Irish Visit USC For Thanksgiving Weekend Matchup

Nov. 22, 2006

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2006-07 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 4
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1 / 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. USC Women of Troy (1-2 / 0-0 Pac-10)

Storylines

• Each of the three prior Notre Dame-USC games in Los Angeles have been close, decided by 8.3 points per game.
• The Irish continue to show good offensive balance, with eight of 11 active players having scored in double figures this season.

Irish Visit USC For Thanksgiving Weekend Matchup
Exactly 24 hours before Notre Dame and USC take the gridiron at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a semi-important football game, the two schools will battle it out on the hardwood, when the Irish and Women of Troy square off in a 5 p.m. (PT) contest at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. It will be the third time Notre Dame has visited USC for a women’s basketball game the night before a football game, with the Irish winning both hoops contests, but the Trojans taking the grid decisions.

Notre Dame is coming off an 87-67 victory over Western Michigan on Sunday afternoon at the Joyce Center. The Irish pulled away from the Broncos with a 36-16 game-ending run, bolstered by a .682 second-half field goal percentage. Notre Dame also forced an opponent season-high 24 turnovers, 15 coming on steals.

Freshman guard Ashley Barlow scored 14 of her 17 points after halftime, pacing five Irish players in double figures. Junior center Melissa D’Amico added 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior forward Crystal Erwin tallied 14 points for Notre Dame.

Rankings

• Notre Dame is not ranked.
• USC is receiving votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls.

Web Sites

• Notre Dame: http://www.und.com
• USC: http://www.usctrojans.com
• BIG EAST: http://www.bigeast.org
• Pac-10: http://www.pac-10.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 596-267 (.691).

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

• 20th season at Notre Dame
• 432-168 (.720) at Notre Dame.
• 520-209 (.713) in 25 years as head coach.

NOTES

• 2001 consensus National Coach of the Year
• Four-time Naismith Coach of the Year finalist
• Four-time conference Coach of the Year
• BIG EAST Conference (2001)
• Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1991)
• North Star Conference (1988)
• East Coast Conference (@ Lehigh) (1983)

A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
A large majority of college basketball programs would be pleased with an 18-12 record and an 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Then again, those programs aren’t Notre Dame.

The Irish players and coaches alike feel dissatisfied with last season’s performance, which started well with a 9-2 non-conference record and a top-15 national ranking, but ended with an NCAA first-round loss to Boston College. Along the way, Notre Dame also posted an 8-8 record in the rugged BIG EAST Conference, collected three victories over ranked opponents, and won the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas with a convincing victory over eventual NCAA regional finalist Utah (68-55).

The Irish know they will face a host of challenges in 2006-07, with hurdles that include replacing All-America point guard Megan Duffy, tackling a schedule that features 16 postseason qualifiers (and 11 NCAA Tournament participants), and most recently, dealing with the season-ending knee injury to sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader. The Bartlett, Ill., product was slated to be Notre Dame’s top returning scorer this season, having carded 10.5 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game during her rookie campaign.

However, this year’s Irish squad already may be living up to the phrase “expect the unexpected.” When many outside observers dismissed Notre Dame’s chances, the players and coaches have pulled even closer, with team chemistry and cohesion becoming the single greatest strength the Irish will possess in 2006-07. In fact, between seven other returning monogram winners and four other players with significant starting experience, not to mention four talented freshmen, those who want to write off Notre Dame before the season even starts may do so at their peril.

Junior guard Charel Allen (8.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.) takes over as the top returning scorer for the Irish. The Monessen, Pa., resident spent much of last season working her way back to 100 percent after a March 2005 knee injury, saving her strongest efforts for the final month of the season, averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in the season’s last 11 games.

Allen’s backcourt mate and fellow junior, Tulyah Gaines (4.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg., 1.7 apg.), assumes the mantle of court leadership for Notre Dame as both a team co-captain and the new starting point guard. Like her classmate, Gaines was very sharp down the stretch in 2005-06, averaging 8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio in the final six games of the year.

A third junior, center Melissa D’Amico, will seek to anchor the Irish post game. Standing 6-foot-5, the Manorville, N.Y., native started 17 times last season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while ranking eighth in the BIG EAST in blocked shots (1.17 bpg.). She also owned a solid .468 field goal percentage and named the MVP of the Duel in the Desert (and subsequently the BIG EAST Player of the Week) after collecting 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with an .824 field goal percentage in the two-game tourney.

