Nov. 26, 2007
Game Notes Package in PDF Format
2007-08 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 6
#22/24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1 / 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Canisius Golden Griffins (3-1 / 0-0 MAAC)
DATE: November 27, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
AT: Notre Dame, Ind. – Joyce Center (11,418)
SERIES: First meeting
RADIO: ESPN Radio 1490 AM/UND.com (Sean Stires, p-b-p)
TV: UND.com
LIVE STATS: UND.com
TICKETS: (574) 631-7356
Storylines
- Notre Dame is coming off back-to-back 30-point wins for the first time since March 2001.
- Canisius is the second of three first-time opponents on this year’s Irish schedule.
No. 22/24 Irish Continue Homestand Tuesday Against Canisius
After a matchup with a familiar face in its last outing, No. 22/24 Notre Dame will see a brand-new opponent on Tuesday when it plays host to Canisius in a 7 p.m. (ET) contest at the Joyce Center. The Irish will be playing their second first-time opponent of the season, and will look to continue their recent run of success against new opponents, having won 10 in a row and 15 of the past 16 against first-time foes.
Notre Dame is coming off its third home win in as many tries this season, rolling past Boston College, 88-58 this past Saturday at the Joyce Center. The Irish opened the game on an 18-4 run and never looked back in handing the Eagles their worst loss in the 16-game series. Notre Dame also rang up a season-high 21 steals, its largest total in nearly a decade.
Junior guard Lindsay Schrader led another balanced offensive attack for the Irish with team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Charel Allen added 15 points, a career-high eight assists and five steals for Notre Dame, which had five players score in double figures for the second consecutive game.
Rankings
- Notre Dame is ranked 22nd in this week’s Associated Press poll and was 24th in last week’s ESPN/USA Today poll.
- Canisius is not ranked.
A Quick Look At The Fighting Irish
Even after a 20-12 record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006-07, Notre Dame still continues to fly below the national radar. Head coach Muffet McGraw wouldn’t want it any other way.
Last year, the Irish learned quickly that respect is something that isn’t handed to you, but rather earned on the court. It’s also a quality that takes time to develop and doesn’t come from trophy cases or record books. So although Notre Dame was tabbed fifth in the preseason BIG EAST Conference balloting, it’s not a great concern to McGraw and her charges. Instead, they focus on the things they can control and prefer to let the outside world judge them when the season is over.
This year could prove to be unlike any in recent memory for Notre Dame. For one, the Irish will roll out some impressive depth, going virtually two-deep at every floor position. In addition, Notre Dame’s new offensive system (a Princeton-based set with four guards and a post) continues to evolve, building upon last year’s 70.1 point-per-game average that was its highest since the 2000-01 NCAA national championship season.
Senior guard Charel Allen is the top returning scorer and rebounder for the Irish, leading the team in both categories last year (17.0 ppg., 6.2 rpg.). She also was a first-team all-BIG EAST and WBCA honorable mention All-America selection, and was a finalist for the 2007 USA U21 World Championship Team that struck gold this past summer in Moscow.
Allen’s backcourt partner and classmate is point guard Tulyah Gaines. Now in her second full season at the helm of the Notre Dame offense, the speedy Gaines averaged 9.6 points per game along with team highs of 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. She also is a two-year team captain who commands instant respect from teammates, coaches and opponents.
The Irish will benefit from the return of junior guard Lindsay Schrader, who missed the entire 2006-07 season with a torn ACL in her right knee. Schrader, who retains three years of athletic eligibility, was Notre Dame’s second-leading scorer (10.5 ppg.) and top rebounder (5.4 rpg.) as a rookie in 2005-06 and will look to regain that form this season.
Last year saw Notre Dame break new ground by becoming the first school ever to put three players on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Guards Ashley Barlow (10.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and Melissa Lechlitner (6.3 ppg., 2.7 apg.) will provide a superb complement to the veteran Allen-Gaines tandem, while center Erica Williamson (6.1 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.3 bpg.) showed flashes of potential throughout her rookie season and is poised for increased development this year.
Headlining a three-player freshman class (ranked 11th nationally by Blue Star Basketball) is Devereaux Peters, a smooth 6-2 forward who was a consensus All-American as a senior last year at national powerhouse Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill. Fellow post Becca Bruszewski (Valparaiso, Ind.) finished third in last season’s Indiana Miss Basketball voting and was a perennial all-state pick. And, guard Brittany Mallory (Baltimore, Md.) offers a perimeter shooting threat, as well as a cerebral player who will mesh well in the Irish offensive system.
