Dec. 10, 2004
#7 AP/#5 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) vs. Washington Huskies (4-3)
The Date and Time: Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, at Noon ET.
The Site: Joyce Center (11,418) in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356).
The TV Plans: Comcast Local (Detroit)/Comcast SportsNet Chicago live regional broadcast with Kevin Graham (play-by-play), Joe Mazeika (analysis) and Andy Greathouse (producer).
The Radio Plans: Saturday’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) and former Irish standout Sara Liebscher (analysis) calling the action. These broadcasts also are available through the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com.
Real-Time Statistics: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker, are available for the Washington game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) athletics web site.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Washington (www.gohuskies.com).
#7/5 IRISH BACK HOME TO FACE WASHINGTON
For the only time in a 30-day span, the No. 7/5 Notre Dame women’s basketball team will play in front of its home fans, taking on Washington Saturday at noon (ET) at the Joyce Center. Following the UW game, the Irish do not return home again until Jan. 2, when they open the BIG EAST Conference season against Seton Hall. Notre Dame (8-1) bounced back from its first loss of the season with a convincing 65-39 win at Dayton on Thursday night. The Irish used a 14-1 run in the first half and a 14-2 spurt in the second half to pull away from the Flyers, while holding the hosts to an opponent season-low .288 field goal percentage. Freshman guard Charel Allen had a team-high 14 points in only 16 minutes for Notre Dame. Sophomore guard Breona Gray matched her career high with 12 points, while freshman center Melissa D’Amico set a new personal standard with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Washington (4-3) has not played since Monday night, when it registered a 64-61 win at Denver. Junior guards Kayla Burt and Kristen O’Neill each scored 11 points for the Huskies, who had a 17-point second-half lead before holding off a late DU rally. Burt is scoring a team-high 9.9 ppg., one of seven UW players to average at least six points per game this season. Sophomore forward Jill Bell is the team’s top rebounder at 7.6 caroms per contest. Head coach June Daugherty is in her ninth season at Washington with a record of 144-102 (.585) at the school.
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 18.4 points (22nd in the nation), 6.7 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. Last week at Valparaiso, Batteast notched her first double-double of the year with game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 13.7 points and a team-high 4.4 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 22nd in the nation with a .935 free throw percentage (43-for-46) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .769 free throw ratio (also 15th in the NCAA). Another aspect of Notre Dame’s sharp play this season has been the contributions from its reserves, who are averaging 17.1 points per game. Freshman guard Charel Allen has been the leading bench contributor early on, averaging 8.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Her play was critical in the Preseason WNIT semifinal win over Duke, as she scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half to help the Irish come back from an eight-point deficit and eliminate the Blue Devils. She also chalked up a team-high 14 points in only 16 minutes Thursday night at Dayton.
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 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 (Saturday vs. Washington). * With this week’s No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press poll, Notre Dame has spent four of the first weeks of the season appearing in the top 10 of the AP balloting. 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 50 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 94-16 (.855) 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. * Head coach Muffet McGraw needs one win to tie 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 392-150 (.723) record, which also puts her just eight victories shy of the 400-win mark for her Notre Dame career.
A QUICK LOOK AT WASHINGTON
It probably wouldn’t be an understatement to say Washington is a young team this season. The Huskies have 12 underclassmen on their 15-player roster and nine of those players have not yet reached their 20th birthday. However, despite the infusion of youth on the roster, UW is still looking to build around a veteran core that includes two starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s 18-13 club that reached the second round of the postseason WNIT. Saturday’s game at Notre Dame will mark the end of a three-game road swing for the Huskies (4-3), who have not played since Monday night, when they defeated Denver, 64-61 in the Mile High City. UW raced out to a 17-point lead in the second half before DU made a furious comeback to get within striking distance. However, the final margin was as close as the Pioneers would get. Junior guards Kristen O’Neill and Kayla Burt each scored 11 points, while four other players ended up with seven or more points for the Huskies, who forced 26 turnovers and held Denver to a .333 field goal percentage. At 9.9 points per game, Burt leads a group of seven Washington players who are averaging at least six points per game this season. She also has a team-high 3.0 assists per game, while sophomore forward Jill Bell is logging team highs of 7.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Head coach June Daugherty is in her ninth season at Washington with a record of 144-102 (.585) at the school. She previously spent seven seasons as the skipper at Boise State and has a career coaching record of 267-176 (.603) in 16 years on the sidelines. She is 1-0 all-time against Notre Dame.