Complementing the Notre Dame veterans is a freshman class that was ranked 21st in the nation by All-Star Girls Report. Guards Melissa Lechlitner and Ashley Barlow finished second and third, respectively, in the 2006 Indiana Miss Basketball voting, with Barlow winning MVP honors for the 2006 Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series after scoring 20.0 points per game. Meanwhile, 6-3 forward Danielle Ben-Tsvulun is a two-time all-area pick out of Fort Wayne, Ind., while 6-4 center Erica Williamson averaged a double-double (10.0 ppg., 10.4 rpg.) in her final two prep seasons, winning state titles in two different states during that time.

Potent Notables About The Irish

• Notre Dame is among the nation’s winningest programs during the past 11 seasons (1996-97 to present), ranking seventh with 250 victories in that span.
• Notre Dame’s incoming class of 2007 (announced Nov. 8) has been ranked 11th in the nation by Blue Star Basketball, marking the 11th consecutive season that the Irish have had a top-25 recruiting class. Notre Dame is one of only three schools (along with Connecticut and Tennessee) to have an active streak of that length. A thumbnail sketch of the newest Irish signees can be found on page 8 of these notes.
• After ranking 11th in the nation in attendance last season (6,601 fans per game), Notre Dame is at it again, averaging 6,198 fans through its first three home games this year. Last season marked the sixth consecutive campaign the Irish have ranked among the national top 20 in attendance. Notre Dame also has attracted 5,000-or-more fans to 81 of its last 83 home games, including three Joyce Center sellouts of 11,418 (most recently on Dec. 31, 2005 vs. Tennessee).
• For the sixth time in school history, Notre Dame has been selected to host NCAA Tournament action, as the Joyce Center will be the site of NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games in 2010. In four of the five previous instances, Notre Dame was involved in NCAA Tournament play, going 6-1 all-time and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 three times (2000, 2001, 2004), with only a first-round loss to Minnesota in 1994 blotting the resume. Notre Dame also hosted the 1983 NCAA Mideast Regional at the Joyce Center, with Georgia defeating Tennessee, 67-63 in the regional final.
• The Irish have become a regular fixture in the WNBA Draft in recent years, as six Notre Dame players have been selected in the past six seasons. All-America guard Megan Duffy was the most recent Irish player to be chosen, going to the Minnesota Lynx in the third round (31st overall pick) of the 2006 WNBA Draft. Other active Notre Dame players in the WNBA during the 2006 season included Ruth Riley and Jacqueline Batteast (league champion Detroit Shock), while Niele Ivey sat out this year as a free agent, rehabilitating an injury after previously playing with Indiana, Detroit and Phoenix. Riley’s WNBA title with Detroit was her second (she was the 2003 WNBA Finals MVP), while Batteast earned her first pro crown this year.
• Notre Dame has been an elite program in the classroom as well. The Irish posted a perfect 100-percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), according to figures released by the NCAA in October 2006. Notre Dame was one of 16 Division I-A programs to achieve this distinction, and one of only two BIG EAST programs (Syracuse is the other). Furthermore, since Muffet McGraw became the Irish head coach in 1987, every Notre Dame women’s basketball player that has completed her athletic and academic eligibility at the University has graduated.

A Quick Look At USC
Nearly 25 years after building the first women’s college basketball dynasty of the NCAA era, USC hopes to rekindle some of that old magic as it builds upon back-to-back trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and adds a new on-campus arena to the mix.

The Women of Troy welcome back 11 letterwinners and four starters from last season’s 19-12 club that tied for fourth in the Pac-10 Conference and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. USC then defeated BIG EAST Conference member South Florida, 67-65 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing to eventual Final Four participant Duke, 85-51 in round two.

Injuries have been the primary storyline for USC thus far in 2006-07, as starting point guard Camille LeNoir, sharpshooting guard Brynn Cameron and standout freshman Jacki Gemelos all have been lost for the season. In addition, reliable post Jamie Funn and wing Allison Jaskowiak both have not yet played this season while recovering from off-season surgery, although Jaskowiak could see her first action on Friday vs. Notre Dame.

The Women of Troy are 1-2 this season, defeating Long Beach State, 85-50 in the grand opening of their new arena, the Galen Center, back on Nov. 10. However, USC is coming off a pair of road losses last week at South Dakota State (67-63) and No. 6 Ohio State (77-58), with foul trouble and opponent free throw shooting coming into play during both defeats.