A Quick Look At Canisius
The past three seasons have seen some of the most impressive growth in the Canisius women’s basketball program since the Golden Griffins elevated to NCAA Division I status in 1986-87. With three consecutive winning seasons, including a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2004-05, the bar has been set for all future teams at the Buffalo-based school.
Canisius is off to a 3-1 start this season, coming back from an opening-night loss at nationally-ranked West Virginia (76-49), with three consecutive victories over Colgate, Binghamton and Buffalo. The latter contest (a 70-62 CC win) was the first of a five-game road trip for the Golden Griffins, who will visit Wright State this weekend before opening MAAC play at Rider and Loyola (Md.) next week.
Canisius has made its living at the three-point line and this season appears to be no exception. The Golden Griffins have made at least one three-point field goal in 394 consecutive games (dating back to Jan. 1994), owning the longest active three-point streak in the nation and only 14 games shy of Cleveland State’s record of 408 games that ended in February 2007.
Junior guard Amanda Cavo has been the top player for Canisius this season, averaging 14.8 points per game with a .364 field goal percentage (including a team-high 12 three-pointers). The 2006 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Cavo tossed in a game-high 16 points (5-of-8 3FG) in last Saturday’s win at Buffalo.
Sophomore guard Brittane Russell is second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg.) while setting the pace for the Golden Griffins with 4.5 assists and a staggering 5.75 steals per game. Russell had nine steals in the win over Colgate, before chalking up 15 points and seven steals against Buffalo.
Head coach Terry Zeh is in his fourth season at Canisius, sporting a 58-36 (.617) record with the Golden Griffins. Tuesday will be his first-ever matchup with Notre Dame as a head coach, although he did see the Irish men’s basketball team three times while an assistant coach at Canisius from 1997-2004 (ND won all three games in that time, two of which were played at the Joyce Center).
The Notre Dame-Canisius Series
Notre Dame will be facing Canisius for the first time in women’s basketball on Tuesday night.
Other Notre Dame-Canisius Series Tidbits
- Canisius is the second of three first-time opponents on Notre Dame’s schedule this year. Back on Nov. 13, the Irish defeated Western Kentucky, 78-59 in the first-ever matchup between those two programs.
- Canisius will be the 175th different opponent in the 31-year history of Irish women’s basketball. Notre Dame is scheduled to take on a third first-time opponent on Dec. 29, when Saint Francis (Pa.) comes to the Joyce Center.
- Notre Dame is 35-5 (.875) against first-time opponents since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96, including an active 14-game home win streak against new opposition. In addition, the Irish are 15-1 (.938) vs. new teams since the start of the 2000-01 season (8-0 at home) with a current 10-game overall winning streak.
- Notre Dame is 40-3 (.929) all-time against New York schools, including a 21-0 record at home. Canisius is one of three Empire State institutions on this year’s Irish schedule, with trips to Syracuse (Feb. 16) and St. John’s (March 3) still to come.
- While Tuesday will be their first meeting in the sport of women’s basketball, Notre Dame and Canisius have met often in men’s basketball, with the Irish owning a 19-4 series lead on the Golden Griffins, including a 7-0 record at home. The most recent matchup between the schools occurred on Dec. 22, 2002, when Notre Dame downed Canisius, 93-75 at the Joyce Center behind 25 points from Matt Carroll (now with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats) and a career-high 23 points from Dan Miller.
- Other sports in which the Irish have played head-to-head against Canisius include: men’s ice hockey (ND swept six games from 1987-88 to 1990-91); men’s lacrosse (ND swept four games from 1990-94); women’s lacrosse (ND won both series matchups, played in each of the past two seasons); softball (ND won lone meeting, 15-0 at 1998 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.); and men’s swimming & diving (ND won only matchup, 172-53 on Jan. 28, 2005 in Cleveland, Ohio).
- Canisius senior forward Marie Warner (sitting out this year after transferring from Utah) is the only Golden Griffins player who has faced Notre Dame before. While at Utah in 2005-06, she played five minutes and took one shot in a 68-55 loss to the Irish in the Duel in the Desert (Gray Division) championship game in Las Vegas.
Notre Dame vs. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Irish are 5-0 all-time against current Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) teams, although this will be just the second time Notre Dame has matched up against a school from that league since 1992.
Canisius is the third MAAC team ever to play at the Joyce Center, but the second in three seasons. On Nov. 29, 2005, the Irish downed Iona, 74-55, in what was head coach Muffet McGraw’s 700th game at Notre Dame (although she missed that contest due to illness).
