Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Jacqueline Batteast Named BIG EAST Women's Basketball Player Of The Week

Dec. 29, 2003

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior forward Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend, Ind./Washington HS) has been selected as the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. It’s the first time Batteast has won the award in her three-year Irish career, although she was a six-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week in 2001-02 and subsequently was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.

Batteast, a two-time all-BIG EAST selection, rang up her third double-double of the season on Dec. 22 against USC, finishing with a game-high 20 points and a season-best 13 rebounds. She also registered four assists and three steals without a turnover as Notre Dame led virtually wire-to-wire in a 73-62 win over the Women of Troy. It was Batteast’s second 20-point game and fourth double-digit rebounding game of the year.

For the season, the preseason All-American leads the Irish and ranks among the Top 15 in the BIG EAST in scoring (10th – 16.0 ppg.), rebounding (5th – 7.8 rpg.), steals (10th – 1.89 spg.), blocks (4th – 1.56 bpg.) and assist/turnover ratio (15th – 1.33). In addition, she now is only 53 points away from becoming the 20th player in school history to record 1,000 career points and her 14.1 ppg. career scoring average is the sixth-best mark in Irish record book.

Batteast won’t have to wait long to debut as the BIG EAST Player of the Week, as she and her Notre Dame teammates take the court Monday night in Fort Collins, Colo., against Colorado State. Tipoff time from Moby Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET in South Bend) and the game can be heard in the South Bend area on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1620) and worldwide on Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com).

– ND –