Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Women's Basketball Drops To 2-1 On European Tour With 68-63 Loss At Reyer Venezia

May 27, 2002

MESTRE, Italy – The Notre Dame women’s basketball team found itself in unfamiliar territory during the third game of its four-game, 12-day European tour. The Irish had to play from behind most of Sunday night’s game with Reyer Venezia, trailing by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter before putting on a furious fourth-quarter rally that pulled them within a point with more than three minutes to go. However, the Italian side had just enough in reserve to quash the Notre Dame comeback, holding on for a 68-63 victory at the Pala Talierico Sports Centre in Mestre, Italy.

Forward Jacqueline Batteast scored a game-high 16 points and added 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the series. Forward Katy Flecky contributed 15 points, with nine coming during the fourth-quarter Irish rally. Center Teresa Borton continued her improved play at the defensive end of the floor, piling up a game-best 16 rebounds to go along with nine points, four steals and three blocked shots.

Emanuela Ramon scored 13 points for Reyer Venezia, a mixed team comprised of players from Italian First Division clubs Schio and Venezia, as well as Second Division squad Vincenza.

“We did a good job of coming back and putting ourselves in a position to win the game,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “This was a good opportunity for our players to not only play from behind, but also play against a team that is much more physical than any team we play in the States. We will take a lot from this loss.”

In what would be a recurring theme throughout the night, Notre Dame struggled to find its shooting touch in the first quarter, misfiring on 13 of its first 17 shots while Reyer canned six of its first seven attempts and raced to an 11-3 lead. Ramon had the first nine points for the hosts, who wound up shooting 68 percent from the floor in the first half.

The Irish deficit ballooned to 29-13 with 7:11 to go in the second quarter, when Laura Croce knocked down a jumper in the lane. From there, Notre Dame began the first of several offensive spurts, closing the half on a 16-6 run behind six points from guard Le’Tania Severe. Still, the visitors hit only 25 percent from the field (8-32) in the first half, leaving them on the short end of a 35-29 score.

Reyer rebuilt a double-digit lead in the third quarter, taking a 46-33 lead when Tessa Tiraoro hit a layup at the 4:13 mark. The Irish couldn’t seem to solve their shooting woes, making just two of 20 shots, but connected on 12 of 16 free throws (five by Batteast) to pull back within 54-45 after three periods.

After yielding the first basket of the fourth quarter, Notre Dame went on another tear, outscoring its Italian counterparts by a 13-4 score over the next four minutes, with Flecky providing five straight points (including a long three-pointer from the right side). The Irish closed within 60-58 on a putback by Borton with 5:37 remaining, and following two Reyer free throws, the Yakima, Wash., native buried a sweeping left-handed hook in the lane to keep it at a one possession game.

Reyer carded its only field goal in the final six and a half minutes when 6-5 center Kathrin Ress hit a short turnaround jumper with 3:53 left. But, Flecky answered back 27 seconds later with her second trey of the night, this one from the left wing, to draw Notre Dame within 64-63. However, despite four defensive stops in the final three minutes, and three chances to tie or take the lead, the Irish could not come up with the winning solution, as Ress nailed four free throws to seal the victory.

Notre Dame (2-1) will close out its European tour Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. in South Bend) when it faces 11-time Italian First Division (Serie A) champion Pool Comense 1872 in Como, Italy. Pool Comense won 10 consecutive titles from 1990-2000, and after a one-year absence, regained the league title earlier this year.

REYER VENEZIA 68, NOTRE DAME 63
May 26, 2002 — 6:30 p.m.
Pala Talierico Sports Centre (Mestre, Italy)

NOTRE DAME (63) — Severe 1-13 6-8 8; Borton 3-11 3-12 9; Ratay 1-10 2-2 4; Wicks 2-6 2-2 6; Flecky 4-8 5-5 15; Joyce 2-7 0-0 4; Krause 0-1 1-2 1; Swanson 0-0 0-0 0; Batteast 4-14 6-8 16; TOTALS 17-70 25-39 63.

REYER VENEZIA (68) (scoring totals only) — Tessa Tiraoro 2; Kathrin Ress 10; Alessia Cappuccio 3; Francesca Gabotti 2; Roberta Fravezzi 6; Michela Cecchinato 7; Francesca Biral 2, Emanuela Ramon 13; Laura Croce 7; Dejana Botlic 12; Angela Gianolla 4.

NOTRE DAME THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS — Batteast 2-4, Flecky 2-2, Wicks 0-4, Joyce 0-3, Ratay 0-3, Krause 0-1, TOTALS 4-17.
NOTRE DAME REBOUNDS — Borton 16, Batteast 13, Wicks 6, Joyce 5, Flecky 4, Severe 4, Krause 3, Ratay 3, Swanson 1.
NOTRE DAME ASSISTS — Ratay 2, Severe 2, Wicks 2, Borton 1, Flecky 1, Joyce 1, Swanson 1.
NOTRE DAME BLOCKED SHOTS — Borton 3, Batteast 2, Flecky 2, Ratay 1.
NOTRE DAME STEALS — Severe 6, Borton 4, Batteast 3, Flecky 2, Joyce 2, Ratay 2.
NOTRE DAME TURNOVERS — Severe 5, Borton 4, Ratay 4, Flecky 3, Batteast 2, Joyce 2, Swanson 1, Wicks 1.

— ND —