Senior guard Shay Murphy is averaging a double-double this season (21.0 ppg., 10.7 rpg.), and posted double-doubles in both road games last week – 23 points, 14 rebounds at South Dakota State, followed by 19 points and 11 boards at Ohio State. Murphy is complemented by senior center Chloe Kerr, who averages 16.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game with a .500 field goal percentage.

Mark Trakh is in his third season as the USC head coach with a 40-25 (.615) record at the school. He has a career record of 239-148 (.618) in 14 seasons, the first 11 of which came at Pepperdine. He is 0-2 all-time vs. Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame-USC Series
Friday’s game will be the ninth in the series between Notre Dame and USC, with the Irish holding a 7-1 edge over the Women of Troy. Notre Dame also had won all three prior matchups in Los Angeles, although this year will mark the first time the Irish have played in the new Galen Center on the USC campus (previous games were played at the Los Angeles Sports Arena).

USC won the first game in the series, 69-53 on Jan. 2, 1985 on a neutral floor in Fullerton, Calif. The Irish and Women of Troy then began an annual rivalry in 1999-2000, with Notre Dame having won each of the seven contests played since then.

The Last Time Notre Dame And USC Met
Nothing came easy for Notre Dame against USC. The 13th-ranked Fighting Irish turned the ball over 20 times, struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch and scored in spurts, yet managed to beat the 24th-ranked Trojans, 73-62 on Nov. 27, 2005 at the Joyce Center.

USC trailed only 63-60 with 3:11 left, but were 1-of-9 from the field down the stretch. The drought included two air balls, and they missed front ends of two one-and-ones.

The Irish (4-0) pulled away despite missing six straight free throws in the final minutes. Freshman guard Lindsay Schrader drove end-to-end for a layup to give the Irish a 65-60 lead and start the decisive run. Senior guard Megan Duffy, who had a game-high 19 points, followed with a layup off one of her six steals. Notre Dame ended its poor shooting from the foul line, making 6-of-7 to put the game away.

Sophomore center Melissa D’Amico had (then) career highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Senior forward Courtney LaVere had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and sophomore guard Charel Allen added 13 points – both players came off the bench for the Irish.

Chloe Kerr led USC with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Camille LeNoir had 12 points, Shay Murphy had 11 and Jamie Hagiya had 10. However, USC shot just 31.9 percent from the floor in the game (23-of-72).

It was the second straight road loss for the Trojans (2-2), who were 6-7 on the road in 2004-05.

The Last Time Notre Dame And USC Met In Los Angeles
Jacqueline Batteast scored a game-high 18 points as Notre Dame overcame a sluggish performance to down USC, 60-56 on Nov. 26, 2004 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Megan Duffy added 12 points for the Irish, while Crystal Erwin, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., enjoyed a solid homecoming with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

USC had three players in double figures, led by Jamie Funn’s 13 points. Kim Gipson chipped in with 12 points, as did Shay Murphy off the bench.

Notre Dame’s defense was the story in the first half, as the Irish held the Women of Troy to 29 percent shooting and opened up a 29-20 lead. However, that edge quickly evaporated in the early moments of the second half, as USC used an 18-5 run to take a four-point lead with 13:22 to play.

The Women of Troy nudged their advantage to 45-40 at the 8:04 mark before Notre Dame came back with a 10-0 run, with Batteast contributing two layups to help put her team back in front. USC got back within 54-51 on a layup by Funn with 36 seconds remaining, but Duffy and Charel Allen combined to go 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final half minute to preserve the win. The final margin turned out to be slightly closer, thanks to USC’s Camille LeNoir, who threw in a shot from mid-court at the horn.

