of the fat off its deficit, scoring the last four points, but a pair of missed layups in the waning moments left the Irish down by three (35-32) heading to the dressing room.

Notre Dame opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 40-35 lead on two LaVere free throws at the 17:25 mark. Yet, that momentum quickly dissipated in the face of a strong Golden Eagle squad, which put together an 11-2 burst and grabbed a 46-42 edge with 12:05 remaining.

Backed into a corner, Notre Dame came out swinging and rocked Marquette with a game-turning 14-3 run over the following 5:30, building up a 56-49 lead when Duffy buried a long jumper on the left wing. Batteast helped pace the comeback with six consecutive points in a span of 64 seconds.

Still, the Golden Eagles would not be dismissed easily, closing the gap to four points on four occasions down the stretch, the last time coming when O’Grady made the first of two foul shots with 1:29 to play. However, the Marquette veteran missed her second free throw and Duffy hit a runner in the lane on Notre Dame’s next possession to effectively end the Golden Eagles’ chances for victory.

THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND MARQUETTE MET IN MILWAUKEE
Jacqueline Batteast had 23 points and 11 rebounds as No. 13 Notre Dame beat Marquette 75-68 on Dec. 31, 2002 at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. Le’Tania Severe added a (then) career-high 20 points, and Courtney LaVere scored 16 and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds for the Irish (8-2), who rallied from a 39-31 deficit early in the second half.

Marquette (6-3), which had its five-game winning streak snapped, was led by Katie Alsdurf with 18 points, Rachel Klug with 17 and Carolyn Kieger with 16.

Notre Dame trailed 43-37, but went on a 13-2 run to build a 50-45 lead. The Irish upped their lead to 67-53 with 3:12 to play, and then held off a spirited rally. The deficit was reduced to five twice before Notre Dame wrapped it up with five free throws in the final 46 seconds. The Irish went 17-of-21 from the free-throw line, including 10-of-11 by Severe and 6-of-7 by LaVere.

Notre Dame had a 39-24 edge in rebounds and shot 54 percent (27-of-50) from the field. Marquette shot 41 percent (25-of-61).

Notre Dame’s Alicia Ratay converted a four-point play to make it 27-23 with 2:29 left in the first half. But Kieger’s 3-pointer and a layup by Klug just before the buzzer closed Marquette’s deficit to 29-28 at halftime.

OTHER NOTRE DAME-MARQUETTE SERIES NOTES

• The 25 victories by Notre Dame and the 29 series games are both school records. Dayton and Detroit are tied for second on the Irish opponent victory list (22), while Notre Dame has played Dayton 28 times, second-most in school annals.
• The two schools played one another twice before Notre Dame’s program achieved varsity status in time for the 1977-78 season. Marquette won on both occasions, defeating the Irish twice in 1976 (52-47 on Feb. 4 in Milwaukee; 45-41 on Feb. 28 at Notre Dame).
• Marquette has topped the 70-point mark just twice against Notre Dame. Conversely, the Irish have scored at least 70 points against the Golden Eagles 21 times, all in the past 23 series meetings.
• Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell was an assistant with the Golden Eagles the last time they defeated Notre Dame on Dec. 1, 1992.
• Notre Dame and Marquette have played one another as members of two different conferences (North Star from 1986-88 and Midwestern Collegiate from 1989-91). They will be reunited once again next season when the Golden Eagles join the BIG EAST.

NOTRE DAME AGAINST CONFERENCE USA
Notre Dame is 48-21 (.696) against the current members of Conference USA, including a 21-13 (.618) mark away from home (19-11 road, 2-2 neutral). The Irish have played more games (69) against C-USA opponents than any other league outside of the BIG EAST Conference (173) and the Big Ten Conference (70).

Notre Dame has faced nine different current C-USA members during its history, posting winning records against Cincinnati (1-0), East Carolina (2-0), Marquette (25-4), Memphis (1-0), Saint Louis (6-1), South Florida (2-0) and TCU (1-0).

The Irish have won 11 of their last 12 games against C-USA competition after defeating Marquette, 72-64 last season at the Joyce Center. A 75-59 setback at DePaul on Dec. 11, 2002, was Notre Dame’s first (and only) loss to a C-USA foe since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96.

FOLLOWING THE NORTH STAR
Marquette is one of 10 former North Star Conference schools Notre Dame has played since it left the NSC to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League) in 1988. The Irish have a 109-23 (.826) record in the past 15 seasons against former North Star members, including a 2-0 mark this year with road wins at Valparaiso and Dayton.

