Jan. 14, 2005
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BIG EAST/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
(#7 AP/#6 ESPN/USA Today) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-3) vs. (#20 AP/#20 ESPN/USA Today) Purdue Boilermakers (10-5)
The Date and Time: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2005, at 5 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 day.
The TV Plans: ESPN2 national broadcast with Pam Ward (play-by-play), Nancy Lieberman (analysis), Brian Zwolinski (producer) and Chip Sego (director).
The Radio Plans: Sunday’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, courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker, are available for the Purdue game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) athletics web site.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Purdue (www.purduesports.com).
#7/6 NOTRE DAME HOSTS #20 PURDUE SUNDAY IN BIG EAST/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
After a pair of bitter conference losses earlier this week, No. 7/6 Notre Dame will step out of the BIG EAST play for the final time during the regular season when it faces 20th-ranked Purdue Sunday at 5 p.m. (ET) at the Joyce Center. The game is the nightcap of the second BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge, with Rutgers visiting Ohio State in the opener – both contests are slated to be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Notre Dame (13-3) received a stern reality check on Wednesday with a 67-50 loss to No. 16 Connecticut at the Joyce Center. The Irish trailed the Huskies by only two points with 11 minutes to play, but went ice cold from the field as UConn prevailed.
Sophomore forward Crystal Erwin was the lone double-figure scorer for Notre Dame, ending up with 11 points before she fouled out. Three other players added eight points and junior guard Megan Duffy dished out a game-high nine assists for Notre Dame.
Purdue (10-5) is smarting from a 58-38 home loss to No. 11/12 Minnesota on Thursday night. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton chalked up a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers, who shot .319 from the floor.
A pair of sophomores – forward Erin Lawless (15.2 ppg.) and guard Katie Gearlds (12.6 ppg.) – lead Purdue in scoring this season, while senior center Emily Heikes is pulling down a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIGHTING IRISH
With four starters and seven monogram winners back in the fold, Notre Dame would appear to have all the pieces in place for a magical 2004-05 season.
Tested early and often by both a rugged schedule (eight games in the first 20 days of the season) and demanding opposition (No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State), the Irish were up to the challenge, opening with seven consecutive victories and claiming the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT championship. Consequently, the Irish have been a regular in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this season, checking in at No. 7 and No. 6, respectively in this week’s polls.
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 18.4 points (27th in the nation as of Jan. 10), 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. She was named the Preseason WNIT Most Valuable Player and BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after logging a career-high 32 points in the WNIT championship game against Ohio State. She has scored in double digits in 14 Irish games this season, has earned game-high scoring honors eight times and has three double-doubles. With her 22-point effort at Villanova on Jan. 9, Batteast also moved into fifth place on Notre Dame’s career scoring list (1,609 points), giving her top-five placement on the school’s all-time points, rebounds and blocks charts.
Junior guard Megan Duffy also has stepped up her play this season, registering 11.1 points per game with a team-high 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Duffy also leads the BIG EAST and is ninth in the nation with a .903 free throw percentage (56-for-62) this season, sparking the Irish to a league-leading .749 free throw ratio (18th in the NCAA as of Jan. 10).
Duffy’s backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray, has also shown great improvement this year. Moviing effortlessly into the starting lineup, the Las Vegas native has nearly tripled her scoring average from last season (6.3 ppg.), highlighted by a career-high 17-point effort vs. Syracuse on Jan. 5, and she ranks second on the team with 22 steals (1.38 spg.).
Injuries also have not been enough to slow Notre Dame so far this season. When junior forward Courtney LaVere was sidelined in late November with minor knee surgery, sophomore forward Crystal Erwin stepped into the breach and filled the role nicely. In 10 starts, Erwin is averaging 8.1 points per game, including a career-high 24 points (on 9-for-9 shooting) against Washington on Dec. 11. Prior to this season, Erwin had scored in double figures only once in her career, but she has done so five times this year (three since she became a starter).
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 5-1 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’s defense has been especially sturdy of late, holding 10 of its last 12 opponents to less than 60 points, including three of four BIG EAST foes.
* Notre Dame has been a fixture near the top of all major RPI charts this season. Through Jan. 13, the Irish are fifth in the WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, with the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule.
* With this week’s No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press poll, Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10 of the AP balloting nine times in the first 10 polls of the year. On three other times in school history have the Irish spent longer in the AP top 10 – 1998-99 (16 weeks), 1999-2000 (15 weeks) and 2000-01 (18 weeks). All told, Notre Dame has spent 65 weeks in the AP top 10 and has a 99-17 (.853) all-time record when it’s ranked in the top 10.
