Courtney LaVere and the Irish travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue on Wednesday.

No. 6 Irish To Host No. 16 Eagles On Wednesday

Feb. 1, 2005

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(#6 AP/#7 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (18-3, 6-2)
vs.
(#16 AP/#13 ESPN/USA Today) Boston College Eagles (15-3, 6-1)

The Date and Time: Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005, at 7 p.m. ET.

The Site: Joyce Center (11,418) in Notre Dame, Ind.

The Tickets: Still available through the Notre Dame athletics ticket office (574-631-7356) or at the Joyce Center Gate 10 ticket windows on game night.

The Radio Plans: Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend with Sean Stires (play-by-play) and former Irish standout Sara Liebscher (analysis) calling the action. These broadcasts also are available through the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com.

Real-Time Statistics: Live in-game statistics are available for the Boston College game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) athletics web site.

Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Boston College (www.bceagles.com).

#6/7 IRISH BACK HOME WEDNESDAY FOR MATCHUP WITH #16/13 BOSTON COLLEGE
After a historic victory at Connecticut last Sunday, No. 6/7 Notre Dame had little time to savor the feeling as it turns its attention to yet another ranked opponent when No. 16/13 Boston College comes to town Wednesday for a 7 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST Conference contest at the Joyce Center. The Eagles are the eighth ranked opponent for the Irish this season, and Wednesday’s game has added importance with BC among a three-way tie for first place in the league standings, one-half game ahead of Notre Dame.

The Irish (18-3, 6-2 BIG EAST) stretched their winning streak to five games with a 65-59 victory over No. 9/10 Connecticut on Sunday night in Storrs. Notre Dame outscored the Huskies, 16-4 to end the first half and then fought back several UConn challenges in the closing minutes to preserve the win.

Junior forward Courtney LaVere came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points against Connecticut, while junior guard Megan Duffy added 12 points and a career-high tying seven steals. As a team, the Irish forced 20 turnovers, with 13 of those coming on steals.

BC (15-3, 6-1) is coming off a 72-55 win at home over Pittsburgh last Saturday. Junior guard/forward Aja Parham scored a career-high 18 points, while senior guard Clare Droesch pitched in 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Eagles, who improved to 9-1 at home this season.

Boston College is led by senior all-BIG EAST guard Jessalyn Deveny, who ranks among the conference leaders in scoring (18.1 ppg.) and field goal percentage (.552), as does sophomore forward Kathrin Ress (12.0 ppg., .559 FG%).

Head coach Cathy Inglese is in her 12th year at BC with a record of 213-132 (.617).

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
It’s hard to say a 13-3 team was at a crossroads in its season, but Notre Dame found itself in such a situation entering its Jan. 16 game with No. 20 Purdue. The Irish had opened with wins in 13 of their first 14 games, including a memorable run to the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT title that included victories over a pair of top-10 opponents (No. 6 Duke and No. 10 Ohio State). However, after rising as high as third in the polls, a pair of bitter losses to BIG EAST foes Villanova and No. 16 Connecticut sapped some of the team’s confidence and left them searching for answers heading into the Purdue contest.

After a tense struggle through the first 10 minutes, Notre Dame pulled away and put together its second-highest offensive production of the season while ending a four-game losing streak to its in-state rival. The victory sparked a current Irish five-game winning streak that has seen Notre Dame win three times by double figures, and three times against ranked opponents (two vs. top-10 foes). During that time, the Irish have come back a 13-point deficit to defeat No. 6/7 Rutgers, and have gone on the road to oust No. 9/10 Connecticut, snapping the Huskies’ 112-game BIG EAST regular-season home winning streak.

Despite the added focus shown to her by opposing teams, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was a major catalyst for the Irish this season, averaging 18.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. A three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and member of the Wooden Women’s Award Midseason Top 20 List, Batteast has scored in double digits 18 times this season, has earned game-high scoring honors on 11 occasions and has five double-doubles. She also moved into the top five on Notre Dame’s career lists for points (1,695), rebounds (887), blocks (152) and double-doubles (37), needing five points and 13 rebounds to become only the third Irish player to amass 1,700 points and 900 rebounds (joining All-Americans Katryna Gaither and Ruth Riley).

Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 11.8 points per game with a team-high 5.6 assists (second in the BIG EAST and 25th in the nation) and 2.7 steals per game (first in the BIG EAST and 38th in the nation). Duffy also leads the league and is fifth nationally with a .912 free throw percentage (83-91) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .751 free throw ratio (19th in the NCAA as of Feb. 1).

In the post, senior center Teresa Borton is showing capable leadership by example. In her past seven games, Borton is averaging 11.0 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. with a .614 field goal percentage (35-57) and has four double-figure scoring games. She is third on the team in scoring this season (8.6 ppg.), second in rebounding (6.0 rpg.) and first in both blocked shots (1.7 bpg.) and field goal percentage (.565).

