#1 Tulyah Gaines 2006-07 Women's Basketball Roster

Overview
Dynamic point guard who has been a mainstay in Notre Dame backcourt the past two seasons … displayed exceptional improvement in her all-around game from sophomore to junior seasons … experience and leadership skills allow her to command universal respect in Irish locker room … explosive off the dribble, while speed and ball-handling ability make her threat both in transition and breaking the press … one of the team[apos]s top defenders, thanks to her quick hands and court awareness … invites contact with slashing drives through the lane and has made opponents pay with sharpened ability at the foul line … continues to hone her perimeter shooting and diversify her offensive game … intense competitor whose passion and flair sets the tone for her teammates.

Junior Season (2006-07)
One of three players to start all 32 games for the Irish, averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game … ranked among BIG EAST leaders in assists (eighth), steals (sixth), free throw percentage (eighth – .815) and assist/turnover ratio (14th – 1.11) … scored (then) career-high 25 points (8-15 FG, 9-11 FT) and added six rebounds in overtime victory against Bowling Green … shared team-high scoring honors at Penn State with 12 points, while also matching (then) career best with four steals … dished out career-high nine assists to go along with eight points in victory over Western Michigan … scored 11 points, including two game-winning FT with 3.3 seconds left at Michigan … in victory over No. 10/9 Purdue, rang up 16 of her 20 points (8-12 FG) in second half, including eight in the final 1:45, while adding game-best five assists … tallied 16 points (6-10 FG) and career-high five steals in win over IUPUI … notched 13 points (5-7 FG) and three steals against Prairie View A&M … poured in career-high 27 points (8-14 FG, 11-12 FT) along with five assists and four steals in win vs. Cincinnati … flirted with double-double vs. Syracuse, ending up with 10 points and career-high-tying nine assists … registered 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in win over No. 17/16 Louisville … piled up 12 points and five assists in victory vs. DePaul … tallied 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-5 FT), four assists and four steals against Georgetown … closed out regular season with 14 points (4-6 FG, 6-8 FT), five assists and career-high two blocks at DePaul … scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in both of Notre Dame[apos]s NCAA Tournament games (vs. California and No. 2 North Carolina); also handed out eight assists against UNC and converted two big free throws with 16.5 seconds left in first-round win over Cal.

Sophomore Season (2005-06)
Played in 29 games, including 20 starts (the first of her career), averaging 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game … scored 11 points (4-5 FG) at Wisconsin, including critical driving layup to beat shot clock with 1:57 left to put Irish in the driver[apos]s seat … returned to starting lineup vs. Seton Hall and responded well with 12 points, five assists and four steals … tossed in eight points against No. 10 DePaul, including four key free throws in the final 1:34 to help seal victory … notched six points, eight rebounds and three steals against Providence … erupted for first career double-double in overtime win at Cincinnati, posting career bests of 14 points (8-9 FT) and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes; also sank game-tying layup as time expired in regulation … contributed nine points, (then) career-high eight assists (no turnovers) and six rebounds in regular-season finale vs. Pittsburgh … scored 12 points (4-4 FG) and snared team-high seven rebounds in BIG EAST Championship first-round win over South Florida … closed season well, recording 8.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 3.7 apg. and 2.2 assist/turnover ratio (22 assists, 10 turnovers) in final six games.

Freshman Season (2004-05)
Appeared in 29 games, averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest … missed much of summer while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery … made college debut in Preseason WNIT opener vs. Illinois State, only to be sidelined after five minutes of action with neck injury (subsequently missed four games) … returned after injury absence to log two points, two rebounds and two steals at USC … grabbed two rebounds in victory at Valparaiso …dished out two assists against No. 15 Michigan State … scored five points in 16 minutes at Dayton … distributed a season-best four assists against Washington …had two points and two rebounds at Marquette …charted 12 points (4-6 FG, 4-5 FT) and seven rebounds in 27 minutes at Northern Illinois … came up with three steals in win over Seton Hall … picked up two assists and one steal against No. 16 Connecticut … tallied seven points (3-4 FG), two assists and two rebounds in 13 minutes against No. 20 Purdue … scored four points in nine minutes of victory at No. 9/10 Connecticut … added four points, three rebounds and three steals against No. 16/13 Boston College … contributed three points (3-4 FT) and three assists at Pittsburgh … offered up nine points (3-4 FG), two assists and two steals in win at Providence … nearly came up with first career double-double in home finale vs. West Virginia, finishing with eight points (2-3 FG, 4-4 FT) and nine rebounds.

High School
Averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.8 steals and 3.6 rebounds per game in senior season at Cheyenne High School … ranked second in scoring and sixth in assists among southern Nevada Class 4A players … 2004 Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year … first-team all-Sunset League (Northwest Division) in 2004 … honorable mention all-state pick by Las Vegas Sun (2004) …. averaged 18.9 points and 5.1 assists per game as junior at Burroughs High School in Burbank, Calif. … earned first-team all-CIF Southern Section Division 2A honors … two-time Street & Smith[apos]s honorable mention All-American (2002, 2003) … Los Angeles Times first-team all-area choice … three-time all-Foothill League selection (2001-03) … set Burroughs High School record for assists in one season (122 in 2003) … earned bronze medal at 2003 USA Youth Development Festival with West Team after averaging 6.0 ppg. in five-game tourney … guided AAU team to national championships in 2000 (13-and-under) and 2002 (15-and-under) … ranked 25th in nation by All Game Sports, 52nd by Blue Star Index and 61st by All-Star Girls Report … also competed in track throughout high school career … was Nevada state finalist in triple jump in 2004, helping team to state runner-up finish in Class 4A … also broke Burroughs High School record for triple jump in 2003.

Personal Data
Born Oct. 4, 1986 in Fontana, Calif. … older of two children … first name pronounced tuh-LIE-uh … daughter of Phalesia and Kevin Gaines … comes from athletic family — younger brother, Jashaad, is sophomore football player at Notre Dame; uncle, Sam Cash, played basketball at UC Riverside; cousin, Sami Cash, played volleyball at UC Irvine; and cousin, Jere Boykin played soccer at Oklahoma State … enrolled in College of Arts and Letters as double major in film, television & theater and computer applications … posted impressive 3.667 grade-point average during fall 2006 semester … first Notre Dame women[apos]s basketball player to wear No. 1.

Career Honors
2007: BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team. 2006: BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team.