* The Irish have posted 32 wins over Top 25 opponents in the past seven seasons (1998-99 to present), including two in its first four games this year (76-65 vs. No. 6 Duke and 66-62 vs. No. 10 Ohio State).
* The Irish have defeated 20 top-10 opponents in their history, adding to that total with their victories over sixth-ranked Duke and 10th-ranked Ohio State in the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT.
* Head coach Muffet McGraw has a 397-152 (.723) record in 18 seasons with the Irish, which puts her just three victories shy of the 400-win mark for her Notre Dame career.
A QUICK LOOK AT PURDUE
Following the graduation of four talented senior starters, including All-America forward Shereka Wright, Purdue (10-5) has gone through a period of transition this season. The Boilermakers are breaking in five new freshmen, along with redshirt junior college transfer Aya Traore, who missed virtually all of last season with a knee injury. However, Purdue also has the benefit of some experienced letterwinners, led by bruising senior center Emily Heikes (the lone returning starter), as well as two sophomore standouts – guard Katie Gearlds (the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year) and forward Erin Lawless.
The Boilermakers last played on Thursday night, dropping a 58-38 decision at home to No. 11/12 Minnesota. Purdue made its first seven shots from the field, but then struggled to find the range the remainder of the evening, winding up with a .319 field goal percentage. The Boilermakers also went scoreless for a 10-minute stretch and were held without a basket for nearly 14 minutes, while Minnesota turned a five-point deficit into a 41-25 lead midway through the second half.
Freshman forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had the most success for Purdue on Thursday, finishing with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 32 minutes. Another freshman, point guard Brina Pollack, came off the bench to score nine points for the Boilermakers.
For the season, Lawless leads Purdue in scoring (15.2 ppg.) and field goal percentage (.512), while Gearlds is second in scoring (12.6 ppg.) and steals (1.7 spg.), while setting the pace in assists (3.1 apg.), free throw percentage (.857) and three-point field goals (19). Heikes averages a team-high 5.8 rpg., while Wisdom-Hylton leads the squad in blocks (34) and is second in field goal percentage (.511).
Head coach Kristy Curry is in her sixth season at Purdue, holding a career record of 146-36 (.802) with the Boilermakers. She is 5-2 all-time against Notre Dame, including a 1-1 mark in South Bend.
THE NOTRE DAME-PURDUE SERIES
Matching the two predominant women’s basketball programs in the state of Indiana, not to mention the country, the Notre Dame-Purdue series has been hotly contested ever since its formation early in the 1984-85 season. The Boilermakers hold a 13-4 series lead, although their margin is much slimmer (4-2) when playing at the Joyce Center.
It didn’t take long for the series to take on a spirited feel. In their first meeting on Nov. 26, 1984 in South Bend, Purdue rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to register a 62-59 victory, sparked by 13 points from current Maine head coach Sharon Versyp. That would be the first of six consecutive Boilermaker wins before Notre Dame finally broke through in a big way with a 73-60 win in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
That victory began a momentary shift in the series’ power base, as the Irish won four of the next seven matchups, capped by a memorable 68-66 triumph over Purdue in the 2001 NCAA championship game in St. Louis. However, that remains the last time Notre Dame has come out ahead in the series, as the Boilermakers have put together a four-game winning streak. Included in the current Purdue success string are two wins in West Lafayette (2001 and 2004), a win in South Bend (2003) and a win in the NCAA Tournament (2003). The closest the Irish have come since the ’01 title game was the 13-point margin in both of their trips to West Lafayette, although neither contest was as close as the final score would indicate.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND PURDUE MET
Shereka Wright had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 7 Purdue to a 76-63 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 4, 2004, in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
Wright led four Boilermakers in double figures and Purdue (10-2) bounced back from their first regular-season home loss in 38 games. No. 10 Penn State beat Purdue two days earlier to snap the streak, which included 31 straight Big Ten wins. Purdue shot 21 percent in the loss, the second-worst percentage in school history.
The Boilermakers looked better against Notre Dame (7-5), especially in the second half. They shot 44 percent for the game and 50 percent in the second half. Megan Duffy and Le’Tania Severe scored 15 points each for the Irish, which had their four-game winning streak stopped. Jacqueline Batteast added 13 points and nine rebounds.
Wright got off to a slow start, but she scored nine of her points during a 3:30 span of the second half to put away the Irish. She had two layups, two free throws and capped the run with a three-pointer that gave Purdue a 60-40 lead with 6:37 to play.