Other Notre Dame-USC Series Tidbits

• The three previous series games in Los Angeles have been very close, with the trio decided by a combined total of 25 points (8.3 points per game).
• The Irish are 21-51 (.292) all-time against former or current NCAA champions, with .500 or better records against USC (7-1), North Carolina (2-0) and Texas (1-1).
• Notre Dame has one California resident – senior forward Crystal Erwin (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./St. Paul HS) – on its roster. Erwin is only the fifth Notre Dame player ever to come from California, joining Christy Grady (Lodi, Calif.), Kristin Knapp (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Courtney LaVere (Ventura, Calif.) and Mickey Skieresz (Westlake Village, Calif.). Grady actually spent much of her tenure at Notre Dame as a student manager, but was pressed into service late in the 1996-97 season when injuries decimated the Irish roster.
• Although Notre Dame junior guard Tulyah Gaines graduated from Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas, Nev., she spent much of her formative years in southern California, spending her first three prep seasons at John Burroughs High School in Burbank.
• USC senior center Chloe Kerr has family ties to the South Bend area. Her father, Lloyd, and her uncle, Floyd, both grew up in the city and attended Washington High School, where they were standout basketball players. The Kerr twins went on to play collegiately at Colorado State (1967-69), and Floyd is now the athletics director at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.
• Longtime Notre Dame women’s volleyball head coach Debbie (Landreth) Brown was twice named the national player of the year while helping USC win the 1976 and ’77 national championships in women’s volleyball. She is winding down her 15th season with the Irish, piloting them to an 18-12 record and a berth in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament title match. Her team could make its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance next week when the pairings are announced. Brown also is a five-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005) and she received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in January 2003.
• Notre Dame is 20-13 (.606) all-time against California schools, but an 11-10 (.524) record away from home (road/neutral sites combined).

Notre Dame vs. The Pac-10 Conference
The Irish are 17-15 (.531) all-time against Pac-10 Conference teams, although they are 8-12 (.400) when facing that conference away from home (road/neutral combined). Notre Dame also has won 14 of its last 17 games against Pac-10 schools since a 93-72 loss to UCLA in the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament.

Last season, Notre Dame’s only Pac-10 opponent was USC, whom the Irish defeated, 73-62 on Nov. 27, 2005 at the Joyce Center.

A November To Remember
Notre Dame’s success during the past dozen years has been aided by its ability to get off to a good start. To wit – the Irish are 44-9 (.830) in November games since they joined the BIG EAST Conference in time for the 1995-96 season. In addition, Notre Dame has won 26 of its last 32 games during the year’s penultimate month, and had a 14-game November winning streak going until a 79-45 loss at Penn State on Nov. 16.

Balance Is Key, Grasshopper
Notre Dame has gotten off to one of its better scoring starts in recent memory (77.2 ppg.), thanks to contributions from numerous sources. In fact, the Irish have had eight different players score in double figures in its first four games, with junior guard Charel Allen (four times) the only player to do so more than twice.

In addition to Gaines, who scored a career-high 25 points vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 13, some of the other pleasant offensive surprises for Notre Dame this season have been: senior forward Crystal Erwin (14 points vs. Western Michigan; most points since Jan. 2005), sophomore forward Chandrica Smith (career-high 11 points vs. Central Michigan; first career double-figure game), freshman guard Ashley Barlow (19 points, 10 rebounds vs. Bowling Green; 17 points vs. Western Michigan) and freshman guard Melissa Lechlitner (11 points, including 3-of-4 three-pointers at Penn State).

The Five-Finger Discount
Notre Dame’s aggressive defense has forced 21.5 turnovers per game this season, including 13.3 steals per night. The Irish also have posted double-digit steal totals in all four games this season, with freshman guard Ashley Barlow committing the most larcenies to date (10, 2.5 per game).

Preserve And Protect
Coming off a school-record low 430 turnovers (14.3 per game) last season, Notre Dame appears to be headed in a similar direction again this year. The Irish are averaging only 16.8 giveaways through four games, including a season-low 14 turnovers at Penn State on Nov. 16. Notre Dame now has an active string of 16 consecutive games with less than 20 turnovers, dating back to a Jan. 24, 2006 loss at Rutgers (22).

40 Minutes Just Isn’t Enough
Notre Dame’s overtime win over Bowling Green was its fifth OT contest in a 19-game span, with all five games occurring in this calendar year from Jan. 10-Nov. 13, 2006 (the Irish went 3-2 in those extra-session outings).

This recent rash of overtime games was unusual for Notre Dame when you consider the following – prior to this current stretch, one has to go back 185 games to find the previous five OT games in program history. That’s basically five overtime contests in a span of nearly six years, from late in the 1999-2000 season through the middle of the ’05-06 campaign.

Reaching Another McGraw Milestone
Seems like it’s becoming an annual occurrence, but Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw hit another career coaching milestone last weekend. When the Irish defeated Western Michigan, 87-67 on Nov. 19 at the Joyce Center, McGraw coached her 600th game at Notre Dame – she has a record of 432-168 (.720) in 20 seasons under the Golden Dome.