THE NOTRE DAME-WASHINGTON SERIES
Notre Dame and Washington have met only twice before, with the teams splitting the two games. The Irish won the first contest, 80-67 on Dec. 2, 1995 in Kona, Hawaii, at the Kona Women’s Basketball Classic. Beth Morgan led four Irish players in double figures with 23 points, Katryna Gaither added 20 points and Mollie Peirick dished out nine assists for the victors. Jamie Redd paced three Huskies in double digits with 19 points. Washington earned its first series victory over Notre Dame last season, defeating the Irish, 85-74 on Dec. 7, 2003 in Seattle (see recap in the next note). Saturday’s game will mark the Huskies’ first-ever visit to South Bend.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND WASHINGTON MET
Notre Dame slipped to 3-4 on the season with an 85-74 loss at Washington on Dec. 7, 2003, at Bank of America Arena in Seattle. The Irish were playing their fifth road game of the season, all against teams that were ranked or receiving votes at tipoff, and Notre Dame fell to 1-4 in those contests. The loss also was just the second for the Irish in their last 12 games vs. Pac-10 Conference opposition. Jacqueline Batteast led Notre Dame with 19 points and added five assists and four blocked shots. Megan Duffy turned in another solid performance with 17 points and a career-high nine assists, while Teresa Borton, who hails from Yakima, Wash., had a successful homecoming with a season-high 11 points on five of eight shooting off the bench. As a team, Notre Dame committed only 11 turnovers, while continuing its hot shooting from the perimeter, hitting seven of 14 three-point attempts, led by Duffy (3-5), Jeneka Joyce (2-3) and Monique Hernandez (2-2). However, Notre Dame’s downfall once again came on the boards, where the Irish were beaten, 43-33, with Washington collecting 24 second-chance points in the game. Giuliana Mendiola finished with a game-high 27 points for the Huskies, registering eight assists and seven rebounds for good measure. Cameo Hicks chipped in with a career-high 24 points (on 11 of 13 shooting) and eight rebounds, while Andrea Lalum chalked up a double-double for UW with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Washington shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 12 of 13 (.923) at the foul line in the win. The Huskies shot the ball well all afternoon long, but Notre Dame nearly matched Washington shot for shot in the first half. For the first 10 minutes of the game, both teams were hitting better than 50 percent from the field, with the Huskies maintaining a precarious single-digit lead for much of the period. UW took its biggest lead of 25-17 when Lalum banked in a short jumper at the 8:17 mark. However, the Irish fought back, whittling away at the deficit with a 9-2 run and eventually taking their first lead on Borton’s jumper from the right block with 2:10 to go in the half. But in a recurring theme throughout the day, Mendiola stepped forward when her team needed a boost, scoring the Huskies’ last nine points of the period, hitting a three-pointer on the right wing and a driving finger roll at the halftime horn to put UW ahead, 39-35. The four-point margin held firm for the first four minutes of the second half, before Washington went on a 9-3 spurt to take a 54-44 lead with 14:21 remaining. Notre Dame stayed within striking distance as Duffy buried a three-pointer and Courtney LaVere followed with a pair of free throws at the 11:58 junction. The lead was still five after Duffy hit another trey midway through the period, making it a 59-54 game. Then, UW’s Breanne Watson was fouled while trying a three-pointer on her team’s next possession and she made all three free throws. The Irish kept the deficit at eight points for the next three minutes, with Batteast driving in for a layup for a 69-61 margin with 7:32 to go. Notre Dame then blinked and Washington took advantage, going on a 12-4 run that was capped by Hicks’ free throw for an 81-65 lead at the 3:57 mark. The Irish never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
NOTRE DAME-WASHINGTON CONNECTIONS
* Notre Dame senior center and tri-captain Teresa Borton hails from Yakima, Wash., and was a standout at West Valley High School. As a prep senior in 2000-01, she averaged 17.9 points per game and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Washington Class 3A State Tournament after leading West Valley to the state championship. In Borton’s four years at WVHS, her teams went a combined 102-11 (.903). Borton’s family is well-known in the Pacific Northwest as well – they own Borton Fruit Company. * As one might expect, Borton is quite familiar with several members of the Washington squad. She played on the same AAU team (Yakima Elite) with UW redshirt junior guard Kristen O’Neill and junior guard Kayla Burt. Borton also remains friends with Husky student assistant coach Kirsten Brockman, whom she squared off when Brockman played at Snohomish High School. * Borton is the third Washington native to suit up for Notre Dame. Kim Garrison (Mill Creek, Wash.) appeared in five games during the 1986-87 season, but did not score. More recently, Kari Hutchinson (Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) was a three-year monogram winner for the Irish, playing from 1994-98 and averaging 3.0 ppg. * Longtime Washington athletics media relations director Jim Daves spent six years as an assistant and associate sports information director at Notre Dame from 1986-92.
