Jan. 8, 2008
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Charel Allen scored a season-high 26 points to lead No. 14 Notre Dame to an 82-74 win over Louisville on Tuesday night.
Allen scored six of her points during a decisive 10-2 run in the second half that turned a one-point lead into a nine-point cushion for the Fighting Irish (13-2, 1-0 Big East). Notre Dame outscored the Cardinals (11-4, 0-2) 44-36 in the second half after the two teams were tied at 38 at halftime.
Tulyah Gaines added 13 points while Erica Williamson chipped in 11 for Notre Dame.
Candyce Bingham led Louisville with 22 points. Angel McCoughtry, the Big East’s leading scorer with 23.3 points per game, finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds. She was just 8-for-25 from the field and had six turnovers. Chauntise Wright added 12 points.
The Cardinals struggled to convert at the free-throw line. Louisville came in shooting 67.7 percent from the foul line, but was just 15-of-32 (46.9 percent).
— ND —
POST GAME NOTES: Notre Dame wins its sixth consecutive road game, its longest winning streak away from home since a 10-game run from Nov. 17, 2000 to Feb. 14, 2001 … the Irish even the series with Louisville at 3-3, posting their highest point total ever against the Cardinals and winning at Freedom Hall for the first time since Feb. 21, 1994 (a 69-54 decision) … Notre Dame’s 13-2 record through 15 games matches its second-best start in program history, trailing only the 15-0 debut in 2000-01; the Irish have been 13-2 on four other occasions (1977-78, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and most recently in 2004-05) … Notre Dame scores at least 80 points for the ninth time this season, going 9-0 in such games and 109-3 (.973) since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96 … the Irish improve to 9-4 in BIG EAST openers, including a 4-3 mark when opening on the road … Notre Dame fielded at least three double-digit scorers for the 13th time in 15 games … the Irish shot at least 45 percent from the field for the 10th time this season (10-0 record) … Notre Dame’s bench still has outscored its opponent’s reserve unit in every game this season … the Irish had a streak of 30 consecutive games with 18 or fewer turnovers snapped at Louisville, committing 20 giveaways; it’s the highest turnover total for Notre Dame since it had 22 in an overtime loss at South Florida on Jan, 13, 2007 (almost exactly one year earlier) … senior guard Charel Allen set new season highs for points and rebounds in a game, while logging her 12th career 20-point game (first since a 21-point outing against No. 2 North Carolina on March 20, 2007 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament) … senior guard Tulyah Gaines scored in double figures for the third time this season and first since a season-high 15 points against Michigan on Dec. 2 … sophomore center Erica Williamson cracked double digits for the third time in four games … freshman forward Devereaux Peters earned her first career start at Louisville … freshman forward Becca Bruszewski canned her first career three-pointer against the Cardinals … head coach Muffet McGraw collects her 550th career victory, improving to 550-222 (.712) in 26 seasons of coaching, with a 462-181 (.719) record at Notre Dame.