SOME POTENT NOTABLES ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH

  • Notre Dame won its first seven games this season, the second-best debut in the program’s history. The 2000-01 squad opened with a 23-game win streak en route to school’s first national championship. The Irish also reached the double-digit win mark Dec. 19 at Marquette, getting their 10th win faster than any team in school history (the ’00-01 team did it two days later on Dec. 21, 2000).
  • The Irish are 7-1 on the road this year, and won their first five road games this season for the second time in school history. The 2000-01 club opened with a 10-game road winning streak to set the school standard. Ironically, Notre Dame struggled in true road games last year, losing its first four and six of its first seven on the opposition’s floor.
  • Notre Dame has been a fixture near the top of all major RPI charts this season. Through Jan. 30, the Irish are fourth in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, with the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule.
  • Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting 11 times in the first 13 polls of the year, checking in at No. 6 for the second consecutive week. On three other times in school history have the Irish spent longer in the AP top 10 during one season – 1998-99 (16 weeks), 1999-2000 (15 weeks) and 2000-01 (18 weeks). All told, Notre Dame has now spent 67 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 102-18 (.850) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
  • The Irish have posted 35 wins over AP Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present), including five this year (No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 20 Purdue, No. 6 Rutgers and No. 9 Connecticut). Notre Dame and Michigan State share top honors with five wins over ranked opponents this season.
  • Notre Dame has defeated 22 top-10 opponents in its history, adding to that total with four victories this season. The four top-10 wins represent the second-highest total in school history (and tie Penn State for the most by any team in the nation this season) – the 2000-01 squad holds the Irish record with seven top-10 victories.
  • Notre Dame owns a unique distinction with victories over both the No. 2 (Ohio State) and No. 3 (Duke) teams in this week’s Associated Press poll. In fact, the Irish are one of only two teams to defeat Duke so far this season, and also one of just two squads to solve OSU in 2004-05.
  • Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 402-152 (.726) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, having logged the milestone 400th victory Jan. 23 against Rutgers. She also has a 490-193 (.717) overall record in 23 seasons, leaving her only 10 victories shy of the 500-win plateau for her career.

A QUICK LOOK AT BOSTON COLLEGE
Already the defending BIG EAST Conference tournament champion, No. 16/13 Boston College is looking to make its final season in the conference a memorable one. The Eagles, who will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005-06, are among a group of three teams tied for first place in the BIG EAST as the league season reaches its midway point this week.

Boston College (15-3, 6-1 BIG EAST) was one of the nation’s hottest teams during pre-conference action, winning 12 of 13 games and putting together an impressive 11-game winning streak that rolled into the start of league play. The Eagles’ only loss in the season’s first two months was an overtime setback at No. 15 Michigan State, a fate Notre Dame could also relate to. However, in the past five games, BC has dropped a pair of contests against top-10 opponents (No. 6/4 Stanford and No. 8/9 Rutgers), although the former game involved the Eagles making an extensive road trip to the West Coast in the midst of the BIG EAST season.

Following an 11-point loss to Rutgers, Boston College returned to the win column last Saturday with a 72-55 victory at home over Pittsburgh. Junior guard/forward Aja Parham got the starting nod in place of ailing senior all-BIG EAST guard Jessalyn Deveny and Parham responded with a career-high 18 points against the Panthers. Senior guard Clare Droesch added 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Eagles,. who shot 48 percent from the floor and forced 26 Pittsburgh turnovers.

Deveny (along with Notre Dame’s Jacqueline Batteast) has ranked among the top three scorers in the BIG EAST all season, currently standing second at 18.1 points per game. She also is third in the conference in field goal percentage (.552) and would be leading the league with a .511 three-point percentage, but she has not made enough treys to qualify. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Kathrin Ress, who burst on the scene with a superb performance in the BIG EAST Championship, is second on the team in scoring (18th in the league) at 12.0 ppg., while also ranking second in the BIG EAST with a team-high .559 field goal percentage (.578 in league play). Junior forward Brooke Queenan is the third double-digit scorer for BC, averaging 11.7 ppg., along with 5.3 rebounds per game.

Head coach Cathy Inglese is 12th season at Boston College, having compiled a 213-132 (.617) record at the school. She also spent seven years (1986-93) as the skipper at Vermont, giving her a career coaching record of 333-206 (.619) in 19 seasons. She is 3-8 all-time against Notre Dame.

THE NOTRE DAME-BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES
Notre Dame and Boston College have developed one of the more intense rivalries in the BIG EAST Conference during the past decade. With both squads regularly competing for the conference title, not to mention deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, the annual matchups between the Irish and Eagles have been spirited, if not thrilling in nature. Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 8-4, including a 6-0 mark in South Bend during a series that has been largely dominated by the home team.

Notre Dame and BC first met on Dec. 30, 1983, when the Irish paid a visit to Chestnut Hill for the Nike Christmas Classic. The Eagles won that initial game, 59-55, before the series went dormant for the next 11 seasons. It wouldn’t resume until Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in time for the 1995-96 campaign.

The Irish won the first three conference games between the teams before Boston College picked up a pair of victories in 1998 to even the series at three games apiece. However, beginning with the second half of the 1998-99 season, Notre Dame has won five of the past six games in the series, with four of those victories coming at the Joyce Center. The Eagles continued to maintain the upper hand in Chestnut Hill, earning their most recent win on Jan. 29, 2003, with a 76-48 rout at Conte Forum.