Much of that post-NSC record was compiled when several North Star teams resurfaced alongside the Irish in the MCC. In fact, eight of Notre Dame’s 10 former North Star foes also squared off with the Irish in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

The Irish have won 21 of their last 22 games against former North Star members, a streak which pre-dates Notre Dame’s current membership in the BIG EAST Conference. The only NSC alum to defeat the Irish in that time is DePaul, which won by a 75-59 count on Dec. 11, 2002, in Chicago.

POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 170-41 (.806) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are seventh entering Sunday’s game at Marquette). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 79-9 (.898) as a ranked host after opening this season with a 6-1 record at the Joyce Center. Conversely, the Irish are 67-24 (.736) all-time when they play on the road as a ranked team.

Upon closer inspection, Notre Dame has been very sharp when it’s ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll. The Irish are 95-16 (.856) as a top-10 squad, including a 46-3 (.939) record at home. In fact, prior to its Dec. 2 overtime loss to No. 15 Michigan State, Notre Dame had a 41-game home winning streak when it was ranked in the AP top 10, dating back to December of 1998.

WINNING TEN-DENCIES
A victory at Marquette on Sunday would give Notre Dame its 10th win of the season, marking the earliest calendar date ever that the Irish have reached double-digit victories. The 2000-01 squad currently holds that distinction, getting its 10th win on Dec. 21, ironically also at Marquette (75-56).

FINDING THE RANGE
During its last three halves of basketball (second half at Dayton, full game vs. Washington), Notre Dame is shooting .597 (46-for-77) from the floor, including a season-best .604 (29-for-48) against UW. Individually, sophomore forward Crystal Erwin tied an 18-year-old Joyce Center record by going 9-for-9 from the floor in the victory over Washington.

PIPING HOT TURNOVERS
Notre Dame has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of its 10 games this season. The Irish registered a season-high 29 takeaways on Nov. 22 against Colorado State and caused 26 turnovers on Dec. 9 at Dayton.

EXTENDING THE DEFENSE
In the past seven games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .180 three-point percentage (20-for-111), after Irish foes were shooting .333 from beyond the arc (17-for-51) in the first three games of the season. On Dec. 9, Notre Dame held Dayton to an opponent season-low .071 three-point percentage (1-for-14), with the Flyers missing their final 13 three-point attempts.

BALANCE IS KEY
Notre Dame has discovered good balance in its offensive production so far this season. The Irish have had five different players lead the team in scoring through 10 games, including four separate players (Megan Duffy, Jacqueline Batteast, Crystal Erwin and Charel Allen) with team-high scoring honors in the past six games alone.

DIGGER AND ME
With her next victory, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw will pass Digger Phelps for the most wins ever by an Irish basketball coach (men’s or women’s). McGraw has a career record of 393-150 (.724) since coming to Notre Dame in 1987, while Phelps, now a studio analyst on ESPN’s college basketball coverage, posted a 393-197 (.666) mark at the helm of the Irish men’s team from 1971-91.

CHARGING FROM THE GATE
Notre Dame’s 7-0 start was the second-best season debut in school history and it was only the second time ever that the Irish opened with seven consecutive victories.

THE SEASON FOR SHARING
One of the key elements in Notre Dame’s early success has been its penchant for distributing the ball well. In fact, the Irish have 176 assists (17.6 apg.) on 264 field goals made (26.4 per game) in their first 10 outings, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State. Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 5.0 assists per game, with at least five dimes in six contests this season, including a career-high 10 assists vs. Washington on Dec. 11.

LOTS OF FREE STUFF
When given the opportunity, Notre Dame has taken advantage of its trips to the free throw line this season. The Irish lead the BIG EAST Conference and are tied for 19th nationally (as of Dec. 13), shooting 76.3 percent from the charity stripe. In fact, they set a school record by going a perfect 18-for-18 at Valparaiso, which also matches the best mark by any team in the country this season.

Notre Dame has been led at the gift line by junior guard Megan Duffy (.938, 45-48), freshman guard Charel Allen (.840, 21-25) and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.816, 40-49). Duffy currently leads the BIG EAST and is tied for 11th in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with nearly a 20-percent jump from last year’s career low .627 mark.

One side note about Duffy’s free throw prowess – the Irish junior struggled at the line early in her freshman season, shooting just 59.3 percent (16-27) during her first 15 collegiate games. However, in the 59 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .865 clip (160-185) on her foul shots. She also has made 53 of her last 57 free throws (.930) in the past 16 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2004.

