No. 6 Irish Earn First Round Bye In BIG EAST Tournament

March 1, 2000

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The sixth-ranked and second-seeded Notre Dame women’s basketball team earned a first round-bye in the 2000 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship and will face the winner of a first-round game between seventh-seeded Miami (13-14) and 10th-seeded Seton Hall (11-15).

The Irish will enter their quarterfinal matchup with an overall record of 24-3 after finishing the BIG EAST regular season with a 15-1 mark. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad had its school-record 20-game win streak (the longest in the nation at that time) snapped when it dropped a 77-59 decision to top-ranked Connecticut. Prior to the loss to the Huskies, Notre Dame had not lost since December 8, 1999 when it suffered a 71-61 setback at Purdue.

This is the seventh consecutive 20-win season for the Irish. Notre Dame reached that mark against Pittsburgh on February 9 in the 22nd game of the season. It marked the second straight year the Irish reached the 20-win plateau in its 22nd game. It is, however, the earliest a Notre Dame team has reached the 20-win mark in the program’s history. A year ago, McGraw’s team earned its 20th win of the season at Villanova on February 10, 1999.

Notre Dame played Miami twice during the regular season and beat the Hurrricanes on both occasions. In the first meeting, the Irish earned a 76-54 victory in Coral Gables and then beat Miami in the regular-season home finale 83-68. Seton Hall and Notre Dame met just once during the 1999-2000 campaign, the Irish won that contest at the Joyce Center (80-52).

Notre Dame finished the regular season 13-0 at home and own a 21-game win streak (a school record) at the Joyce Center. It is the first time the Irish have been undefeated at home. The 13 wins are a school record and mark the first time the Irish have been undefeated at home during the regular season.

After spending six weeks ranked fifth in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today rankings (an all-time high in both polls during the regular season), the Irish slipped to sixth in this weeks polls following the loss to Connecticut.

In its last 12 outings, Notre Dame has given up just 60.6 points per game and have held opponents to 60 points and under in nine of those games.

Notre Dame has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll 30 of the last 33 weeks, including a school-record 19 consecutive weeks from November 16, 1998 thru November 29, 1999. The Irish have been in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today poll for 33 straight weeks.

No. 2 Notre Dame (24-3) vs.
No. 7 Miami (13-14)/No. 10 Seton Hall (11-15)

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2000
Place: Gampel Pavilion
Time: 6 :00 p.m. (EST)
Radio: All Notre Dame games are broadcast on WJVA (1580 AM in South Bend). Jeremy Gray provides play-by-play for games.

Notre Dame Probable Starting Lineup

Off The Bench

* – Indicates monograms won

McGRAW NAMED NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR – For the second consecutive year Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw is a finalist for the Naismith Women’s College Basketball Coach of the Year Award presented by the Atlanta Tip-off Club. McGraw is among 15 finalists for the honor which also include: Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), Joe Ciampi (Auburn), Bill Fennelly (Iowa State), Mark French (UC Santa Barbara), Gail Goestenkors (Duke), Sue Gunter (Louisiana State), Andy Landers (Georgia), Rene Portland (Penn State), Marsh Sharp (Texas Tech), C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers), Pat Summitt (Tennessee) and Kay Yow (North Carolina State).

NOTRE DAME EARNS SEVENTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON – Notre Dame’s 24 wins in 1999-2000 marks the seventh consecutive 20-win season. McGraw’s squad has reached that mark in 11 of the 13 seasons she has been with the program. Notre Dame’s 20 wins in the 22nd game of the season equals the fastest the Irish squad has reached that mark, but the earliest in terms of date. Notre Dame has won 20 or more games in 15 of its 23 seasons. The 24 victories in 27 games marks the most by an Irish team in terms of date and time.

TOUGH TO SCORE ON – Notre Dame’s defense currently is yielding just 61.4 points per game to its opponents in 27 games overall, and in its 15 BIG EAST wins, has given up just 59.3 ppg. In its last 20 games, only four opponents (Pittsburgh on Feb. 9, Rutgers on Feb. 19, Miami on Feb. 22 and Connecticut on Feb. 26)) have scored more than 63 points. The Irish held St. John’s in their first meeting back on January 26 to 49 points, the fewest yielded by an opponent this season.

