January 29, 1999
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)– Notre Dame carries the Big East’s longest current win streak into Providence Saturday.
The No. 7 Irish (16-2, 8-2 Big East) routed Syracuse 94-61 on Tuesday as the trio of Sheila McMillen (23 pts), Ruth Riley (20 pts), and Niele Ivey (19 pts) extended the team’s winning streak to seven.
Notre Dame’s defensive play was just as dominating, notching 14 steals and forcing the Orangewomen into 25 turnovers.
Syracuse’s leading scorer Paula Moore, who entered the game averaging 17.9 points a game, finished with eight.
“We did a really good job on Moore,” Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. “She was the one we were keying on. I felt good about what we did against her. That was in our game plan defensively, to shut her down.”
Notre Dame faces a struggling Providence team.
The Lady Friars (3-15, 2-9 Big East), despite a solid performance by reserve Megan Hinds, lost to St. John’s 77-63 on Wednesday.
Hinds came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, but the Lady Friars were overmatched by a Red Storm team led by the Big East’s second leading scorer, Ebony Dickinson.
Dickinson (18.1 ppg) scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading four other players in double figures, as Providence fell into a last-place tie in the conference with Seton Hall.