NOTRE DAME AGAINST THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE
The Irish have a limited history against the Pacific-10 Conference, posting a 15-14 (.517) record against the league all-time (7-3 at home). However, their recent history with the Pac-10 has been much better, as the Irish have won 12 of their last 14 games against that conference, dating back to a 93-72 loss at UCLA on March 18, 1992, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame has played six of the 10 Pac-10 member schools, holding .500 or better series records against Arizona (3-1), Arizona State (1-1), USC (6-1) and Washington (1-1). The Irish have never faced California, Oregon, Oregon State or Washington State on the hardwood. Ironically, Saturday’s opponent – Washington – is one of only two Pac-10 schools to defeat Notre Dame in the past 12 seasons. The Huskies earned an 85-74 victory last season (Dec. 7, 2003) at Bank of America Arena in Seattle. Besides that UW loss, the only other Pac-10 setback for the Irish in the past 12 years was a last-second 72-70 loss at Arizona on Nov. 24, 2001. Saturday’s game is the second of two for Notre Dame against the Pac-10 this season. The Irish defeated USC, 60-56 back on Nov. 26 in Los Angeles.
POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 169-41 (.805) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are seventh entering Saturday’s game against Washington). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 78-9 (.897) as a ranked host after opening this season with a 5-1 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 94-16 (.855) as a top-10 squad, including a 45-3 (.938) 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.
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.
PIPING HOT TURNOVERS
Notre Dame has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of its nine games this season. The Irish registered a season-high 29 takeaways on Nov. 22 against Colorado State and caused 26 turnovers in Thursday night’s victory at Dayton.
EXTENDING THE DEFENSE
In the past six games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .165 three-point percentage (15-for-91), after Irish foes were shooting .333 from beyond the arc (17-for-51) in the first three games of the season. Thursday night, 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.
PINE TIME PLAYERS
Illustrating its depth this season, Notre Dame’s reserves are averaging 17.1 points per game and outscoring their counterparts by an average of five points per night. The Irish got a season-high 33 points from their bench in Thursday’s game at Dayton, accounting for more than half of the team’s 65-point total.
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 nine games, including four separate players (Megan Duffy, Jacqueline Batteast, Crystal Erwin and Charel Allen) with team-high scoring honors in the past five games.
DIGGER AND ME
With her next victory, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw will tie Digger Phelps for the most wins ever by an Irish basketball coach (men’s or women’s). McGraw has a career record of 392-150 (.723) 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 as head coach of the Irish men’s team from 1971-91.
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 151 assists (16.8 apg.) on 235 field goals made (26.1 per game) in their first nine outings, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State. Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way, averaging 4.4 assists per game with at least five dimes in five contests this season.
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 15th nationally (as of Dec. 6), shooting 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. In fact, they set a school record by going a perfect 18-for-18 at Valparaiso, which also is 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 (.935, 43-46), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.841, 37-44) and freshman guard Charel Allen (.840, 21-25). Duffy is currently ranked 22nd in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with more than a 22-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 58 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .863 clip (158-183) on her foul shots. She also has made 51 of her last 55 free throws (.927) in the past 15 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2004.
THE DAYTON RECAP
Notre Dame had to wait a week to get back on the winning track. But the seventh-ranked Irish did it in a big way Thursday, running over Dayton 65-39 behind a 14-point performance from freshman guard Charel Allen and allowing the fewest points by an opponent this season. Notre Dame (8-1) was trying to bounce back from a 82-73 overtime loss to then-No. 15 Michigan State that snapped a 25-game home winning streak and put the first blemish on the Irish’s record this season. The well-rested Irish outran Dayton and used a pressing defense to overwhelm the Flyers, who had 26 turnovers. Both teams worked to get the ball inside, but Notre Dame dominated in the paint, outscoring Dayton 44-22. Sophomore guard Breona Gray and freshman center Melissa D’Amico scored 12 points apiece for the Irish. Cara Wright had 19 points for the Flyers. Notre Dame came out strong at the beginning of the second half, scoring six quick unanswered points to take a 28-14 lead. The Irish then went into a full-court press and began to force turnovers and make breakaway baskets. Dayton (4-4) only shot 29 percent from the field and only made one of 14 three-point attempts, missing on its final 13 long-range tries. However, Dayton put the clamps on Notre Dame’s two leading scorers. Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast, who was averaging 19.9 points a game, was held to seven. And junior guard Megan Duffy, who was posting a 14.8-point-per-game average, was limited to five. The game was a homecoming for Duffy, a Dayton native who starred at Chaminade-Julienne High School.