THE WASHINGTON RECAP
Notre Dame’s one-two inside punch of sophomore forward Crystal Erwin and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was just too much for Washington.

Erwin was 9-of-9 from the field for a career-high 24 points and Batteast had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead seventh-ranked Notre Dame to a 72-58 victory over the Huskies on Dec. 11 at the Joyce Center. The Irish were especially strong inside, outscoring the Huskies 42-22 in the paint and outrebounding Washington 38-28.

Notre Dame (9-1) opened the game by hitting their first five shots and were in control throughout, shooting 60.4 percent (29-of-48) while holding the Huskies (4-4) to 34 percent.

UW simply couldn’t stop Erwin, as she became the first player to shoot 9-for-9 at the Joyce Center in 18 years. She scored on fast-break layups, in traffic in the lane and even had one remarkably easy basket. After she fell in the offensive end, the Huskies had a 3-on-1 break the other way. However, junior guard Megan Duffy came away with a steal and passed it back down the court to a wide-open Erwin for the layup.

The Irish led 36-25 at halftime, but had trouble putting the Huskies away. The Huskies closed to 39-34 when Cameo Hicks scored on a layup three minutes into the second half. The Irish led only 58-51 when Hicks scored with 7:56 left. But Erwin scored inside two straight times, blowing past Maggie O’Hara along the baseline for a layup on the second basket to ignite a 14-2 run that put the game away.

Duffy had a career-high 10 assists for the Irish, breaking the mark of nine assists she had against Washington a year ago. Breona Gray added 11 points for Notre Dame.

NOTING THE WASHINGTON VICTORY

• Notre Dame takes a 2-1 series lead over Washington, in what was the Huskies’ first-ever visit to South Bend.
• The Irish continue their recent success against Pac-10 opponents, winning for the 13th time in the past 15 games against teams from that league (2-0 this year with a Nov. 26 win at USC).
• Notre Dame shot a season-best .604 from the floor (29-for-48), the best single-game shooting percentage by an Irish team since Feb. 27, 2001 (.635 at Pittsburgh).
• Notre Dame’s first five baskets came from five different starters and the Irish starting lineup combined to shoot .700 (28-for-40) from the field.
• Notre Dame’s 25 assists on 29 field goals (.862) is the best assist percentage in a game for the Irish since Jan. 2, 2000, when Notre Dame had 26 assists on 29 baskets (.897) in a 75-60 win over Marquette.
• The Irish are 9-1 after 10 games for the third time in school history – the others were 1998-99 (9-1) and 2000-01 (10-0).
• Notre Dame had four double-figure scorers for the fourth time this season, but first since they did so in each of their first three games (vs. Illinois State, Nebraska and No. 6 Duke).
• With her 9-for-9 shooting performance, sophomore forward Crystal Erwin tied an 18-year-old Joyce Center record previously set by Sandy Botham vs. Evansville on Feb. 28, 1986; the only Irish player with a better shooting night than Erwin and Botham was Karen Robinson, who went 12-for-12 on the road at Saint Louis on Jan. 14, 1989.
• Erwin finished with a career-high 24 points, breaking the freshly-minted mark of 20 points she set nine days earlier on Dec. 2 in an overtime loss to then-No. 15 Michigan State.
• Erwin also plucked a career-best seven rebounds, one more than her previous high which she had done twice before (most recently two nights earlier at Dayton).
• Junior guard Megan Duffy dished out a career-high 10 assists, breaking her personal standard of nine assists which she set in last year’s game at Washington (Dec. 7, 2003). Duffy also is the first Irish player to record 10 assists in a game since Niele Ivey also had 10 handouts vs. Connecticut on Jan. 15, 2001 at the Joyce Center.
• Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast notched her second double-double of the season (34th of her career) with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

SPORTSVIEW.TV PRESEASON WNIT REWIND
Punctuated by emotional second-half rallies in the semifinal and final, Notre Dame won four consecutive games to claim the 2004 Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. The Irish capped off their season-opening charge with a 66-62 victory over No. 10/9 Ohio State in the title game, scoring the final 12 points of the contest to erase an eight-point Buckeye lead with a little more than five minutes remaining. That win came on the heels of a 76-65 semifinal conquest of No. 6 Duke, a victory that also saw Notre Dame come back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half.

Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists with a .507 field goal percentage in the four-game series. Batteast was at her best in the final two games, scoring a game-high 17 points vs. Duke (including a personal 10-0 run that put the Irish ahead for good) and then rolling up a career-best 32 points in the championship game against Ohio State. In that latter contest, she had another 10-point run in the first half and later scored seven of her team’s last 12 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 2:45 to play. However, her biggest contribution came with two seconds remaining, when she raced from beyond the top of the key all the way to the deep corner, blocking OSU’s potential game-tying three-pointer to cement Notre Dame’s title.

Not to be overlooked, junior guard Megan Duffy earned a place on the Preseason WNIT all-tournament team after recording 15.0 points and 6.0 assists per game with a .500 field goal percentage (.600 from beyond the arc). She was the catalyst for an Irish offense that averaged nearly 77 points per game and dished out better than 20 assists per night in the tournament, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 assists in the first round vs. Illinois State.

HALF AND HALF
Over the past five seasons, Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable when it has the lead at halftime. The Irish are 85-7 (.924) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame has added eight wins to that count this season (Illinois State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso, Dayton and Washington).

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE …
During the past decade, Notre Dame has discovered that a solid defensive effort can almost certainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since the beginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish have an amazing 135-6 (.957) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game. That count includes this season’s wins over Nebraska, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso, Dayton and Washington.

… BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCORE IF YOU WANT TO WIN
Not resting solely on its defensive laurels, Notre Dame also seemingly has found the magic mark when it comes to outscoring its opponents. Over the past decade (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 89-3 (.967) 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 tacked another win to that ledger with its opening-night 92-73 win over Illinois State.

NOTRE DAME AMONG RECENT WINS LEADERS
Notre Dame has won 211 games over the past nine seasons, which is tied for the seventh-most wins of any school in the country during that time.

SWEET SUCCESS
Notre Dame is one of only five schools in the country to have appeared in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen six times in the past eight seasons (1997-2004). The others are Connecticut (eight times), Tennessee (eight times), Duke (seven times) and Louisiana Tech (seven times).

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Irish are one of just six teams nationwide to have an active streak of 11 consecutive 20-win seasons. The others in these elite club are Tennessee (28), Texas Tech (15), Louisiana Tech (13), Old Dominion (13) and Connecticut (11).

NOW THAT’S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s success has been its stellar play at home. In fact, the Irish have been virtually untouchable at home in recent years, winning 119 of their last 129 games (.922) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 69-7 (.908) home record in BIG EAST Conference play.

The Irish have been particularly strong when it comes to non-conference games at home, winning 53 of their last 56 non-BIG EAST contests (.946) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the 1994-95 season. The only three losses in that span all came against Big Ten Conference teams – Wisconsin in 1996 (81-69), Purdue in 2003 (71-54) and Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 in OT).

Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center, posting a 269-71 (.791) record at the venerable facility. In three of the past five seasons (1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), the Irish were a perfect 15-0 at home, setting a school record for home wins in a season.

JAMMIN’ THE JOYCE
Beginning with its national championship season of 2000-01, Notre Dame has ranked in the top 15 in the nation in attendance each of the past four years, and early returns indicate this season will be no different. According to the Dec. 13 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 15th in the nation with an average of 4,949 fans per game.

All of the top 20 crowds in the Irish record book have occurred during the 18-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw (1987-present). And, as more evidence of Notre Dame’s rapid elevation to “hot ticket” status in South Bend, 19 of the top 20 crowds in school history have been recorded in the past six seasons (1999-2000 to present), including 12 audiences of 8,000 or more fans, and 56 of the past 58 home games with at least 5,000 fans filing into the Joyce Center.

NOTRE DAME ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Irish are scheduled to make at least 13 appearances on regional or national television during the 2004-05 season (additional broadcasts may be announced at a later date).

Notre Dame made its TV debut this season on Nov. 20 when it defeated No. 10/9 Ohio State, 66-62 in the championship game of the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT. That contest was shown globally via broadband Internet connection at www.sportsview.tv, as well either live or delayed on several Comcast SportsNet outlets nationwide. The American Forces Network, which broadcasts to more than one million U.S. service men and women in 176 countries, also aired the game.

The Irish returned to the airwaves Dec. 2 when they dropped an 82-73 overtime decision to No. 15 Michigan State on College Sports Television (CSTV). That was the first of three Notre Dame games that will air nationally on the fledgling cable network, which has signed an agreement with the BIG EAST Conference to carry a national women’s basketball Game of the Week eight times in 2004-05. The Irish also will face Connecticut on Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center and visit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of the CSTV cameras.