Emily Heikes had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Lindsey Hicks and Beth Jones also scored 10 points each for Purdue.
Notre Dame struggled to get open shots against a swarming Purdue defense. The Irish shot 36.7 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers. Conversely, the Boilermakers shot 38 percent in the first half against Notre Dame and held the Irish to 26 percent to take a 32-20 lead.
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND PURDUE MET AT THE JOYCE CENTER
In a game that provided more answers for Purdue and more questions for Notre Dame, the seventh-ranked Boilermakers beat the No. 13 Irish, 71-54 on Jan. 4, 2003 at the Joyce Center. Purdue took control with a 15-0 run that started late in the first half, shutting down Notre Dame’s best players and amassing 26 offensive rebounds to 24 defensive rebounds for the Irish.
The only Irish players to have any success were Courtney LaVere, who led the Irish with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Le’Tania Severe, who had 10 points and six assists.
Both teams started slowly, with the Irish turning the ball over eight times in the first six minutes and Purdue making just 21 percent of its shots (7-of-33) until a media timeout came with 3:11 to go in the first half.
Twenty seconds later, Erika Valek made a 15-foot shot to end the Boilermakers’ drought of 7:15 without a basket. The shot cut Notre Dame’s lead to 22-20 and sparked the 15-0 run that continued into the second half. After missing her first five shots, Valek scored seven points before halftime to help Purdue grab a 27-22 halftime lead. The Boilermakers also scored the first five points of the second half to keep the run going.
The Boilermakers (11-1) extended their lead to 63-39 when Mary Jo Noon made a pair of free throws with 5:57 left.
Shereka Wright led the Boilermakers with 18 points. Valek added 15 points and six assists for the Boilermakers. Emily Heikes had 10 points as Purdue’s reserves outscored Notre Dame’s 18-5.
Jacqueline Batteast had 14 points for the Irish, but Notre Dame’s leading scorer only notched four points while the game’s outcome was still in doubt. Alicia Ratay, Notre Dame’s only starter left from the team that beat Purdue for the national title in 2001, was held scoreless by Beth Jones and managed only two shots.
A crowd of 9,483, Notre Dame’s fifth-largest home crowd for a women’s game, saw the team’s home winning streak against non-conference teams end at 33. The streak dated to an 81-69 loss to another Big Ten team, Wisconsin, on Dec. 9, 1996.
OTHER NOTRE DAME-PURDUE SERIES NOTES
* The 70-point mark seems to be a magic figure in the series. One or both teams have scored 70 points in 13 of the 17 matchups, with the first team to reach that milepost winning each time.
* Notre Dame’s most frequent NCAA Tournament opponent has been Purdue. The Irish and Boilermakers have played one another four times in NCAA postseason competition, with each team winning twice (ND in 1996 and 2001; Purdue in 1998 and 2003).
* Those two NCAA victories account for half of Notre Dame’s four wins in the series – a 73-60 victory in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, and a 68-66 triumph in the 2001 NCAA championship game. The 1996 win also was Notre Dame’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
* The Irish and Boilermakers remain the only teams from the same state ever to play for the NCAA championship.
* Notre Dame head athletic trainer Jim Russ – now in his 19th season with the Irish – served as an assistant athletic trainer at Purdue from 1977-82.
NOTRE DAME AGAINST THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Notre Dame is 28-43 (.394) all-time against the current alignment of the Big Ten Conference, although the Irish have have a winning record at home (16-15, .516) against Big Ten schools. Notre Dame has played all 11 members of the Big Ten, owning .500 or better records against Indiana (5-3), Wisconsin (4-2), Northwestern (2-1), Ohio State (1-1) and Iowa (1-0).
Purdue is the last of three Big Ten opponents on Notre Dame’s 2004-05 regular-season schedule, with all three games coming at the Joyce Center. Back on Nov. 20, the Irish downed No. 10/9 Ohio State, 66-62 in the championship game of the Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT, rallying from eight points back in the final five minutes to earn the victory. Then, on Dec. 2, Notre Dame led No. 15 Michigan State by six points with 30 seconds left in regulation, but the Spartans rallied to force overtime and eventually defeated the Irish, 82-73.
Overall, the Big Ten has a 4-3 edge over the BIG EAST this season, with Michigan State posting three of those victories for the Big Ten (also 82-78 in overtime vs. Boston College; 67-51 at Connecticut). The fourth Big Ten triumph was Penn State’s 84-79 overtime win at Pittsburgh. Conversely, Villanova and West Virginia have the other two BIG EAST wins in this year’s series, defeating Penn State (73-65) and Northwestern (89-55), respectively.