The only other MAAC team to visit South Bend was Loyola (Md.), which dropped an 84-49 decision to the Irish on Dec. 21, 1991. Notre Dame is 2-0 all-time against both the Greyhounds and Iona, as well as 1-0 against Fairfield. Curiously, of the five previous Irish encounters with the MAAC, only the first Iona contest (Dec. 19, 1980 — a 69-65 Irish win in Philadelphia) took place prior to the arrival of head coach Muffet McGraw in 1987.
A November To Remember
Notre Dame’s success during the past 13 years has been aided by its ability to get off to a good start. To wit — the Irish are 49-11 (.817) in November games since they joined the BIG EAST Conference in time for the 1995-96 season. In addition, Notre Dame has won 31 of its last 39 games during the year’s penultimate month.
Thirty Deeds
Three of Notre Dame’s four wins this season have come by at least 30 points, while the Irish held a 32-point lead midway through the second half of the fourth victory (a 78-59 conquest of Western Kentucky on Nov. 13). This marks the first time in school history that Notre Dame has fashioned three 30-point wins in its first five games.
It’s also the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Irish have logged at least three 30-point wins in a single season. And, the back-to-back 30-point wins over Central Michigan (94-41) and Boston College (88-58) are the first for Notre Dame since March 17 & 19, 2001, when it defeated Alcorn State (98-49) and Michigan (88-54) at the Joyce Center in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
That 2000-01 Irish squad — which went on to win the program’s first national championship — holds the school record with 10 30-point victories.
Put A Tiger In Your Tank
Less than two seasons after posting the program’s lowest scoring output (64.5 ppg) since 1980-81, Notre Dame has reversed that trend in a big way.
The Irish currently lead the BIG EAST Conference in scoring at 83.4 points per game, having tallied at least 78 points in each of their four wins. What’s more, Notre Dame also has the second-highest scoring average after five games in program history, topped only by the 1998-99 squad (85.8 ppg.), which went on to post a single-season school record with an 81.0-ppg. scoring average.
Notre Dame also ranks second in the conference in scoring margin, outpointing its opposition by 26.8 points per night.
Spreading The Wealth
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s squad this season is its balance and depth. That’s been particularly evident through the first seven games of the season (counting the exhibitions), with six different players from all five floor positions and all four classes leading the team in scoring.
Sophomore center Erica Williamson set the pace in the exhibition opener vs. Southern Indiana, before senior point guard Tulyah Gaines shouldered the scoring load in the second exhibition vs. Hillsdale. Junior 3-guard Lindsay Schrader claimed top scoring honors in the season opener against Miami (Ohio), while sophomore shooting guard Ashley Barlow was the leading scorer in the win over Western Kentucky. Senior shooting guard Charel Allen took her turn at the front of the Irish scoring train with 16 points at No. 3 Maryland before freshman power forward Becca Bruszewski dropped in a game-high 13 points at Central Michigan. Schrader became the first repeat team scoring leader with her 16 points against Boston College this past Saturday.
This trend also extends to the rebounding column, where five different Notre Dame players have led the club in rebounding thus far — senior center Melissa D’Amico (USI), freshman forward Devereaux Peters (Hillsdale/WKU), Williamson (Miami-Ohio), Schrader (Maryland/Boston College) and Barlow (Central Michigan).
Double Trouble
Another example of Notre Dame’s balance this season is seen in its point distribution. No fewer than nine of the 11 Irish players on this year’s roster have scored in double figures at least once this season, with only sophomore center Erica Williamson and senior guard Amanda Tsipis yet to crack the 10-point mark.
Protecting The Pill
Notre Dame has gotten off to a strong start this season, thanks in large part to its ability to take care of the basketball. The Irish are averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game and have yet to commit more than 15 giveaways this year. On the flip side, Notre Dame is forcing 23.8 turnovers per night, resulting in a BIG EAST Conference-best +12.2 turnover margin (a full +5.2 better than second-place Connecticut).
The Irish took ball protection to a new level in their loss at No. 3 Maryland on Nov. 16. Notre Dame set a school record with only three turnovers against the Terrapins, with two of those giveaways coming on offensive fouls. The previous school record for fewest turnovers was six, set on Feb. 12, 2006 at DePaul.
With only three turnovers, it’s probably comes as no surprise that Maryland did not register a steal against Notre Dame. However, what is surprising is that it was the first time in the 31-year history of the Irish program that an opponent did not record a steal against Notre Dame. Several opponents had only one steal vs. the Irish, with the most recent being Boston College on March 19, 2006 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (played at West Lafayette, Ind.).
Keeping It On The Plus Side
Notre Dame has registered a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in four of its five games this season, only finding the red in its Nov. 13 win over Western Kentucky (12 assists, 15 turnovers).