BIG CROWDS – Notre Dame averaged 3,090 fans this season in its 13 home games. The 7,530 who attended the win over St. John’s on Feb. 12 was the second largest in school history. The largest crowd to see a women’s basketball game at the Joyce Center is 8,134 (vs. Tennessee on January 12, 1992).

RILEY HAS HIGH SCHOOL NUMBER RETIRED – Notre Dame junior Ruth Riley had her high school number ?25? retired at North Miami High School (Indiana) on Thurs., Jan. 6. The Macy, Ind., native was a standout in three sports – basketball, volleyball and track. She is the first such athlete from her high school to have her number retired.

FOLLOW RUTH ON THE WEB – A website highlighting the season accomplishments of Irish junior center Ruth Riley has been created on the official Notre Dame athletic department website (www.und.com). Information (season and career statistics and audio updates) can be found at www.und.com/ruthriley.

IRISH ACHIEVE FIRST-EVER UNDEFEATED SEASON AT HOME – Notre Dame’s win over Miami on Tuesday night marked a school-record 13th for the Irish at home in 1999-2000. The Irish finished with a perfect 13-0 at the Joyce Center, which marks the first in the 23-year history of the program that a Notre Dame team has finished undefeated at home.

IRISH TOUGH AT HOME AGAINST BIG EAST FOES – Notre Dame has compiled a 42-3 (.933) record against BIG EAST opponents at the Joyce Center since joining the league in 1995-96. All three of those losses have been to Connecticut. Notre Dame was a perfect 9-0 at the Joyce Center in league action during the 1996-97 campaign.

21 AND COUNTING – Notre Dame won its 16th consecutive home game (a school record) with its 71-56 victory over Syracuse on January 15. The current win streak stands at 21 with the 83-68 victory over Miami on Tuesday night. The former mark of 15 was set on two previous occasions before the current win streak. The 19-game Joyce Center streak began on December 10, 1998 when the Irish defeated Villanova 63-62. That win followed a 106-81 setback to Connecticut on December 8, 1998 which snapped a 15-game win streak.

SNAPPED AT 20 – Notre Dame’s loss at Connecticut on February 20 snapped a school-record 20-game win streak for the Irish. The Irish established the new school mark (previously 15) on Feburary 19 with its 81-74 victory over Pittsburgh.

HELPING PUT THE BIG IN THE BIG EAST – During its four-plus seasons as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, Notre Dame has proven to be one of the league’s most dominant teams. The Irish have a 74-14 record (84.1 percent) in regular season games and an 8-4 mark (66.7 percent) in BIG EAST tournament action for an overall record of 82-18 (82.0 percent) against league opponents. Of Notre Dame’s 18 league losses, 11 have come against Connecticut. The Irish have lost to four other teams in the BIG EAST – Rutgers (three times), Boston College (twice), Villanova and Miami. All of the losses to those teams have come on the road.

RILEY NAMED NAISMITH FINALIST – Ruth Riley is one of 15 finalists for 1999-2000 Naismith Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Award which is presented by the Atlanta Tip-off Club. Riley and the 14 other finalists were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading college basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. She is the first Notre Dame women’s basketball player to be named a finalist for the award, which was first presented in 1983. The nine other finalists include: Svetlana Abrosimova (Connecticut), Edwina Brown (Texas), Tamika Catchings (Tennessee), Katie Douglas (Purdue), Summer Erb (North Carolina St.), Stacy Frese (Iowa State), Tamicha Jackson (Louisiana Tech), Betty Lenox (Louisiana Tech), Maylana Martin (UCLA), Kelly Miller (Georgia), Lynn Pride (Kansas), Shea Ralph (Connecticut), Semeka Randall (Tennessee) and Jackie Stiles (Southwest Missouri St.).

RILEY SELECTED TO ALL-DISTRICT V ACADEMIC TEAM – For the second consecutive year, Ruth Riley has been named to the GTE/CoSIDA District V Academic Team. The junior, who owns a 3.65 cumulative grade point average and has been named to the Dean’s List all five semesters at Notre Dame and is a two-time member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team, is now eligible for national honors. The naming of the GTE/CoSIDA All-America teams will occur in late March.

RILEY STREAK SNAPPED – Ruth Riley’s streak of 79 consecutive games started was snapped as she missed her first start in nearly two-plus seasons. The junior has started all but seven of the 90 games she has played in during her career. Her first career start came in the seventh game of her freshman season at Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., on December 8, 1997.

