Feb. 14, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the fourth time this season, and the fifth time in her career, Notre Dame senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend, Ind./Washington HS) has been selected as the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The 6-foot-2 wing also was tapped for the honor on Nov. 22, Dec. 20 and Jan. 24, and she is the first player this season to be named BIG EAST Player of the Week four times.
In addition, Batteast is only the second Notre Dame player ever to garner the league’s top weekly award four times in the same season, joining 2001 consensus National Player of the Year Ruth Riley, who also earned four awards in 2000-01. Batteast’s five career BIG EAST Player of the Week selections tie her with Katryna Gaither (1993-97) for the second-most in school history — Riley had nine from 1997-2001.
Batteast averaged 21.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last week, as the Irish stretched their winning streak to a season-long nine games. At Providence on Feb. 9, she posted her sixth double-double of the year (38th of her career) with game highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-57 Notre Dame victory. Three days later at home against Georgetown, she rolled up a game-best 20 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists as the Irish led all the way in a 72-58 conquest of the Hoyas. In that game, Batteast also moved into fourth place on Notre Dame’s career scoring list with 1,765 points, passing former teammate Alicia Ratay (1,763 points from 1999-2003).
For the season, Batteast is second in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.0 ppg.), and also ranks among the conference leaders in rebounding (10th – 6.6 rpg.), assists (14th – 3.04 apg.), free throw percentage (2nd – .829), double-doubles (6th – 6) and 20-point games (2nd – 10).
Notre Dame (22-3, 10-2 BIG EAST), which currently holds a slim half-game lead in the conference standings with two weeks to go in the regular season, returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Boston College for a 7 p.m. (ET) contest. That game will be broadcast nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV), which is available on most cable systems as well as DirecTV (Channel 610). In addition, viewers in the South Bend market will be able to watch the game live on WHME-TV (Channel 46).
— ND —