BOUNCING BACK
In recent years, the Irish have shown exceptional resiliency when it comes to responding to a double-digit loss. Since joining the BIG EAST Conference 10 seasons ago, Notre Dame is 34-5 (.872) in “bounce back” games, including a 21-1 (.955) record at home. During that span, the only time the Irish have lost at the Joyce Center immediately after a double-figure loss was Dec. 6, 1997, when they dropped a 78-59 decision to No. 3/2 Connecticut three days following an 80-67 defeat at Rutgers.
Overall, Notre Dame is 59-22 (.738) in the Muffet McGraw era (1987-present) in the first game after a loss of 10-or-more points.
THE BEAST OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 126-30 (.808) 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 139-39 (.781) against league opponents – when factoring in these 22 postseason tilts, the Irish are 71-8 (.899) at home, 55-25 (.688) on the road and 13-6 (.684) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.
POLLING PLACE
Notre Dame is 174-43 (.802) all-time when it is ranked in the Associated Press poll at tipoff (the Irish are seventh entering Sunday’s game with Purdue). When playing at home, Notre Dame has been especially strong, going 81-10 (.890) as a ranked host after posting an 8-2 record at the Joyce Center this season. Conversely, the Irish are 69-25 (.734) 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 99-18 (.846) as a top-10 squad, including a 48-4 (.923) 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.
IT’S “T” FOR TWO
Senior center Teresa Borton has been a solid presence in the middle for the Irish this season, but the past three games have been especially productive for the Yakima, Wash., resident. Borton scored a season-high 17 points in both a win over Syracuse and a loss at Villanova and added seven points vs. Connecticut, shooting a combined 75 percent from the floor (15-for-20) in those three contests.
During the early part of BIG EAST Conference play, Borton has been a big factor for Notre Dame, ranking second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg.) and posting a .708 field goal percentage (17-for-24) that would be leading the conference if she had three more made field goals to her credit (minimum five FG per game to qualify).
NO SOPHOMORE JINX HERE
Bucking the traditional “sophomore jinx,” second-year forward Crystal Erwin and guard Breona Gray both have emerged as important contributors to Notre Dame’s success this season. Erwin ranks fourth on the team in scoring (7.2 ppg.) and rebounding (4.0 rpg.), along with the second-best field goal percentage (.495) on the squad. Her biggest games have come at home, where she is logging 9.1 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. with a .545 field goal percentage and five double-digit scoring games (she had one in her career prior to this season).
Meanwhile, Gray has started every game and averages nearly 26 minutes per night at the off-guard spot for the Irish this season, collecting 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Those are a far cry from her numbers as a freshman, when she played only 11.4 minutes per contest while posting 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds a game.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Irish are off to a 5-1 start 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 have 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 51.5 ppg., a .328 field goal percentage (111-for-338) and a .176 three-point percentage (18-for-102) away from home and have not allowed more than 59 points in any of their six road games this year.
THREE-FENSE
In the past 13 games, Notre Dame has limited its opponents to a .217 three-point percentage (49-for-226), 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 .238 mark (66-for-277) from long range.
THE FIVE-FINGER DISCOUNT
Notre Dame ranks third in the BIG EAST Conference in steals this season, averaging 9.69 thefts per game (155 total). The Irish have come up with at least 10 steals in seven 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 (2.75 spg., 44 total), while her backcourt mate, sophomore Breona Gray, and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast are tied for second on the team with 1.38 steals per game (22 total). Four other Notre Dame players have at least 10 steals this year – freshman guard Charel Allen (15), sophomore forward Crystal Erwin (13), senior center Teresa Borton (13) and freshman guard Tulyah Gaines (11).
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 264 assists (16.5 apg.; third in the BIG EAST) on 390 field goals made (24.4 per game), including a Preseason WNIT-record 29 handouts in the season opener vs. Illinois State. Junior guard Megan Duffy leads the way at 4.94 assists per game (fifth in the BIG EAST), with at least five dimes in nine contests this season, including a career-high 10 assists vs. Washington on Dec. 11 and nine assists on Wednesday night against Connecticut.