RATAY ADDS ANOTHER 20-POINT PERFORMANCE – Alicia Ratay has six 20-point performances this season (the most by any Irish player). Her most recent 20-point outing came against Rutgers on February 19 as she scored 26 points against the Scarlet Knights, which included a career-high seven three-point field goals. Ratay’s five other 20-plus efforts were against North Carolina (32 points), Florida International (27) and Georgetown (23), Pittsburgh (20) and St. John’s (28).

RATAY NOTCHES SECOND DOUBLE-DOUBLE – Alicia Ratay notched her second double-double of the season in the overtime win at Rutgers as she scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. It was her second double-double in three games, her first came against Pittsburgh (on Feb. 9) just three games ago when she scored 28 and had a career-high 12 boards.

SIEMON PROVIDES A SPARK OFF THE BENCH – Kelley Siemon has been spark for the Irish off the bench this season . She is averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds this season. Siemon recorded her first double-double of the season (and second of her career) against Boston College on February 5 when she scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. That game was preceded by a personal-best 23 points versus Providence which marked the second 20-point performance in her two-plus seasons at Notre Dame. Against the Friars, Siemon hit 10-of-12 shots from the field and nailed three-of-six attempts from the charity stripe. She also grabbed seven rebounds in the contest and dished off three assists in 28 minutes of action. Her only other 20-point outing came during her freshman year at UCLA when she scored 20 points against the Bruins in a double overtime victory on November 30, 1997.

GREEN HITS 1,000-POINT MARK – Danielle Green became the 16th player in Notre Dame women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark against Pittsburgh on February 9. The senior guard has 1,041 career points and owns a 9.4 career scoring average. Green is the second player this season to reach the milestone, earlier in the season, junior Ruth Riley became Notre Dame’s 15th 1,000-point scorer earlier this season.

A BIG ASSIST – For the second straight year, Niele Ivey has dished off 100-plus assists and has 465 in her career which places her fifth on the all-time career assist list. Ivey reached the 400-assist mark against Pittsburgh on January 18 and is just the fifth Notre Dame player with 400-plus assists. She ranks 10th nationally with a 6.6 assist-per-game average and has dished off eight or more assists in 10 of Notre Dame’s last 20 games. Ivey has dished off 10 or more assists in four games this season.

RILEY IN DOUBLE FIGURES – Ruth Riley has failed to score in double figures in just four games this season – Toledo (0 points), West Virginia (9 points), Providence (8 points) and Connecticut (4 points). After being held scoreless for the first time in her career (64 games) in the season opener against Toledo, Riley came back to score in double figures in 10 consecutive games. She has scored 20-plus points five times and netted her season-high against Miami on Tuesday night as she scored 36 points. She leads the team in scoring as she is averaging 16.0 ppg. Riley has scored in double figures in 69 of 90 career games.

RILEY’S DOUBLE-DOUBLES – Ruth Riley, who led Notre Dame and the BIG EAST Conference with 12 double-doubles last season, registered her fifth double-double of the season against Miami (36 points and 12 rebounds) on Feb. 22. It was the second consecutive game in which she posted a double-double. In the overtime win at Rutgers on Feb. 19, she had 26 points and tied her season-high with 14 rebounds. Riley’s other double-doubles this season have have come against Georgetown (18 points, 13 rebounds), Seton Hall (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Pittsburgh (12 points, 14 rebounds). She has 26 career double-doubles and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds 27 times in her career

FRESHMAN FOLLIES – Freshman guard Alicia Ratay is second on the team in scoring (15.1) and second in rebounding (5.1). Ratay, a six-time BIG EAST rookie-of-the-week honoree, has topped the 20-point mark six times this season, including a 32-point performance against North Carolina which marked just the second 30-point performance by an Irish rookie in the 22-year history of the program. Ratay has led the Irish in scoring 10 times this season and has tied for game-high scoring on two other occasions. She also has reached double figures in 18 contests this season.

IRISH CAPTURE WACHOVIA WOMEN’S INVITATIONAL – Notre Dame captured the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament in Richmond, Va., as the Irish beat North Carolina and Liberty in the seventh annual event. The tournament is recognized as one of the most prestigious in-season events.