Wednesday’s game will mark BC’s last visit to South Bend as a member of the BIG EAST. Starting next season, the Eagles will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND BOSTON COLLEGE MET
For the third time in a week, Notre Dame used a stout defensive effort to defeat a ranked opponent, downing No. 23 (ESPN/USA Today) Boston College, 52-50, on Jan. 31, 2004 at the Joyce Center. It was the sixth win over a Top 25 foe for the Irish in 2003-04 and their fifth against a ranked team in a seven-game span.

Megan Duffy scored a game-high 16 points for Notre Dame, making six of 11 shots from the field, including three of five from beyond the arc. She also tied her (then) career high with four steals and had just one turnover while playing all 40 minutes. Backcourt mate Le’Tania Severe matched her season high with 15 points and added three steals without a turnover in 39 minutes. Courtney LaVere offered up 11 points from the bench for the Irish (13-7, 6-2 BIG EAST).

Kathrin Ress led a trio of BC players in double figures with 14 points, while Jessalyn Deveny carded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Amber Jacobs chipped in with 10 points for the Eagles, who remain winless in six career visits to South Bend.

The matchup with Boston College was tight from the opening tip to the final horn, with neither side leading by more than five points the entire way. There also were 12 ties and seven lead changes in the contest, including three ties in the final five minutes.

Boston College (14-5, 4-4) jumped out to an early 6-3 lead when Jacobs hit a fast break layup with 16:26 left in the first half. Notre Dame responded with an 8-0 run to take the largest lead of the game for either team (11-6) at the 13:51 mark. The Irish still had a 14-10 lead three minutes later, but the Eagles fought back behind seven points from Ress in a 10-2 run that gave the visitors a four-point lead with 4:58 to go in the period. However, Notre Dame closed the half on a 7-2 run, taking a 23-22 lead at the break on two free throws by Katy Flecky at the 57-second junction.

The second half began with Notre Dame trying to break free of Boston College three times, but each time the Irish scored, the Eagles came back with a tally of their own. BC finally overtook Notre Dame on a pair of Deveny free throws with 14:50 remaining. Then it was time for the Irish to begin reeling in the Eagles. Boston College took leads of at least three points three times, but Notre Dame erased its deficit on each occasion, tying the game for the 10th time at 45-45 when Teresa Borton hit a spinning layup with 4:43 left.

After the teams traded three free throws, Duffy gave Notre Dame the lead for good, nailing a runner in the paint as the shot clock expired with 2:02 remaining. Deveny misfired on her team’s next possession and Flecky was fouled on the rebound, but she made only one of her two free throws, making it a 51-48 margin at the 1:30 mark. Jacobs came back with a driving layup 17 seconds later, setting the stage for a frantic final minute.

Trailing by one, Boston College’s Clare Droesch came up with a crucial steal, giving the visitors a chance to retake the lead. Jacobs missed on a three-point try, but Ress grabbed the offensive rebound to keep the Eagles in business. After a timeout, BC went back to Jacobs again, but the all-BIG EAST guard did not connect on a shorter jumper and Jacqueline Batteast was fouled on the rebound with 14 seconds left. The Notre Dame All-American, who was hampered by foul trouble all afternoon, made the first of her two foul shots, but missed the second, leaving the door open for BC. The Eagles called upon Jacobs a third time and while she got an open look at a potential game-winning three-point shot, it would not fall as time expired and the Irish had the victory.

OTHER NOTRE DAME-BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES NOTES

  • Only three times in 12 previous meetings has Boston College scored more than 65 points in a game against Notre Dame (all coming at Conte Forum). Conversely, the Irish have topped the 65-point mark six times against BC, including four of their six matchups at the Joyce Center.
  • In its last two visits to Notre Dame, Boston College has been held to its two lowest point totals in the series (44 and 50 points, respectively).
  • Last year’s two-point Irish win was the closest of the six series games played in South Bend. The other five games all were decided by double digits with an average margin of 20 points per game.
  • For the third (and final) time in Notre Dame’s 10-year affiliation with the BIG EAST Conference, the Irish will be playing Boston College twice this season. Notre Dame also faced the Eagles on two occasions during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 campaigns.
  • Wednesday’s Notre Dame-Boston College contest will mark the 10th time in the past 11 series games that one or both teams are ranked at tipoff (ND leads 7-2 in these games). The 1997-98 matchup (a 78-76 BC win on Feb. 12) is the only time in the past nine years that neither team appeared in the top 25 of one of the major national polls prior to the game.
  • Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast is averaging team highs of 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in three career games against Boston College. However, foul difficulties limited her to only five points and five rebounds in last year’s game at the Joyce Center.

THE BEAST OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 130-30 (.813) in regular-season competition against the rest of BIG EAST Conference, owning the best conference winning percentage of any current member of the BIG EAST since joining the circuit for the 1995-96 campaign. The Irish also have finished either first or second in the BIG EAST eight times in their nine-year membership, and claimed a share of their first-ever regular-season conference championship in 2001.

When including postseason competition (BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments), Notre Dame is 143-39 (.786) against league opponents – when factoring in these 22 postseason tilts, the Irish are 73-8 (.901) at home, 57-25 (.695) on the road and 13-6 (.684) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.

POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 179-43 (.806) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are sixth entering Wednesday night’s game against No. 16 Boston College). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 84-10 (.894) as a ranked host after posting an 11-2 record at the Joyce Center this season. Conversely, the Irish are 71-25 (.740) all-time when they play on the road as a ranked team.

Upon closer inspection, Notre Dame has been very sharp when it’s ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll. The Irish are 102-18 (.850) as a top-10 squad, including a 50-4 (.926) record at home. In fact, prior to its Dec. 2 overtime loss to then-No. 15 Michigan State, Notre Dame had a 41-game home winning streak when it was ranked in the AP top 10, dating back to December of 1998.

RISING UP
Notre Dame has posted a 5-2 record against ranked opponents this season, including a 4-0 mark against top-10 foes.

DETHRONING THE CHAMPS
Notre Dame achieved a historic basketball feat last Sunday, becoming the first school ever to defeat both the reigning men’s and women’s NCAA champions in the same season on two occasions. This past weekend, the Irish women ousted Connecticut, 65-59 in Storrs, a mere three hours after the Notre Dame men also toppled the Huskies, 78-74 in South Bend.

Last season, Notre Dame became just the fourth school since the inception of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in 1982 to have both its men’s and women’s basketball teams beat the defending national champions in the same season. The Irish women did their part by ousting Connecticut (66-51) on Jan. 13, 2004, while the Notre Dame men completed the double with an 84-72 win at Syracuse on Feb. 16, 2004.

The only other schools that can lay claim to this accomplishment are Duke (1998-99), Tennessee (1999-2000) and Michigan State (1999-2000), with Notre Dame and Michigan State being the only institutions to turn the trick in the regular season (Duke’s women beat Tennessee in the ’99 NCAAs, while Tennessee’s men downed Connecticut in the ’00 NCAAs).

THE QUICK DISH
With apologies to ESPN.com’s Melanie Jackson, Notre Dame has its own true “Quick Dish” in junior guard Megan Duffy. During the past eight games (starting with the first matchup vs. Syracuse on Jan. 5), Duffy is averaging 7.5 assists per game, with at least five handouts in each contest. In that time, she also has posted a sharp 2.07 assist/turnover ratio (60 assists, 29 turnovers).

And lest you think these numbers have been piled up against Podunk Tech, Notre Dame has played four ranked opponents (No. 16 Connecticut, No. 20 Purdue, No. 6/7 Rutgers and No. 9/10 Connecticut) in that eight-game span, and Duffy has averaged 7.8 assists per game with a 1.83 assist/turnover ratio (31 assists, 17 turnovers) against those top-25 squads.

THE SEASON FOR SHARING
One of the key elements in Notre Dame’s success this season has been its penchant for distributing the ball well. In fact, the Irish have 353 assists (16.81 apg.; third in the BIG EAST and 24th in the nation as of Feb. 1) on 521 field goals made (24.8 per game), including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State.

Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 5.57 assists per game (second in the BIG EAST and 25th in the nation), with at least five dimes in 14 contests this year, including a career-high 11 assists vs. Rutgers on Jan. 23. Duffy also leads the BIG EAST with 7.12 apg. in conference play.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are 7-1 on the road this season, a far cry from last year’s struggles away from the Joyce Center, when they lost their first four and six of their first seven true road contests. In fact, Notre Dame won its first five road games this year, marking only the second time in school history the Irish opened with five or more road victories (they won 10 in a row to begin the 2000-01 campaign).

Accenting Notre Dame’s play on the road has been its defensive prowess. The Irish are holding opponents to 53.6 ppg., a .339 field goal percentage (149-for-439) and a .223 three-point percentage (31-for-139) away from home and have allowed more than 60 points only once in their seven road games this year (61 by Syracuse on Jan. 19, although SU needed a Rochelle Coleman bucket with five seconds left to reach the mark).

PINE TIME PLAYERS
Notre Dame is 13-0 this year (4-0 vs. BIG EAST Conference opponents) when its bench outscores the opposition’s reserves. For the season, the Irish understudies are averaging 16.2 ppg., compared to 13.7 ppg. for Notre Dame opponents. Freshman guard Charel Allen has been the top Irish reserve this season, logging 7.5 ppg., followed by junior forward Courtney LaVere (7.4 ppg.), who has been coming off the bench ever since her Dec. 30 return from arthroscopic knee surgery. Allen and LaVere played a major role in Sunday night’s win at Connecticut, combining for 25 points on 11-for-16 (.688) shooting.

THREE-FENSE
In the past 18 games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .247 three-point percentage (78-for-316), after Irish foes were shooting .333 from beyond the arc (17-for-51) in the first three games of the season. On Dec. 9, Notre Dame held Dayton to an opponent season-low .071 three-point percentage (1-for-14), with the Flyers missing their final 13 three-point attempts.

For the season, Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to a .259 mark (95-for-367) from long range.

THE FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT
Notre Dame ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference in steals this season, averaging 9.62 thefts per game (202 total). The Irish have come up with at least 10 steals in nine games and had a season-best 20 thefts on Nov. 22 vs. Colorado State, the most by a BIG EAST team this season.

