Feb. 7, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second time this season, junior guard Natalie Novosel (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic) has been named to the BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll, the league office announced Monday. Novosel, who previously garnered an Honor Roll citation on Nov. 29, was one of five players chosen for this week’s honor (also the second of her career), which recognizes outstanding weekly achievements by conference players who are not chosen as the BIG EAST Player of the Week.
In two games last week, Novosel averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as Notre Dame stretched its current winning streak to seven games with BIG EAST victories over No. RV/25 Syracuse (71-48) and at South Florida (76-68).
Last Tuesday against Syracuse, Novosel tallied 13 points, four rebounds and three steals as the Fighting Irish chalked up their third win over a ranked opponent in a two-week span. On Saturday night at USF, Novosel led the way for Notre Dame with 19 points (including 12 in the second half) and a career-high-tying eight rebounds as the Fighting Irish beat back a stubborn Bulls squad.
Novosel currently leads Notre Dame in scoring at 15.0 points per game, tripling her scoring average from a year ago. She also is tied for the team lead with 49 steals (2.0 spg.), is second in three-point percentage (.358) and third in both assists (2.2 apg.) and free throw percentage (.783). She also ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in scoring (eighth), free throw percentage (seventh) and steals (10th).
Novosel is the third different Fighting Irish player to cop multiple BIG EAST weekly honors for Notre Dame this season, joining senior forward Devereaux Peters (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick), who is a three-time Honor Roll selection, and sophomore guard Skylar Diggins (South Bend, Ind./Washington), who has earned that distinction twice this year. That trio also highlights the exceptional balance on this year’s Fighting Irish roster, which has featured at least one conference weekly award recipient from all four classes — freshman forward Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ontario/St. Mary’s Catholic) was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Dec. 13.
No. 8 Notre Dame returns to the hardwood at 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday when it welcomes Seton Hall to Purcell Pavilion — tickets are still on sale through Notre Dame’s Murnane Family Ticket Office, open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) weekdays at Gate 9 of Purcell Pavilion and by phone at (574) 631-7356, or through the official Notre Dame athletics ticketing web site (www.UND.com/tickets). The game will be webcast live and free of charge worldwide on the Internet at www.UND.com, and it also can be heard live on the radio in the Michiana area on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1).
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s basketball Twitter pages (www.twitter.com/ndwbbsid or www.twitter.com/notredamewbb) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the sidebar on the women’s basketball page at UND.com.
— ND —