Junior center Ruth Riley was named MVP of the tournament in addition to being selected along with freshman Alicia Ratay to the all-tournament team. Riley scored 32 points (the third 30-point performance of her career) against Liberty in the championship game as she connected on 12-of-14 shots from the field and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. In addition, she had seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 29 minutes of action. Against North Carolina, she registered 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 28 minutes. For the tournament she averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots. Riley also was 17-of-22 (.773) from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Ratay had the first 30-point performance of her career, and second-ever by a Notre Dame freshman, when she tossed in 32 points on a 12-for-15 shooting performance against North Carolina. The Irish rookie also hit six-of-eight from three-point range. In the championship tilt, she was the only other Notre Dame player in double figures as she netted 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished off five assists playing a season-high 36 minutes. For the tournament, she averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals. Ratay shot 18-of-25 (.720) percent from the field and was seven-for-11 (.636) from three-point range.

NOTRE DAME VS. NO. 1 – In its 23-year history, Notre Dame has faced the number-one ranked team nine times. The Irish are 0-9 all-time against No. 1. Notre Dame has played Connecticut four times when the Huskies have been ranked number one.

POLL WATCHING – Notre Dame dropped from fifth to sixth in this week’s Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today rankings after spending the past six weeks at number five. The No. 5 ranking marked an all-time high for the Irish in both polls during the regular season. Notre Dame been been ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll 30 of the last 33 weeks over the past two seasons. The Irish slipped out of the top 10 (after a school-record 19 consecutive weeks there) on November 29, 1999, prior to that, Notre Dame had held a spot in the top 10 of every poll dating back to November 16, 1998. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad has now been ranked 33 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today ranking. Notre Dame has earned a top 25 ranking for a school-record 35 consecutive weeks, breaking the old mark of 24 weeks set from February 5, 1996 thru March 10, 1997.

HEAD COACH MUFFET McGRAW – Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw is in her 13th season with the Irish and 17th as a collegiate coach. She has guided Notre Dame to four straight NCAA tournament appearances and six overall. McGraw led the Irish to the 1997 Final Four as her team claimed the East Regional championship. In 1998, McGraw’s squad finished with a 22-10 mark and advanced to the Sweet 16. In 12-plus seasons at Notre Dame, she has a record of 285-113 (.716), and in 17-plus campaigns overall, her teams have registered a 373-154 (.708) ledger. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, she spent five seasons at Lehigh where she compiled an 88-41 record for a .683 winning percentage. Last season, McGraw, after guiding the Irish to their sixth consecutive 20-win season, was named as a finalist for the Naismith Women’s Basketball and Associated Press coach-of-the-year awards.

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER MAGAZINE TO FOLLOW IRISH ALL SEASON – Annette John-Hall, a feature writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer will be following head coach Muffet McGraw, a native of Pottsville, Pa., and the Irish all season long and feature them in the magazine section of that publication. She will file stories throughout the season on McGraw and her squad. Hall has already written four features thus far with the fifth installment scheduled for sometime in March.

IRISH GET 200TH WIN AT JOYCE CENTER – Notre Dame earned its 200th win at the Joyce Center against Valparaiso on December 29. Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, the Irish own a 209-65 mark for a .763 winning percentage. Notre Dame set a new school record with its 16th consecutive home victory at the Joyce Center against Syracuse on January 15. The last time the Irish lost at home was on December 8, 1998.

HOME SWEET HOME – Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center. The Irish own a 209-65 mark for a .763 winning percentage since that first season. Currently, the Irish are 13-0 at home and have won 21 straight home games dating back to the 1998-99 campaign. The 13 victories are a school record for home wins and the first time a Notre Dame teams has been undefeated at home during the regular season. During the last four-plus seasons, Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad is 59-4 (.937) at the Joyce Center.

LINEUP SHAKEUP – In the 27 games played this season, Notre Dame has used eight different starting lineups. Below is a listing of the starting lineups and ND’s record with that starting five. The lineup of Julie Henderson, Ruth Riley, Danielle Green, Alicia Ratay and Niele Ivey has been what Coach Muffet McGraw has used 13 of the last 14 games. It suffered its first loss of the season in Saturday’s 77-59 setback at Connecticut.