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 18th nationally (as of Jan. 10), shooting 74.9 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 (.903, 56-62), freshman guard Charel Allen (.833, 30-36) and senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (.815, 66-81). Duffy currently ranks first in the BIG EAST and ninth in the nation in free throw percentage, while Batteast is fifth in the conference and has shown the greatest improvement among all Irish players this season with almost a 19-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 64 games since then (Jan. 20, 2003 to present), Duffy is connecting at an .859 clip (171-199) on her foul shots. She also has made 64 of her last 71 free throws (.901) in the past 22 Irish games, dating back to Feb. 28, 2004.
WINNING TEN-DENCIES
With its 50-47 win at Marquette on Dec. 19, Notre Dame recorded its 10th victory of the season, marking the earliest calendar date ever that the Irish have reached double-digit victories. The 2000-01 squad previously held that distinction, getting its 10th win on Dec. 21, 2000, ironically also at Marquette (75-56).
BEAT THE CLOCK
At Marquette on Dec. 19, senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast did something that no other Irish player had done in nearly a decade – hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Batteast buried a three-pointer from the right wing as time expired to give Notre Dame a 50-47 victory over the Golden Eagles. Prior to Batteast’s heroics, the last time an Irish player won a game at the horn was Jan. 14, 1995, when Letitia Bowen hit a putback as time ran out to give Notre Dame a 67-65 triumph at Detroit.
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 – needs three wins (current record: 397-152, .723)
* 500th victory overall – needs 15 wins (current record: 485-193, .715)
THE CONNECTICUT RECAP
No. 16 Connecticut used a 10-2 run midway through the second half to finally pull free from seventh-ranked Notre Dame, going on to a 67-50 victory over the Irish on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center.
There were four ties and seven lead changes in the first 26 minutes of the game, culminating with Jessica Moore’s layup at the 14:15 mark of the second half, which put the Huskies ahead to stay, 36-35. The teams traded buckets and Notre Dame remained within two points (41-39) following two free throws by senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast with 11:20 left. That’s when UConn (9-4, 3-0 BIG EAST) went on its game-turning run, which was complemented by an aggressive defense that caused the Irish to miss eight of their next nine shots from the field.
Charde Houston led four Huskies in double figures with 19 points, all in the second half. Ashley Battle contributed 15 points off the bench, including a pair of baskets during Connecticut’s final charge. Sophomore forward Crystal Erwin was the only Notre Dame player to score in double figures, winding up with 11 points before she fouled out late in the contest.
The Irish (13-3, 2-2) won the battle on the boards, 38-37, but it was the 17 offensive caroms collected by the Huskies (leading to 14 second-chance points) that proved to be the difference. Notre Dame also turned the ball over 17 times, compared to only nine giveaways for UConn.
Playing before their largest home crowd of the season, the Irish came out charged up, scoring the first four points of the contest in the opening 64 seconds. However, the Huskies came right back and the first half ultimately settled into a back-and-forth affair. Connecticut broke an 18-all tie with six consecutive points, but the Irish responded and trimmed the deficit to two points twice, the second coming at 28-26 on a jumper by junior guard Megan Duffy with 14 seconds left in the half. That margin was short-lived, as Ann Strother buried a three-pointer in the final second of the period to give the Huskies a five-point lead at the break.
Undaunted, Notre Dame went on a 9-3 surge to start the second half, taking its last lead at 35-34 on a jumper by Erwin with 15:13 remaining in the game. A minute later, Moore hit her shot to put the visitors back on top and the Irish subsequently went cold from the field at a most inopportune time.
NOTING THE CONNECTICUT GAME
* Notre Dame suffers its second consecutive loss after opening the season at 13-1.
* The 17-point margin of defeat was the largest by the Irish at home since a 72-53 setback vs. Connecticut on Jan. 20, 2003.
* UConn now leads the series, 16-3, including a 5-2 mark at the Joyce Center.
* Twice in the series, the Huskies have been ranked lower than Notre Dame, and both times they have won (also 78-76 on March 6, 2001 in the BIG EAST Championship final).
* Notre Dame loses consecutive conference games for the first time since Jan. 18 & 20, 2003, when it fell to Rutgers (64-61) and Connecticut (72-53).
* The loss was just the fourth all-time for Notre Dame when it’s playing at home as a top-10 team (now 48-4).
* The Irish matched their season-low point production with 50 points (also at Marquette on Dec. 19).
* UConn’s 67 points are the most allowed by Notre Dame since an 82-73 overtime loss to (then) No. 15 Michigan State on Dec. 2.
* Connecticut is only the fourth Notre Dame opponent to shoot 40 percent from the floor this year, and the first in nine games, joining Illinois State (.446), Ohio State (.442) and Valparaiso (.411).
* Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was held to single-digit scoring for only the second time all season (seven points at Dayton on Dec. 9).
