January 26, 1999
By JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) – Sheila McMillen scored 23 points and Ruth Riley added 20 as No. 7 Notre Dame beat overmatched Syracuse 94-61 Tuesday night.
Notre Dame (16-2, 8-2 Big East) used its height advantage to thwart Syracuse (8-10, 4-6) at every turn. The Orangewomen, who did not have a starter over 5-foot-11, were unable to penetrate right from the opening tip, and when they tried to storm the lane, the 6-5 Riley and 6-2 Kelley Siemon were there to stop them.
The Irish, who scored half their points in the paint, built a double-digit lead over the first six minutes and were never threatened as they won their seventh straight game.
Riley, who scored eight points in a 22-5 spurt, hit a follow shot and Ericka Haney converted a short jumper to give Notre Dame a 29-9 lead with 12:08 left in the first half.
McMillen, who was 1-of-7 from the field in the first half, got back on track in the second half with 20 points. She has scored 20 or more points eight times this season and five times in last seven games.
Niele Ivey scored 19 points and had eight assists for the Irish, who forced 25 turnovers and had 14 steals.
The Orangewomen needed a big game from Paula Moore, their top scorer, and didn’t get it. Moore, who entered the game averaging 17.9 points per game and was coming off two double-doubles, scored one point in the first half and finished with eight.
Beth Record and Jaime James were the lone bright spots for Syracuse, which trailed by as many as 26 points in the first half. Record, who led the Orangewomen with a career-high 24 points, was 5-of-9 from 3-point range and James was 4-of-7 from long range, finishing with 14 points.