• Haney, Siemon, Riley, Ratay and Ivey – (1-0)
• Haney, Ratay, Riley, Green and Ivey – (0-1)
• Henderson, Riley, Ratay, Ivey and Dunbar – (3-1)
• Haney, Henderson, Riley, Ratay and Ivey – (5-0)
• Haney, Siemon, Riley, Ratay and Dunbar – (1-0)
• Riley, Green, Ratay, Ivey and Siemon – (1-0)
• Henderson, Riley, Green, Ratay and Ivey – (12-1)
• Henderson, Siemon, Green, Ratay and Ivey – (1-0)

HOT SHOOTING – Notre Dame is hitting 50.4 percent of its shots from the field this season (773-1544), including a season-high 63.3 percent (31-49) against Georgetown on January 29. The Irish shot better than 60 percent in one other game this season – Liberty (62.7 percent). In 14 of its 27 games, Notre Dame has shot better than 50 percent from the field. The Irish shot a season-low 40.7 percent against Connecticut as they hit just 22-of-54 from the field.

COLD SHOOTING – Connecticut connected on 51.7 percent of its shots from the field in Notre Dame’s last regular-season contest which marked the first time this year that an oppponent had shot better 50-percent from the field. The Irish have limited its 27 foes to just 35.2 percent from the field. Five of those teams on six different occasions have shot under 30 percent – Butler (.265), West Virginia (.265), St. John’s (.239 and .231), Georgetown (.269) and Villanova (.293). Illinois, a team the Irish faced in the second game of the season, shot 47.5 percent (the highest of any opponent). In 22 games, Notre Dame’s opponents have shot under 40 percent.

RILEY REACHES 1,000-POINT – Junior center Ruth Riley became the 15th player in Notre Dame women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau this season. Riley reached the mark in the first half of Notre Dame’s win over Florida International on December 19. The 6-5 Macy, Ind., native has 1,315 career points in 88 career games for a 14.6 career scoring average. Currently, Riley is eighth on the Irish career scoring list. She needs just 59 points to move into seventh on the all-time scoring list ahead of Mary Beth Schueth who played for the Irish from 1979-83 and finished her career with 1,373 career points.

RILEY GRABS 600TH REBOUND – Ruth Riley reached another milestone against Syracuse on January 15 when she grabbed her 600th career rebound. She is the 10th player in Notre Dame history to have achieved that mark. She currently is eighth on the all-time Irish rebounding list with 684. Riley is one of just nine Irish players to score 1,000 points and grab 600 rebounds.

A PERFECT 10 – Ruth Riley, who has made 113 of her 138 free throw attempts this season (.819), was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe against Georgetown. It marked a personal best for the Irish junior who earlier this season hit eight-of-eight from the line against Liberty en route to a 32-point performance. Riley’s free throw shooting percentage has improved dramatically from a year ago as she made just 69.0 percent of her attempts. She was 18-of-23 from the line against Miami on Feb. 22. The 18 free throws made and 23 attempted were both Notre Dame and BIG EAST single-game records.

GREEN GAINS STARTING ROLE – Senior guard Danielle Green, who had come off the bench earlier in the season, has started the last 15 games for the Irish and has been in the starting lineup in 16 of the 24 games she has played. She is the team’s third leading scorer averaging 11.4 ppg., and has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 20 games she has played. Green has scored in double figures in 15 games overall this season.

DOUBLE DIPPER – Guard Niele Ivey had her fourth double-double of the season in Notre Dame’s win over Seton Hall on January 11 as she scored 14 points and dished off 10 assists. It was the eighth double-double of her career and the eighth time she has dished off 10 or more assists in a game. Her other double-doubles this season have come against North Carolina (17 points, 13 assists), Michigan State (14 points, 11 assists) and Marquette (19 points, 12 assists).

RILEY NOTCHES FOURTH 30-POINT PERFORMANCE – Ruth Riley’s 36-point performance against Miami marked the fourth 30-point performance of her career and second of the season. Her first 30-point effort this year was against Liberty in the championship game of the Wachovia Women’s Invitational on Dec. 5 as she scored 32 points. Riley had two 30-plus efforts last season, both against Providence College, as she scored 36 and a school-record 41.

A ROOKIE RARITY – Alicia Ratay’s 32-point performance against North Carolina was the first 30-point outing of her brief career and marked just the second time an Irish freshman has scored better than 30 points in a game. The only other Notre Dame rookie to record a 30-point performance was Michelle Marciniak as she scored 33 versus Georgia in a 90-86 loss on December 8, 1991.