Game #4 Recap: Western Michigan
Freshman guard Ashley Barlow scored 14 of her team-high 17 points in the second half as Notre Dame pulled away down the stretch for an 87-67 victory over Western Michigan on Nov. 19 at the Joyce Center. The Irish shot a blistering .682 from the field (15-of-22) in the second half, knocking down four of their five three-point attempts, to bounce back well from its loss at Penn State three nights earlier.

Barlow was one of five Notre Dame players to score in double figures, with junior center Melissa D’Amico chipping in 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Senior forward Crystal Erwin tallied a season-high 14 points, while junior guard Charel Allen scored 12 points and senior guard Breona Gray added 10 points, eight in a game-changing 18-2 run early in the second half.

For the game, the Irish (3-1) posted a .534 field goal percentage (31-of-58) and came with 27 assists on their 31 field goals (against just 17 turnovers). Notre Dame also connected at a season-best 87 percent from the foul line (20-of-23), including a stretch of 18 consecutive made free throws after a miss in the game’s first 75 seconds.

Western Michigan’s Carrie Moore led all scorers with 18 points, but had only two points in the second half. Moore was coming off a school-record 41-point outing at Detroit two days earlier and was averaging a gaudy 32.3 points per game entering the Notre Dame contest. Amanda Parker added 11 points, all in the second stanza, and Lindsey Brown corralled a game-high 11 rebounds for the Broncos (1-3).

Notre Dame stormed from the gate against Western Michigan, jumping out to a 14-4 lead when D’Amico scored the last of six early points in the game’s initial 5:27. The Broncos battled back to within five, but a Barlow triple hiked the Irish lead back to double figures with 8:02 to go before halftime. However, Notre Dame then went cold from the floor and WMU took advantage, going on a 13-4 surge that got the visitors back within a point. The teams then traded buckets the rest of the period, with the Irish holding on to a slim 37-36 edge at halftime.

Western Michigan continued its rally in the opening moments of the second half, as Parker canned a three-pointer 28 seconds into the frame to force the first tie of the afternoon. The Broncos took their first lead just over a minute later when Sarah Dreher hit a transition layup. It remained a one-possession contest for either side for the next three and a half minutes, with Parker tying the game at 51-51 on her third trey of the half (this one of the banked-in variety) with 14:53 remaining.

The Irish then seized control of the contest with an 18-2 run, with Gray scoring eight points during the surge. Barlow ultimately dropped the final curtain on WMU, drilling three-pointers on consecutive possessions 40 seconds apart and then adding a layup moments later to push the Notre Dame lead to 20 points, the first of four game-high margins the Irish would enjoy down the stretch.

Noting The Western Michigan Win

• Notre Dame is off to a 3-1 start (or better) for the 10th time in the past 14 seasons.
• The Irish topped the 80-point mark for the third time in four games this year, the first time they have had such a high-scoring stretch since Dec. 7-21, 2002, when they won at Arizona State (81-52), lost at DePaul (59-75), then won at home vs. Temple (84-61) and IPFW (82-54).
• Notre Dame scored 50 second-half points against Western Michigan, their first 50-point period since Jan. 16, 2005, when they hung 54 points in the opening half against Purdue at the Joyce Center.
• The Irish posted a .534 field goal percentage, its best since Jan. 4, 2006, when they shot 56 percent from the floor in a loss at St. John’s.
• Notre Dame had 31 field goals, its highest mark since Dec. 17, 2005, when they sank 32 baskets in a win over Arkansas State at the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas.
• The Irish dished out 27 assists, their highest total since Nov. 12, 2004, when they had 29 assists in a victory over Illinois State at the Joyce Center in the first round of the Preseason WNIT.
• Notre Dame shot .870 from the free throw line, their best outing from the charity stripe since Nov. 30, 2004, when they converted a school-record 18-of-18 foul shots at Valparaiso.
• The Irish had five double-digit scorers for the first time since March 4, 2006, when they also had a double-figure quintet against South Florida in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship.
• Notre Dame caused an opponent season-high 24 turnovers, the best effort by the Irish defense since Jan. 2, 2005, when it forced 24 Seton Hall turnovers.
• Freshman guard Ashley Barlow also came up with six steals, the most for an Irish player since Nov. 27, 2005, when Megan Duffy had six thefts against USC.
• Junior guard Tulyah Gaines handed out a career-high nine assists, one more than her previous best (set against Pittsburgh on Feb. 28, 2006 at the Joyce Center).