In addition, Notre Dame is scheduled to play twice on ESPN2 this season. On Jan. 16, the Irish will battle Purdue in the second annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Two weeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame travels to Storrs, Conn., to meet Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion.

The BIG EAST also has added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame will visit Villanova on Jan. 9 and will play host to Rutgers on Jan. 23, both on BIG EAST Television. Among those affiliates carrying the BETV package are Comcast SportsNet outlets in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as Fox Sports Net outlets in New York, New England and Pittsburgh. Exact clearances will be made available closer to game time.

Comcast Local (based in Detroit) is the latest television outlet to select Notre Dame women’s basketball games for broadcast. The newly-formed network will air five Irish games this season – at USC (Nov. 26), and home games vs. Washington (Dec. 11), St. John’s (Jan. 26), Georgetown (Feb. 12) and West Virginia (Feb. 26). Comcast Local can be seen in South Bend on Comcast Cable channel 3.

NOTRE DAME ON THE AIRWAVES
Once again this season, every Irish women’s basketball game (home and away) airs on the flagship stations of the Artistic Media Partners (AMP) Network – WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcaster and AMP sports director Sean Stires is now in his fifth season handling the play-by-play for Notre Dame. The Irish also can be heard on the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com) by subscribing to College Sports Pass, which gives listeners full multimedia access to a variety of Irish athletics events for only $6.95 per month.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the fourth time in school history (all during the Muffet McGraw era), Notre Dame will have three players sharing the captain’s duties this year. Senior forward Jacqueline Batteast, senior center Teresa Borton and junior guard Megan Duffy all were accorded the honor based upon a vote of their teammates prior to the season. All three are serving as captains for the first time in their respective careers.

IRISH ADD TWO PLAYERS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw has announced that Lindsay Schrader, a 6-0 guard from Bartlett, Ill., and Chandrica Smith, a 6-1 forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., have chosen to continue their careers with the Irish, signing National Letters of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2005.

With the additions of Schrader and Smith, Notre Dame’s newest recruiting class is ranked 16th in the nation by Blue Star Index. That marks the ninth consecutive year the Irish have had a top-20 class, according to that publication, which makes Notre Dame one of only three schools in the nation that can claim that distinction (Connecticut and Tennessee are the others).

Schrader has been widely regarded as one of the top all-around players in the state of Illinois while attending Bartlett High School the past three seasons. She is a three-time all-state selection, a two-time Illinois Miss Basketball finalist, and a two-time Street & Smith’s All-America selection who has averaged 20.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her prep career. Her finest all-around season came as a junior in 2003-04, when she averaged 20.8 ppg., 10.8 rpg. and 2.0 bpg. while earning first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette. She also was a sixth-team All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a finalist for Illinois Miss Basketball honors, an award she will likely contend for once again this season.

On the summer camp circuit, Schrader was an Underclass All-Star at the 2002 adidas Top Ten Camp, before attending the Nike All-America Camp in both 2003 and 2004. She is ranked among the top 30 high school seniors in the nation by three separate recruiting services – Blue Star Index (14th), All-Game Sports (21st) and All-Star Girls Report (26th overall – eighth among shooting guards).

In addition, Schrader made a significant impact at the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the North Team that won the silver medal, she ranked third at the Festival in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), as well as second in field goal percentage (.542). All three figures were team highs, as were her 2.2 steals per game. For her efforts, Schrader was invited to attend the 2004 USA Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying Team Trials, where she was one of 17 finalists for the 12-player team that won the gold medal this past August.

Smith currently attends Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where she transferred prior to her senior season. Previously, she was a standout at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., where she averaged 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game with a .620 field goal percentage. She also was a key component in the Jaguars’ run to a 32-1 record and the Georgia 5A state championship last year. In fact, during her first three prep seasons, her teams posted a combined 89-7 (.927) record with three trips to the Georgia state championship and one state title.

Smith herself has received numerous accolades during her high school career. She is a two-time honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a Student Sports All-American in 2004. In addition, she attended the adidas Top Ten Camp three consecutive years and was named to its prestigious all-star team all three years (Underclass All-Star in 2002 & 2003; Upperclass All-Star in 2004). Last season, she was an honorable mention 5A all-state selection and a first-team all-county choice. She is ranked as high as 29th in the nation among high school seniors by All-Star Girls Report.

Like Schrader, Smith also attended the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the South Team, she averaged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, scoring a personal-best 13 points in the bronze-medal game victory over the East squad.

Muffet McGraw SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2010-11 SEASON
On Nov. 6, Notre Dame announced that Muffet McGraw has signed a two-year extension to continue as head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball program through the 2010-11 season.