Individually, junior guard Megan Duffy is tops in the conference in steals and 38th in the nation as of Feb. 1 (2.9 spg., 61 total), while her backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray is second on the team with 1.29 steals per game (27 total). Three other Notre Dame players have at least 15 steals this year – senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (26), freshman guard Charel Allen (23) and senior center Teresa Borton (17).

LOTS OF FREE STUFF
When given the opportunity, Notre Dame has taken advantage of its trips to the free throw line this season. The Irish lead the BIG EAST Conference and are 19th nationally (as of Feb. 1), shooting 75.1 percent from the charity stripe. In fact, they set a school record by going a perfect 18-for-18 on Nov. 30 at Valparaiso, which also matches the best mark by any team in the country this season.

Notre Dame has been led at the gift line by junior guard Megan Duffy (.912, 83-91), senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.833, 85-102) and freshman guard Charel Allen (.824, 42-51). Duffy currently ranks first in the BIG EAST and fifth in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast is second in the conference and has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with more than a 20-percent jump from last year’s career low .627 mark.

One side note about Duffy’s free throw prowess – the Irish junior struggled at the line early in her freshman season, shooting just 59.3 percent (16-27) during her first 15 collegiate games. However, in the 69 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .868 clip (198-228) on her foul shots. She also has made 91 of her last 100 free throws (.910) in the past 27 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2004.

McGRAW’S MILESTONES
Entering this season, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw had the opportunity to reach three career coaching milestones. Here’s a look at her progress toward each landmark:

  • Winningest basketball coach at Notre Dame – picked up 394th victory with the Irish on Dec. 19 at Marquette, passing longtime men’s coach Digger Phelps (393 wins from 1971-91).
  • 400th victory at Notre Dame – registered 400th win at Notre Dame on Jan. 23 vs. Rutgers (current record: 402-152, .726)
  • 500th victory overall – needs 10 wins (current record: 490-193, .717)

BATTEAST NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD MIDSEASON TOP 20 LIST
Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast has been named to the John R. Wooden Women’s Award Midseason Top 20 List, recognized the leading candidates for the honor that goes to the nation’s outstanding women’s college basketball player. In March, approximately 15 finalists for the Wooden Women’s Award will be placed on the voting ballot by the award’s National Advisory Board, which is comprised of some of the country’s leading sportswriters and sportscasters who cover women’s basketball on a regular basis. Those ballots will then be mailed to more than 250 voters across the nation, with the top five vote-getters earning Wooden Award All-America honors, as well as a trip to the Wooden Award trophy presentation ceremony April 9 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles.

THE CONNECTICUT RECAP
Notre Dame snapped Connecticut’s BIG EAST home winning streak at 112 games Sunday, with junior forward Courtney LaVere scoring 14 points and anchoring a dominating inside game in the Fighting Irish’s 65-59 victory.

UConn hadn’t lost a home conference game since a 64-62 defeat to Georgetown on Feb. 27, 1993. The Irish also ended the Huskies’ 55-game streak at Gampel Pavilion. UConn’s last defeat at Gampel was a 72-71 loss to Tennessee on Feb. 1, 2001.

The sixth-ranked Fighting Irish (18-3, 6-2 BIG EAST) lost 18 days earlier to the No. 9/10 Huskies (13-5, 6-1) in South Bend. In avenging that loss, the Irish were able to post their first win in 10 meetings at Connecticut.

The Irish led by 10 at the half and countered every UConn move down the stretch with backdoor cuts to LaVere or three-pointers from junior guard Megan Duffy and freshman guard Charel Allen.

Ann Strother kept the Huskies in the game with her perimeter shooting. She had a season-high 25 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting. Her final trey with 12.6 seconds cut the Irish’s lead to 61-59. But Notre Dame iced it by hitting four straight free throws.

Duffy finished with 12 points, and senior center Teresa Borton matched her career high with 11 rebounds for the Irish. Charde Houston had 10 points and 12 boards for the Huskies.

Notre Dame outscored UConn 36-16 in the paint and had 19 points off 20 UConn turnovers. Led by LaVere, a reserve forward, Notre Dame’s backup outscored the UConn reserves 29-12.

The Irish established their inside dominance early, outscoring UConn 22-6 in the paint in the first half. LaVere, who had 10 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting, was nearly unstoppable with her hook shot.

UConn clung to a two-point lead with 7:49 remaining when the Irish went on a 10-0 run to take a 28-20 lead. The Huskies spent most of the period without center Jessica Moore, who picked up her third foul just eight minutes in.

The Irish also scored 17 points on 16 UConn turnovers in the first half and led 34-24 at the half.