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 596-267 (.691) since making their varsity debut in 1977-78. Actually, Notre Dame spent its first three seasons at the Division III level, playing under the banner of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) before making the move to Division I status in 1980-81 (the NCAA began sponsoring a women’s basketball championship the following season). The Irish have an overall Division I record of 547-247 (.689).
• This year also represents Muffet McGraw’s 20th season as the head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame and her 25th campaign overall, including her five-year run at Lehigh (1982-87). McGraw’s record is a stellar one – she is 432-168 (.720) at the helm of the Irish and has a career record of 520-209 (.713) in her silver anniversary season on the sidelines.
• In addition, Notre Dame is celebrating the 35th anniversary of women’s athletics at the University during the 2006-07 season. All Irish women’s sports teams will hold events to commemorate this milestone during their respective seasons. What’s more, all Notre Dame women’s teams are sporting special 35th anniversary logo patches on their uniforms for the ’06-07 campaign.

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.

Notre Dame Ranked 11th In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches’ Poll

According to a preseason survey of the BIG EAST Conference coaches, Notre Dame is expected to 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, just ahead of regular-season champion Rutgers (215 points, five first-place votes). The BIG EAST sent 11 of 16 teams to the postseason last year, including seven NCAA Tournament participants (of which Notre Dame was one).

The Irish are beginning their 12th season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference in 2006-07. The Irish have gone 145-39 (.788) all-time in regular-season conference games, posting the best winning percentage in league history. Connecticut is second with a .783 success rate. 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 111-10 (.917) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead, including wins in 39 of their last 43 such contests. Twice this year, Notre Dame has led at the break, going on to win both times (Central Michigan and Western Michigan).

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 159-9 (.946) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game.

…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 94-3 (.969) 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 three times this season, winning on each occasion (vs. Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Western Michigan).

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 138 of their last 154 games (.896) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center, including winning streaks of 51 and 25 games in that span. Notre Dame also has a 80-12 (.870) 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 60 of their last 64 non-BIG EAST contests (.938) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the 1994-95 season. Three 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) and Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 OT), with the fourth 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 288-77 (.789) 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, including a No. 11 rating in 2005-06 (6,601 fans per game). This season, the Irish are averaging 6,198 fans in their first three home contests.

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 81 of their last 83 home games, including 14 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).

Oh Captain, My Captain
Senior guard Breona Gray and junior guard Tulyah Gaines will serve as team captains for the 2006-07 season. Both players are serving as captains for the first time in their respective 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 10 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 72 televised games, including 46 that were broadcast nationally.

Notre Dame made its 2006-07 television debut Nov. 16 when its road opener at Penn State aired live on College Sports Television (CSTV). That was the first of three Irish women’s basketball broadcasts for the national cable network, with the second coming Jan. 23 at Marquette (7 p.m. CT tip) and the third coming in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26 at DePaul (8 p.m. CT). The latter two contests are part of the BIG EAST-CSTV Game of the Week package, now in its second season. Counting the Penn State contest, CSTV now has aired 12 Notre Dame women’s basketball games during the past five seasons, with the first being that network’s inaugural broadcast of any sport (a Feb. 2003 game at Connecticut).

The Irish also are scheduled to make two appearances on the ESPN family of networks, beginning with a Feb. 4 home game against West Virginia that will be broadcast live on ESPNU and will start at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The following Sunday (Feb. 11), Notre Dame will play host to DePaul for a 5:30 p.m. (ET) game that will air on ESPN2 as part of that network’s “February Frenzy” split-national coverage designed to preview a similar coverage pattern for the NCAA Tournament. During the past six seasons, Notre Dame has appeared on the ESPN family of networks 28 times, averaging nearly five telecasts per year on “The Worldwide Leader in Sports”.

In addition, Notre Dame will play in five regionally-televised games this season. The first of those will come Dec. 6, when the Irish welcome Purdue to the Joyce Center for a 7 p.m. (ET) game that will air live on Comcast Local (based in Detroit). On Dec. 30, Notre Dame will venture to Tennessee for a 2 p.m. (ET) contest at Thompson-Boling Arena that can be seen live on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. And, on Jan. 27, the Irish will visit Connecticut for a 7 p.m. (ET) matchup that will be carried live on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV).