McGraw, who is now in her 18th season with the Irish, most recently signed a four-year contract extension in July 2002 that took her through the 2008-09 season. Her first 17 seasons at Notre Dame have been highlighted by 15 20-win campaigns (including a current string of 11 straight), 11 NCAA tournament appearances (including a current streak of nine straight) and the 2001 NCAA title. Entering the 2004-05 season, she had a 384-149 (.720) record at Notre Dame.

In 2003-04, McGraw skillfully guided her team to a 21-11 record and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (the fourth for the Irish in five years). McGraw’s charges placed second in the BIG EAST Conference, their eighth top-two finish since joining the league nine years ago. In addition, the Irish went 15-0 at home, their third perfect record at the Joyce Center in the past five seasons, and extended their overall home win streak to 20 games, the second-longest in school history and eighth-longest active string in the nation heading into the 2004-05 campaign.

McGraw has continued to enhance her reputation as one of the nation’s outstanding big-game coaches and tacticians, piloting Notre Dame to a school-record seven wins over top 25 teams during the 2003-04 regular season. During her 17-year tenure with the Irish, McGraw has compiled 40 victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including 30 in the past six seasons (an average of five per year).

Under McGraw’s guidance, the past nine years have been the most successful in Notre Dame’s history as the Irish have compiled an impressive 225-69 (.765) record, including a sparkling 124-28 (.816) regular-season mark in BIG EAST play, the best winning percentage in league history. Notre Dame also has averaged 25 victories per campaign during that span, with two 30-win seasons to its credit. The Irish have won at least one NCAA tournament game every season over that time, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen six times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and the Final Four twice (1997 and 2001).

BIG EAST CONFERENCE APPROVES BASKETBALL STRUCTURE FOR 2005-06
The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference institutions have approved all recommendations by the league’s athletic directors relating to the structure of men’s and women’s basketball beginning in the 2005-06 academic year. The approvals were made at the Presidents’ annual meeting held in Philadelphia on Nov. 9.

The recommendations include maintaining a 12-team postseason conference championship tournament and a one-division regular season structure. The men’s and women’s teams will continue to play 16-game regular season league schedules.

In 2005-06, the BIG EAST will include 16 schools. The new members will be: University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University and University of South Florida. While the tournament format will be the same for the men and women, the formula for regular season scheduling will be different. The men’s teams will play 13 opponents with three repeat matchups to reach 16 league games. The women’s teams will meet each opponent once and have one repeat opponent.

For regular season scheduling, the conference office will determine prior to each season which matchups will be repeated. The factors in making the repeat games will be television, rivalries and geography.

BIG EAST men’s teams have captured the last two NCAA crowns and three of the last six. BIG EAST women’s teams have won the last five NCAA titles. The BIG EAST conducts its men’s championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. The women’s championship is played at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.

PROMOTIONAL CORNER
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season (additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date):

• Jan. 2 vs. Seton Hall – Adidas bracelets (first 5,000 fans); Red Panda acrobats will perform
• Jan. 5 vs. Syracuse – Notre Dame women’s basketball license plates (first 2,000 fans)

NEXT GAME: NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Notre Dame will go on an 11-day hiatus for the Christmas holidays before getting back into action Thursday, Dec. 30 when it travels to DeKalb, Ill., for a matchup with Northern Illinois. Tipoff time from the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. (CT).

The Irish and Huskies will be meeting for the first time since both teams were members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) in the mid-1990s. Notre Dame owns a 7-5 series lead over NIU, although the teams have split six previous matchups in DeKalb. Northern Illinois won the last time they met, taking an 87-64 victory on March 10, 1995 in the MCC Tournament semifinals, which were held in DeKalb. This year’s contest also will serve as a homecoming for Irish associate coach Carol Owens, who is one of the legendary figures in NIU women’s basketball history, twice earning honorable mention All-America recognition while playing for the Huskies from 1986-90. She still ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in 13 career categories, including scoring (2,102 points).

Northern Illinois is 1-6 this season, following a hard-fought 73-59 loss to No. 21/20 DePaul on Wednesday night in DeKalb. Kristin Wiener had a team-high 11 points and Stephanie Raymond pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds for the Huskies, who got within five points early in the second half before DePaul pulled away for the win. NIU visits Saint Louis Saturday and will play host to Texas-El Paso (UTEP) next Tuesday before turning its attention to the Dec. 30 matchup with Notre Dame.