NOTING THE CONNECTICUT WIN

  • Notre Dame snaps Connecticut’s 112-game regular-season BIG EAST home winning streak, becoming the first league team to defeat the Huskies in the Nutmeg State during conference play since Feb. 27, 1993, when Georgetown ousted UConn, 64-62 at Gampel Pavilion.
  • Notre Dame also ended Connecticut’s 55-game winning streak at Gampel, handing the Huskies their first setback on that floor since Feb. 2, 2000, when Tennessee edged UConn, 72-71.
  • Coupled with a 78-74 win for Notre Dame’s men over 16th-ranked Connecticut earlier in the day, both Irish hoops teams defeated ranked opponents on the same day for the first time since Feb. 19, 2000, when the men won at No. 23/25 Seton Hall, 76-74, and the fifth-ranked women pulled out a 78-74 overtime win at No. 8/11 Rutgers.
  • For the second consecutive year, both Irish basketball teams defeated the defending national champions – Notre Dame is the only school to have pulled off this feat more than once, while Duke (1998-99), Tennessee (1999-2000) and Michigan State (1999-2000) also have turned this trick.
  • Notre Dame defeats its fourth top-10 opponent of the season and second in a week, following a 63-47 conquest of No. 6/7 Rutgers on Jan. 23.
  • The Irish are 5-2 against ranked opponents this year.
  • Notre Dame’s four top-10 wins are second-most in school history, topped only by the seven victories posted by the 2000-01 club.
  • Notre Dame collects its first-ever win at Connecticut in 10 tries (1-7 at Gampel Pavilion, 0-2 at Hartford Civic Center).
  • In the past 11 seasons (1994-95 to present), Notre Dame and Tennessee are the only schools with at least three wins over Connecticut (the Lady Vols have beaten the Huskies six times during that span).
  • The six-point margin is the widest home margin of defeat for Connecticut since Jan. 10, 1999, when Tennessee defeated the Huskies, 92-81, also at Gampel Pavilion.
  • The Irish registered double-digit steals (13) for the ninth time this year and forced at least 20 turnovers for the 10th time in 2004-05.
  • Junior guard Megan Duffy tied her career high with seven steals, matching the mark she originally set vs. Colorado State (Nov. 22) and equalled at Marquette (Dec. 19).
  • Duffy also logged at least five assists for the eighth consecutive game (7.5 apg. in that time).
  • Senior center Teresa Borton tied her career high with 11 rebounds, matching her personal standard for the fourth time (most recently earlier this season vs. Nebraska on Nov. 14).
  • Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was held to a single-digit scoring total for just the third time all season (also Dayton and the first UConn game), although she was hindered by the effects of a stomach virus.

SPORTSVIEW.TV PRESEASON WNIT REWIND
Punctuated by emotional second-half rallies in the semifinal and final, Notre Dame won four consecutive games to claim the 2004 Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. The Irish capped off their season-opening charge with a 66-62 victory over No. 10/9 Ohio State in the title game, scoring the final 12 points of the contest to erase an eight-point Buckeye lead with a little more than five minutes remaining. That win came on the heels of a 76-65 semifinal conquest of No. 6 Duke, a victory that also saw Notre Dame come back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half.

Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists with a .507 field goal percentage in the four-game series. Batteast was at her best in the final two games, scoring a game-high 17 points vs. Duke (including a personal 10-0 run that put the Irish ahead for good) and then rolling up a career-best 32 points in the championship game against Ohio State. In that latter contest, she had another 10-point run in the first half and later scored seven of her team’s last 12 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 2:45 to play. However, her biggest contribution came with two seconds remaining, when she raced from beyond the top of the key all the way to the deep corner, blocking OSU’s potential game-tying three-pointer to cement Notre Dame’s title.

Not to be overlooked, junior guard Megan Duffy earned a place on the Preseason WNIT all-tournament team after recording 15.0 points and 6.0 assists per game with a .500 field goal percentage (.600 from beyond the arc). She was the catalyst for an Irish offense that averaged nearly 77 points per game and dished out better than 20 assists per night in the tournament, including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 assists in the first round vs. Illinois State.

HALF AND HALF
Over the past five seasons, Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable when it has the lead at halftime. The Irish are 91-7 (.929) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame is 14-0 in such games this season, including a 4-0 record in BIG EAST Conference play.

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE …
During the past decade, Notre Dame has discovered that a solid defensive effort can almost certainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since the beginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish have an amazing 141-8 (.946) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game, including a 12-1 mark this season.

… BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCORE IF YOU WANT TO WIN
Not resting solely on its defensive laurels, Notre Dame also seemingly has found the magic mark when it comes to outscoring its opponents. Over the past decade (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 90-3 (.968) when they score at least 80 points in a game. The only blemishes on that record are a pair of overtime losses to Texas A&M (88-84) and Michigan State (87-83) in 1995 and a 106-81 loss to Connecticut in 1998. Notre Dame has tacked two more wins onto that ledger with its victories this season over Illinois State and Purdue.

NOTRE DAME AMONG RECENT WINS LEADERS
Notre Dame has won 220 games over the past nine seasons, which is tied for the seventh-most wins of any school in the country during that time.

SWEET SUCCESS
Notre Dame is one of only five schools in the country to have appeared in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen six times in the past eight seasons (1997-2004). The others are Connecticut (eight times), Tennessee (eight times), Duke (seven times) and Louisiana Tech (seven times).

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Irish are one of just six teams nationwide to have an active streak of 11 consecutive 20-win seasons. The others in these elite club are Tennessee (28), Texas Tech (15), Louisiana Tech (13), Old Dominion (13) and Connecticut (11).

NOW THAT’S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame’s success has been its stellar play at home. In fact, the Irish have been virtually untouchable at home in recent years, winning 124 of their last 135 games (.919) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 73-8 (.901) home record in BIG EAST play.