Notre Dame will appear twice on the BIG EAST-Regional Sports Network (RSN) package this season with contests at South Florida (Jan. 13, noon ET) and home against Rutgers (Feb. 24, noon ET). SportsNet New York will serve as the flagship for the BIG EAST package, with additional clearances to be announced at a later date.

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 To 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 new free service is limited to those home games which have not already been selected for television coverage by other media outlets. The Irish will make their und.com debut on Dec. 3 when they play host to Indiana at 2 p.m. (ET). The remainder of this year’s Internet video broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

Hey, Just Text Me The Score
For those Notre Dame women’s basketball fans who cannot see the Irish in person, or catch the broadcasts on the Internet, there’s still a way to keep up to date with the team’s activities this season. The 2006-07 campaign marks the debut of Irish ALERT, a free text-messaging system that provides subscribers with regular updates sent directly to their cell phone, wireless PDA or pager.

Signing up is easy – just click on the Irish ALERT link located in the right sidebar on the women’s basketball page of the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). Then go through the simple two-step process and choose the sports team categories that interest you. You will get game updates, scores, schedule updates and web site alerts sent instantly to your wireless device.

Please note: Irish ALERT is a free communication service offered by the University of Notre Dame Department of Athletics. It is SPAM free – your personal information will be kept private and it will never be shared or sold. Check your wireless provider for any additional fees that might be charged for receiving text messages.

Get It On The Notre Dame Sports Hotline
The Notre Dame Sports Hotline remains another reliable means to get information on the Irish women’s basketball team this season. Just dial (574) 631-3000, then select option #3 and sub-option #2 to get complete game recaps and other information updates. The other sport options on the Hotline are rotated regularly, so be sure to listen to the introductory message for any late-breaking changes.

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.

Women’s Basketball History On Display
In conjunction with the program’s 30th anniversary season, a photo display of great moments and players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history has been unveiled on the lower (inner) concourse of the Joyce Center, adjacent to the Gate 1 ramp leading to the arena floor. The arrangement was made possible thanks to the considerable efforts of the staff at Lighthouse Imaging of Mishawaka, Ind., led by proprietors Mike and Sue Bennett.

Danielle Green Featured On CSTV Show
Former Notre Dame women’s basketball guard Danielle Green (1995-2000) is one of the subjects of a new documentary entitled “From Ballfields to Battlefields: Stories From Iraq” that is now airing on College Sports Television (CSTV). The one-hour special is narrated by veteran actor Matthew Modine and focuses on athletes whose lives have been changed due to combat injuries suffered during the war in Iraq.

Following her graduation from Notre Dame (and a brief coaching career), Green enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq with the 571st MP Company (out of Fort Lewis, Wash.) in January 2004. Five months later, she suffered significant arm and leg injuries when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded on the roof of a Baghdad police station near where she was patrolling. She subsequently was presented with a Purple Heart and returned to the U.S. to continue her rehabilitation before being honorably discharged from the Service. Green currently resides in Chicago.

The CSTV special debuted on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and will be replayed numerous times during the next month. Consult the CSTV web site (www.cstv.com) for the exact programming schedule.

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). Please note – additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date, so consult the Notre Dame promotions web site (www.notredamepromotions.com) for the latest information:

• Nov. 28 vs. Richmond – Notre Dame women’s basketball calendars to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Waterford Estates Lodge … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Irish players.
• Dec. 3 vs. Indiana – Hoosier State Game of the Year … Clancy’s Kids Club Day (free admission to club members and three guests) … Notre Dame blinking shamrocks to first 5,000 fans, courtesy of CW 25 Michiana … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Irish players.

Next Game: Richmond
Notre Dame returns home to the Joyce Center, closing out the month of November on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. (ET) contest against Richmond. It will be just the second all-time meeting between the Irish and Spiders, with Notre Dame earning a 51-46 victory over UR on March 25, 1989 in the old National Women’s Invitation Tournament (NWIT) in Amarillo, Texas.

Richmond is 1-3 this year, winning at Fairfield in its season opener before dropping the past three contests – one of those coming at the hands of BIG EAST Conference power Connecticut (84-50 on Nov. 13). The Spiders are embarking on a five-game road trip that begins this weekend with a trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Classic Thursday and Saturday vs. Drake and Bucknell, respectively. After a brief stopover at home, UR then heads to South Bend for Tuesday’s game with the Irish before closing out its road swing at a tournament in New Orleans.