For the year, the Irish rank second in the BIG EAST with a 1.47 assist-to-turnover ratio, trailing only second-ranked Connecticut (1.64). Notre Dame also has assisted on exactly half of its 170 field goals this year, ranking fifth in the conference with 17.00 assists per game.
Off And Running
Notre Dame has wasted little time in jumping ahead of its opponents this season. In three of their four wins, the Irish have opened up a double-digit lead less than seven minutes into the game, while a 20-0 run late in the first half at Central Michigan put that victory on ice as well.
Even in its lone defeat at third-ranked Maryland, Notre Dame made a statement early with a 10-0 run in the first five minutes of action and led by as many as five points in the first half before the Terrapins rallied back for the win.
(Nearly) Crowded House
Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain for Notre Dame’s Dec. 2 home game against Michigan at the Joyce Center. Should those remaining tickets get snapped up, it would mark the fourth sellout in program history and the first since Dec. 31, 2005, when a capacity crowd of 11,418 fans watched the Irish battle top-ranked Tennessee to the wire before falling, 62-51.
Even if not another ticket is sold for the Michigan game, it already will go down as the fourth-largest crowd in school history and the fourth audience of 10,000 fans in the Notre Dame women’s basketball record books.
Polling Station
Notre Dame is ranked 22nd in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, climbing one spot from the previous survey.
Notre Dame now has been ranked in the AP poll for 143 weeks during the program’s history, with every one of those appearances coming in the Muffet McGraw era. McGraw now ranks 14th among all active NCAA Division I head coaches for weeks in the AP poll, and with this week’s poll selection, she moves into sole possession of 25th place all-time in that category, breaking a tie with retired Colorado mentor Ceal Barry.
The Irish also appeared in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll for the second consecutive week on Nov. 20, checking in at No. 24 after debuting 25th in the previous poll. The newest edition of that poll will debut hours before Notre Dame tips off with Canisius Tuesday night.
No Easy Road
Notre Dame has always played a difficult schedule, using it as a means of preparation for future tests in both the BIG EAST Conference and the postseason. However, this year’s slate could be one of the more rugged ones in recent memory.
With the addition of third-ranked Maryland to the docket in the Preseason WNIT semifinals, the Irish now will face four of the top five teams (including the top three) in the latest Associated Press poll. Still to come this season are No. 1 Tennessee (Jan. 5 at the Joyce Center), No. 2 Connecticut (Jan. 27 at the Joyce Center) and No. 5 Rutgers (Feb. 19 in Piscataway, N.J.). The top three teams in the poll have combined to win three of the past four national championships, with Tennessee currently holding the hardware.
Leave The Driving To Us
The Nov. 20 game at Central Michigan was the first of only four road contests for the Irish prior to the end of the calendar year. Even more notable — all four road games will be played no further than 200 miles from the Notre Dame campus, either within the state of Indiana or in neighboring states (Michigan or Ohio).
Irish Fans Crave A Big Mac Attack
Notre Dame has introduced a new promotion this season, offering fans a coupon for a free Big Mac from South Bend-area McDonald’s restaurants if the Irish score at least 88 points in a game. The coupons are issued at the Joyce Center gates as fans leave the arena following the game.
This season’s burger watch already is at four, as the Irish have hit the 88-point mark in exhibition wins over Southern Indiana and Hillsdale, as well as regular-season victories over Miami (Ohio) and Boston College.
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 (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. 27 vs. Canisius — Elvis Night (Elvis will be taking photos with fans on concourse beginning 75 minutes before tipoff; don’t miss a special halftiime performance from the “King of Rock and Roll”) … Golden Domer Night ($3 tickets for all senior citizens) … Irish women’s basketball drinking glasses to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Coca-Cola and Legends of Notre Dame restaurant … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Notre Dame players.
- Dec. 2 vs. Michigan — Take A Kid To The Game Day ($3 tickets for all kids) … Girl Scout Day … Clancy’s Kids Club Day (free admission to Kids Club members and up to three guests) … Irish women’s basketball sophomore/junior trading cards to first 1,000 fans, courtesy of WBND-TV … post-game autograph session courtside with selected Notre Dame players.
Next Game: Michigan
Notre Dame wraps up its three-game homestand Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET) when it plays host to Michigan at the Joyce Center. The Irish and Wolverines will be facing off for the third consecutive season, with Notre Dame winning each of the past two years to take an 8-6 lead in the series.
Michigan (4-1) is coming off a third-place finish at the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament last weekend. After a 67-43 loss to Iowa State in their tourney opener, the Wolverines bounced back with an 80-43 win over Belmont in the consolation game. UM will travel to No. 13 Texas A&M Thursday night before venturing to South Bend.
— ND —