The Irish have been particularly strong when it comes to non-conference games at home, winning 54 of their last 57 non-BIG EAST contests (.947) at the Joyce Center, dating back to the 1994-95 season. The only three losses in that span all came against Big Ten Conference teams – Wisconsin in 1996 (81-69), Purdue in 2003 (71-54) and Michigan State in 2004 (82-73 in OT).

Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center, posting a 274-72 (.792) record at the venerable facility. In three of the past five seasons (1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), the Irish were a perfect 15-0 at home, setting a school record for home wins in a season.

JAMMIN’ THE JOYCE
Beginning with its national championship season of 2000-01, Notre Dame has ranked in the top 15 in the nation in attendance each of the past four years, and current returns indicate this season may be no different. According to the Jan. 31 unofficial national attendance rankings (as compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office), Notre Dame is 17th in the nation with an average of 5,537 fans per game.

All of the top 20 crowds in the Irish record book have occurred during the 18-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw (1987-present). And, as more evidence of Notre Dame’s rapid elevation to “hot ticket” status in South Bend, 19 of the top 20 crowds in school history have been recorded in the past six seasons (1999-2000 to present), including 12 audiences of 8,000 or more fans, and 62 of the past 64 home games with at least 5,000 fans filing into the Joyce Center.

NOTRE DAME ON THE SMALL SCREEN
The Irish are scheduled to make at least 13 appearances on regional or national television during the 2004-05 season (additional broadcasts may be announced at a later date).

Notre Dame made its TV debut this season on Nov. 20 when it defeated No. 10/9 Ohio State, 66-62 in the championship game of the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT. That contest was shown globally via broadband Internet connection at www.sportsview.tv, as well either live or delayed on several Comcast SportsNet outlets nationwide. The American Forces Network, which broadcasts to more than one million U.S. service men and women in 176 countries, also aired the game.

The Irish returned to the airwaves Dec. 2 when they dropped an 82-73 overtime decision to No. 15 Michigan State on College Sports Television (CSTV). That was the first of three Notre Dame games that will air nationally on the fledgling cable network, which has signed an agreement with the BIG EAST Conference to carry a national women’s basketball Game of the Week eight times in 2004-05. The Irish also lost to No. 16 Connecticut, 67-50 on Jan. 12 at the Joyce Center and will visit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of the CSTV cameras.

In addition, Notre Dame will play twice on ESPN2 this year. On Jan. 16, the Irish downed No. 20 Purdue, 86-69 in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Two weeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame was back on ESPN2 as it defeated No. 9/10 Connecticut, 65-59 at Gampel Pavilion.

The BIG EAST also added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame lost at Villanova, 59-54 on Jan. 9 and defeated No. 6/7 Rutgers, 63-47 on Jan. 23, both on BIG EAST Television. Among those affiliates carrying the BETV package are Comcast SportsNet outlets in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as Fox Sports Net outlets in New York, New England and Pittsburgh.

Detroit-based Comcast Local (Channel 3 on Comcast cable systems in South Bend) is the latest television outlet to select Notre Dame women’s basketball games for broadcast. The newly-formed network will air five Irish games this season – at USC (Nov. 26), and home games vs. Washington (Dec. 11), St. John’s (Jan. 26), Georgetown (Feb. 12) and West Virginia (Feb. 26) – with former Irish All-America center, WNBA champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Ruth Riley slated to provide color commentary on the final three broadcasts. Comcast Local can be seen in South Bend on Comcast Cable channel 3.

NOTRE DAME ON THE AIRWAVES
Once again this season, every Irish women’s basketball game (home and away) airs on the flagship stations of the Artistic Media Partners (AMP) Network – WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1580) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcaster and AMP sports director Sean Stires is now in his fifth season handling the play-by-play for Notre Dame. The Irish also can be heard on the Internet at Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.und.com) by subscribing to College Sports Pass, which gives listeners full multimedia access to a variety of Irish athletics events for only $6.95 per month.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the fourth time in school history (all during the Muffet McGraw era), Notre Dame will have three players sharing the captain’s duties this year. Senior forward Jacqueline Batteast, senior center Teresa Borton and junior guard Megan Duffy all were accorded the honor based upon a vote of their teammates prior to the season. All three are serving as captains for the first time in their respective careers.

IRISH ADD TWO PLAYERS DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw has announced that Lindsay Schrader, a 6-0 guard from Bartlett, Ill., and Chandrica Smith, a 6-1 forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., have chosen to continue their careers with the Irish, signing National Letters of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2005.

With the additions of Schrader and Smith, Notre Dame’s newest recruiting class is ranked 16th in the nation by Blue Star Index. That marks the ninth consecutive year the Irish have had a top-20 class, according to that publication, which makes Notre Dame one of only three schools in the nation that can claim that distinction (Connecticut and Tennessee are the others).

Schrader has been widely regarded as one of the top all-around players in the state of Illinois while attending Bartlett High School the past three seasons. She is a three-time all-state selection, a two-time Illinois Miss Basketball finalist, and a two-time Street & Smith’s All-America selection who has averaged 20.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her prep career. Her finest all-around season came as a junior in 2003-04, when she averaged 20.8 ppg., 10.8 rpg. and 2.0 bpg. while earning first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette. She also was a sixth-team All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a finalist for Illinois Miss Basketball honors, an award she will likely contend for once again this season.