* Batteast did move into fourth place on Notre Dame’s career rebounding list with 855 caroms, passing Mary Beth Schueth (853 from 1981-85).
* Batteast also made her 80th consecutive start and 102nd of her career, tying Letitia Bowen (1991-95) for eighth place on the Irish all-time starts list.
* Junior guard Megan Duffy posted her ninth five-assist game of the season, finishing one away from her career high (10 assists vs. Washington on Dec. 11); in her last three games, Duffy is averaging 7.3 assists per contest (22 total).
* Sophomore forward Crystal Erwin led the Irish in scoring for the third time this year and cracked double figures for the fifth time this season (sixth of her career); Erwin has been extremely comfortable playing at home this season, averaging 9.1 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. with a .545 field goal percentage in 10 games at the Joyce Center.
* Notre Dame welcomed a season-high 6,744 fans to the UConn game.
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 88-7 (.926) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when they go into the dressing room with the lead. Notre Dame has added 11 wins to that count this season (Illinois State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Colorado State, USC, Valparaiso, Dayton, Washington, Northern Illinois, Seton Hall and Syracuse).
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 139-7 (.952) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game, including a 10-1 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 89-3 (.967) 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 tacked another win to that ledger with its opening-night 92-73 win over Illinois State.
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 121 of their last 132 games (.917) at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center. Notre Dame also has a 71-8 (.899) home record in BIG EAST play.
The Irish have been particularly strong when it comes to non-conference games at home, winning 53 of their last 56 non-BIG EAST contests (.946) 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 271-72 (.790) 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 early returns indicate this season will be no different. According to the Jan. 10 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 5,275 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 59 of the past 61 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 faced Connecticut Wednesday at the Joyce Center and will visit Boston College on Feb. 15 in front of the CSTV cameras.
In addition, Notre Dame is scheduled to play twice on ESPN2 this season. On Sunday, the Irish will battle Purdue in the second annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge at the Joyce Center. Two weeks later on Jan. 30, Notre Dame travels to Storrs, Conn., to meet Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion.
The BIG EAST also added two Irish games to its regional television package this season. Notre Dame already visited Villanova on Jan. 9 and will play host to Rutgers 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). 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).
BIG EAST CONFERENCE APPROVES BASKETBALL STRUCTURE FOR 2005-06
The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference institutions have approved all recommendations by the league’s athletic directors relating to the structure of men’s and women’s basketball beginning in the 2005-06 academic year. The approvals were made at the Presidents’ annual meeting held in Philadelphia on Nov. 9.
The recommendations include maintaining a 12-team postseason conference championship tournament and a one-division regular season structure. The men’s and women’s teams will continue to play 16-game regular season league schedules.
In 2005-06, the BIG EAST will include 16 schools. The new members will be: University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University and University of South Florida. While the tournament format will be the same for the men and women, the formula for regular season scheduling will be different. The men’s teams will play 13 opponents with three repeat matchups to reach 16 league games. The women’s teams will meet each opponent once and have one repeat opponent.
For regular season scheduling, the conference office will determine prior to each season which matchups will be repeated. The factors in making the repeat games will be television, rivalries and geography.
BIG EAST men’s teams have captured the last two NCAA crowns and three of the last six. BIG EAST women’s teams have won the last five NCAA titles. The BIG EAST conducts its men’s championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. The women’s championship is played at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.
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):
* Jan. 16 vs. Purdue – Jacqueline Batteast mini-basketballs (first 2,000 fans)
* Jan. 23 vs. Rutgers – Notre Dame women’s basketball nesting dolls (first 500 fans)
NEXT GAME: SYRACUSE
The Irish return to BIG EAST Conference play Wednesday night when they head to Syracuse for the second half of a home-and-home series with the Orange. Back on Jan. 5, Notre Dame defeated Syracuse, 75-58 at the Joyce Center, improving to 17-2 all-time against the Orange and 13-0 in BIG EAST regular-season competition.
Syracuse (9-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) has played just once since its last matchup with the Irish, defeating Providence, 72-51 on Wednesday evening in upstate New York. Freshman guard Jessica Richter, who scored 17 points in the earlier meeting with Notre Dame, tallied a career-high 18 points against Providence, while senior forward/center Chineze Nwagbo added 15 points and four blocks and freshman center Vaida Sipaviciute made her first career start and wound up with her first double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds). The win snapped a 14-game BIG EAST losing streak for SU, which heads to Pittsburgh Sunday for a noon (ET) conference game.