NOTING THE DAYTON VICTORY
* Notre Dame improves to 22-6 all-time against Dayton, tying for the second-highest win total against one opponent in school history (Marquette – 25; Detroit – 22). * The Irish have now won four in a row and seven of their last eight games against the Flyers. * Notre Dame is 56-17 (.767) all-time against current Atlantic 10 Conference members, but defeated an A-10 institution on its home floor for the first time since Jan. 5, 1995, when the Irish ousted Xavier, 72-63 in Cincinnati. * A former member of the North Star Conference, Notre Dame is now 109-23 (.826) all-time against other former NSC members, having won 21 of its last 22 games against North Star alums. * The Irish held Dayton to an opponent season-low 39 points, the fewest Notre Dame has allowed in a game since March 2, 2004, in a 54-33 win over Syracuse at the Joyce Center. * The 26-point margin of victory also is the widest for Notre Dame since a 93-58 win over No. 21/19 Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 25, 2004, also at the Joyce Center. * The Irish forced 26 turnovers Thursday night, the sixth time in nine games this year Notre Dame has come with 20-or-more takeaways. * Notre Dame also held UD to an opponent season-low .288 field goal percentage. * Notre Dame is 3-0 on the road this season, after opening last year with 0-4 and 1-7 marks in true road contests. * The Irish freshmen class also made an impact, scoring 31 points and shooting .609 from the floor (14-for-23). Freshman center Melissa D’Amico set a season high with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting, while freshman guard Tulyah Gaines added a personal-best five points. * Sophomore guard Breona Gray tied her career high with 12 points, matching the total she set earlier this season on Nov. 14 vs. Nebraska. * Sophomore guard Susie Powers collected a career-high six rebounds and added three assists (she has nine assists and two turnovers this year). * Junior guard Megan Duffy logged a game-high five assists, the fifth time this season she has had a five-assist night. * Duffy also had four steals, giving her a team-high 23 thefts this season (2.56 per game).
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 84-7 (.923) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame has added seven wins to that count this season (Illinois State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso and Dayton).
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 134-6 (.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 and Dayton.
… 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 210 games over the past nine seasons, which stands as the eighth-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 118 of their last 128 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 52 of their last 55 non-BIG EAST contests (.945) 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 268-71 (.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. 6 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 14th in the nation with an average of 4,873 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 55 of the past 57 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 (Saturday), 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): * Dec. 11 vs. Washington – Notre Dame women’s basketball glow balls (first 2,000 fans) * 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: MARQUETTE
The Irish will take the next eight days off for final exams before getting back in action Sunday, Dec. 19 with a 1 p.m. (CT) game at Marquette. Please note: this tip time is earlier than all previous schedules have listed, a change that was necessitated by the NFL’s decision to move the Green Bay Packers’ game vs. Jacksonville to a late-afternoon kickoff. Marquette (5-2) has lost its last two games since opening the season with five consecutive victories. The Golden Eagles picked up four of those first five wins at home, including a 78-64 conquest of Wisconsin on Dec. 1. However, UW-Green Bay handed Marquette its first loss three days later (69-51 in Green Bay), with the Golden Eagles then falling at Iowa, 78-72 on Wednesday night. Marquette will visit Rhode Island Saturday before breaking for eight days prior to its matchup with Notre Dame. The Irish own a 25-4 edge against Marquette in their series, which is the longest continuous rivalry in Notre Dame women’s basketball history. With the exception of the 1984-85 season, the teams have played one another at least once every year since the Irish achieved varsity status in 1977-78. Notre Dame has won eight in a row and 24 of its last 25 games against Marquette, and the Irish have a 9-3 record when playing in Milwaukee. Last season, the Irish pulled out a 72-64 victory at the Joyce Center on New Year’s Day behind 18 points and seven assists from Megan Duffy.