On the summer camp circuit, Schrader was an Underclass All-Star at the 2002 adidas Top Ten Camp, before attending the Nike All-America Camp in both 2003 and 2004. She is ranked among the top 30 high school seniors in the nation by three separate recruiting services – Blue Star Index (14th), All-Game Sports (21st) and All-Star Girls Report (26th overall – eighth among shooting guards).

In addition, Schrader made a significant impact at the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the North Team that won the silver medal, she ranked third at the Festival in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), as well as second in field goal percentage (.542). All three figures were team highs, as were her 2.2 steals per game. For her efforts, Schrader was invited to attend the 2004 USA Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying Team Trials, where she was one of 17 finalists for the 12-player team that won the gold medal this past August.

Smith currently attends Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where she transferred prior to her senior season. Previously, she was a standout at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., where she averaged 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game with a .620 field goal percentage. She also was a key component in the Jaguars’ run to a 32-1 record and the Georgia 5A state championship last year. In fact, during her first three prep seasons, her teams posted a combined 89-7 (.927) record with three trips to the Georgia state championship and one state title.

Smith herself has received numerous accolades during her high school career. She is a two-time honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a Student Sports All-American in 2004. In addition, she attended the adidas Top Ten Camp three consecutive years and was named to its prestigious all-star team all three years (Underclass All-Star in 2002 & 2003; Upperclass All-Star in 2004). Last season, she was an honorable mention 5A all-state selection and a first-team all-county choice. She is ranked as high as 29th in the nation among high school seniors by All-Star Girls Report.

Like Schrader, Smith also attended the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the South Team, she averaged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, scoring a personal-best 13 points in the bronze-medal game victory over the East squad.

Muffet McGraw SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2010-11 SEASON
On Nov. 6, Notre Dame announced that Muffet McGraw has signed a two-year extension to continue as head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball program through the 2010-11 season.

McGraw, who is now in her 18th season with the Irish, most recently signed a four-year contract extension in July 2002 that took her through the 2008-09 season. Her first 17 seasons at Notre Dame have been highlighted by 15 20-win campaigns (including a current string of 11 straight), 11 NCAA tournament appearances (including a current streak of nine straight) and the 2001 NCAA title. Entering the 2004-05 season, she had a 384-149 (.720) record at Notre Dame.

In 2003-04, McGraw skillfully guided her team to a 21-11 record and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (the fourth for the Irish in five years). McGraw’s charges placed second in the BIG EAST Conference, their eighth top-two finish since joining the league nine years ago. In addition, the Irish went 15-0 at home, their third perfect record at the Joyce Center in the past five seasons, and extended their overall home win streak to 20 games, the second-longest in school history and eighth-longest active string in the nation heading into the 2004-05 campaign.

McGraw has continued to enhance her reputation as one of the nation’s outstanding big-game coaches and tacticians, piloting Notre Dame to a school-record seven wins over top 25 teams during the 2003-04 regular season. During her 17-year tenure with the Irish, McGraw has compiled 40 victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including 30 in the past six seasons (an average of five per year).

Under McGraw’s guidance, the past nine years have been the most successful in Notre Dame’s history as the Irish have compiled an impressive 225-69 (.765) record, including a sparkling 124-28 (.816) regular-season mark in BIG EAST play, the best winning percentage in league history. Notre Dame also has averaged 25 victories per campaign during that span, with two 30-win seasons to its credit. The Irish have won at least one NCAA tournament game every season over that time, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen six times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and the Final Four twice (1997 and 2001).

PROMOTIONAL CORNER
Here’s a rundown of some upcoming promotions and giveaways at future Notre Dame women’s basketball games this season (additional promotions and giveaways may be added at a later date):

  • Feb. 2 vs. Boston College – Notre Dame women’s basketball trading cards (first 1,500 fans)
  • Feb. 12 vs. Georgetown – Notre Dame women’s basketball dry erase boards (first 2,000 fans)
  • Feb. 26 vs. West Virginia – Notre Dame women’s basketball beanie bears (first 1,000 fans)

NEXT GAME: PITTSBURGH
Notre Dame begins the second half of the BIG EAST Conference season Saturday when it visits Pittsburgh for a 2 p.m. (ET) game at the Petersen Events Center. The Irish will be quite familiar with the road down the stretch, as they play five of their last seven games away from the Joyce Center.

Pittsburgh (11-8, 3-5 BIG EAST) already has exceeded its overall and conference win totals from last year, nearly having doubled both marks with still a month to play in the regular season. The Panthers opened the campaign with six consecutive victories, but have since dropped eight of their last 13 games, although they did take Penn State to overtime and lost a narrow three-point decision to improving conference member St. John’s. UP will play host to Villanova Wednesday night before welcoming the Irish to town over the weekend. Notre Dame also will be the Panthers’ third ranked opponent in four games, following losses to Connecticut and Boston College last week.

The Irish lead the all-time series with Pittsburgh, 14-0, including a 7-0 mark in the Steel City. The teams met only once last season, with Notre Dame pulling out a hard-fought 72-68 victory at the Petersen Events Center behind 17 points from Jacqueline Batteast and a career-high 16 points from Jeneka Joyce.