NON-CONFERENCE LOSSES A RARITY – Notre Dame’s loss to Purdue marked just the second loss the Irish had suffered to a non-conference opponent during the regular season in two seasons. The Irish were a perfect 8-0 against non-conference foes during the 1998-99 regular season. When Notre Dame lost to Illinois on November 27, it marked the first regular season loss to a non-conference opponent in 12 games. Heading into its matchup with the Illini, Notre Dame’s last non-conference regular-season loss was to Wisconsin (89-77) on December 8, 1997.

RATAY NETS 18 IN DEBUT – Freshman guard Alicia Ratay, a first-team Parade High School All-American, scored 18 points in her collegiate debut. It was the most by an Irish rookie in her first college game since Michelle Marciniak scored 16 points in an 86-70 loss to Penn State on November 22, 1991. Ratay’s five field goals were all from three-point range as she hit five-of-eight field goals from beyond the arc.

RILEY HELPS USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CAPTURE SILVER MEDAL – Ruth Riley was one of 12 players selected to the 1999 World University Games Team. She and 1999 graduate Sheila McMillen (now an assistant coach at Western Michigan) were among the 44 players invited to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the five-day tryout. The team, coached by Penn State’s Rene Portland, took home the silver medal after posting a 4-2 mark in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, site of the basketball competition. Riley appeared in all nine games with the USA and started five of those contests and was the team’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder as she averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, with a .630 field-goal percentage. At a tournament in Madrid Spain prior to the start of the World University Games, the USA Women’s Basketball squad posted a 3-0 mark and captured first-place. During those three games, she averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. This was Riley’s second stint with the USA Women’s basketball program. In the summer of 1998, she was a member of the USA Women’s Basketball Select Team.

SIEMON TOURS WITH BIG EAST TEAM – Junior Kelley Siemon averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in helping the BIG EAST/Nike Women’s Basketball All-Stars to a 4-1 record in a ’99 summer tour of Belgium and Germany. Siemon scored 14 points in the win over Aalst (Division) and had seven points and eight rebounds in a win over the Belgian Junior National Team. The team was coached by Boston College’s Cathy Inglese.

IRISH SIGN TWO – Notre Dame signed two players listed among the top 40 prep players in the country during the early signing period. Jeneka Joyce, a 5-9 shooting guard from Topeka, Kan., and Le’Tania Severe, a 5-9 point guard from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., were rated 26th and 40th, respectively, by Blue Star Basketball.

QUICK PLAYER BIOS:

Amanda Barksdale blocked personal best seven shots and scored seven points in win at Providence after scoring eight points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking five shots versus Georgetown while playing a season-high 17 minutes … has seen action in 24 contests … has blocked 19 shots in last six games she has played … second on the team with 33 blocked shots.

Imani Dunbar earned starts against Butler, North Carolina, Liberty, Purdue and Marquette and has played in 23 games … earned first career start versus the Bulldogs … played a career-high 23 minutes against USC and registered personal bests of eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Danielle Green has started the last 15 games and has been in double figure scoring in 14 of the last 20 games and in 15 games overall … became the 16th player in Notre Dame women’s history to score 1,000 points (reached the mark against Pittsburgh on February 9) … scored a season-high 22 points against Miami while adding six rebounds and a personal best six assists … had a stretch in which she scored in double figures in six consecutive games … chipped in 19 points in Saturday’s win over Boston College … has scored 16 points in three different games – Toledo, St. John’s and Providence … grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Valparaiso … missed three games (Butler, North Carolina and Liberty) due to a disciplinary suspension.

Ericka Haney has started eight games this season and has played in all 27 contests … first career start came against Toledo in the season opener … scored in double figures in five of Notre Dame’s first seven games, but has reached double figures only twice (versus Villanova and Miami) in the last 18 contests … had 15 points and six rebounds in second meeting versus Miami … also grabbed six rebounds in Villanova game … recorded first career double-double with personal bests of 18 points and 14 rebounds against North Carolina … tallied a season-high 11 points against Butler and also added five rebounds and three assists in the game … grabbed six rebounds in the Valparaiso game … scored 10 points in her first collegiate start in the season opener at Toledo.

Julie Henderson has been in the Irish starting lineup in 23 of 27 contests … recorded her first career double-double scoring a season-high 13 points and grabbing a personal best 11 rebounds … had her second double figure outing in second meeting versus Miami as she scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished off four assists … prior to first meeting with the Hurricanes, she had scored a season-high six points on five different occasions (North Carolina, Liberty, Michigan State, USC and Seton Hall) … grabbed eight rebounds against Purdue … also had four rebounds against the Tar Heels, five versus Florida International and six versus the Spartans and Women of Troy … grabbed five rebounds versus Valparaiso … scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds and dished off four assists against St. John’s … led the Irish in rebounding against Connecticut with seven boards.

Monique Hernandez played in the first seven games of the season and has seen action in 23 contests … scored a career-high six points against West Virginia and Seton Hall … had five points, four rebounds and two assists against Valparaiso … played a season-high 21 minutes against St. John’s … scored four points and grabbed four rebounds against Butler … also netted four points in wins over Marquette and St. John’s.

Niele Ivey has been in the starting lineup for 26 of 27 games … scored a season-high 22 points against Syracuse … 18 of those 22 points came from three-pointers as she made a career-high six in the contest … led the Irish with 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals in win over Georgetown in second meeting between the two teams … had a career-high nine rebounds against Boston College … has registered four double-doubles, most recent was against Seton Hall as she scored 14 points and dished off 10 assists … has eight career double-doubles and has dished off 10 or more assists in eight games … registered a season-high 19 points and dished off 12 assists in win over Marquette for her seventh career double-double …?had first double-double of the season against North Carolina as she scored a then season-high 17 points and dished off a career-best 13 assists versus North Carolina in the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament … the 13 assists in the game also marked a tournament record … has scored in double figures in 14 games this season … had 14 points and 11 assists in win over Michigan State … scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished off seven assists against Rutgers … shared team-high scoring honors with Alicia Ratay when she scored 17 points against Connecticut.

Meaghan Leahy has come off the bench for the Irish in 24 games … tied her personal best of nine points against Georgetown … had career-highs of nine points and nine rebounds while playing 24 minutes (also a career-high) against Butler … scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action against Illinois … grabbed five rebounds against Michigan State and dished off a career-high four assists.

Alicia Ratay has scored in double figures in 18 games and has been Notre Dame’s leading scorer on 10 occasions … has scored 20-plus points six times this season … posted second double-double of the season in Saturday’s win at Rutgers as she scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds … scored 21 of her points from three-point range as she made all seven of her three-point attempts in setting a new BIG EAST record for three-point field goal percentage … her final two three-pointers came in the last 16 seconds of the contest, including the game-tying trey which sent the game into overtime … recorded first career double-double as she scored 28 points and grabbed a personal best 12 rebounds against St. John’s … named game MVP at the Orange Bowl Women’s Basketball Four Four against Florida International … scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and made five steals (personal best) in the contest while playing a season-high 39 minutes against the Panthers … turned in only the second 30-point performance by an Irish rookie when she scored 32 points against North Carolina … in her collegiate debut, scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action … it was the most points by an Irish rookie in a season opener since 1991 … has earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors six times this season … selected to the all-tournament team at the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament … has had a career-high seven rebounds in three games (Toledo, Butler and Marquette) … had the fourth 20-plus point performance of her career when she scored 20 points against Pittsburgh … scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Villanova … the only player who has started all 26 games.

Ruth Riley has been in double figure scoring in 23 of 27 games and has five double-doubles this season … posted a double-double for second straight game against Miami as she scored a season-high 36 points (fourth 30-point outing of her career) and grabbed 12 rebounds … set Notre Dame and BIG EAST records for free throws made and attempted as she converted 18-of-23 from the charity stripe … her fourth double-double of the campaign came against Rutgers as she scored 26 points and hauled in 12 rebounds … posted third double-double was against Pittsburgh as she scored 12 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds … had back-to-back double-doubles against Georgetown (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Seton Hall (17 points, 13 rebounds) … has 26 career double-doubles … one of just nine players at Notre Dame who has scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed more than 600 rebounds.

Kelley Siemon recorded her first double-double of the season and second of her career as she scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds … has scored in double figures in five games this season … netted a career-high 23 points (the second 20-point outing of her career) against Providence as she hit 10-of-12 shots from the field and was three-of-six from three-point range … has scored in double figures in five games … selected as the co-BIG EAST Player of the Week following her performances against Providence and Boston College.

Karen Swanson is a walk-on freshman who has played in 21 games … tallied her first career basket against USC … registered her first career three-pointer against Vaparaiso.