Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Women's Basketball Hosts St. John's

January 22, 1999

No. 9/9 Notre Dame (14-2, 6-2 ) at St. John’s (9-11, 4-5)

Date: Saturday, January 23, 1999
Places: Joyce Center (11,418), Notre Dame, Ind.
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Radio: All Notre Dame games are broadcast on WHME-FM (103.1 in South Bend). Bob Nagle provides play-by-play for the games.

TONIGHT’S GAME — The ninth-ranked Notre Dame women’s basketball team (14-2, 6-2) will look for its sixth straight win against St. John’s (9-11, 4-5) this evening. Tonight’s game is the first home game for the Irish following road wins at Pittsburgh and Seton Hall and is the only meeting of the year between Notre Dame and St. John’s.

Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad is coming off an 87-47 victory at Seton Hall as the Irish recorded their seventh road win in eight outings this season. The win over the Pirates gave Notre Dame its best start in school history.

The Red Storm has lost four of their last five games. St. John’s was beaten on the road Wednesday by Pittsburgh 75-58.

Notre Dame leads the series 6-0 against the Red Storm. The Irish are 2-0 against St. John’s at the Joyce Center.

Notre Dame is ninth in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN rankings for the third straight week and is ranked in the top 10 for a school-record ninth consecutive week.

SETON HALL REVIEW – Five Notre Dame players scored in double figures as the Irish won their fifth straight with an 87-47 victory at Seton Hall with their best defensive effort of the season by holding the Pirates to 27 percent shooting from the field. Ruth Riley shot 7-7 from the field and finished with 16 points, six rebounds and seven blocked shots. Sherisha Hills came off the bench to score 16 points in 24 minutes, matching her season high and matching Riley for game-high points. Danielle Green had 15 points, while Sheila McMillen chipped in 13 points and Niele Ivey added 10. Notre Dame shot 46.9 percent from the field and was 10-of-24 from three-point range (41.7 percent), a season high for three-point field goals made. The Irish also outrebounded the Pirates 50-34.

POLL WATCHING- For the ninth consecutive week, Notre Dame is ranked in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls. The Irish held onto the ninth spot in both rankings this week. Notre Dame has been ranked as high as sixth in both polls, its highest ranking during the regular season in either of the two rankings. Prior to this season, the only other top 10 ranking for Notre Dame was in December of 1996 when the Irish were seventh in the AP Poll. The highest ranking ever for the Irish in the USA Today/ESPN poll is fifth (the final poll following its appearance in the 1997 Final Four). The Irish began the season 17th in the AP ranking and 19th in the USA Today/ESPN Poll.

HEAD COACH MUFFET McGRAW – Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw is in her 12th season with the Irish and 17th as a collegiate coach. She has guided Notre Dame to three straight NCAA tournament appearances and five overall. McGraw led the Irish to the 1997 Final Four as her team claimed the East Regional championship. In 1998, McGraw’s squad finished with a 22-10 mark and advanced to the Sweet 16. In her 11-plus seasons at Notre Dame, she has a record of 249-107 (.699), and in 16-plus campaigns overall, her teams have registered a 337-148 (.695) ledger. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, she spent five seasons at Lehigh where she compiled an 88-41 record for a .683 winning percentage.

SERIES RECORD VERSUS ST. JOHN’S – Tonight will be the seventh time the two schools have faced each other. Notre Dame has won all six meetings and is 2-0 at the Joyce Center. Coach Muffet McGraw’s Irish last played St. John’s on February 28, 1998 and came away with a 94-57 victory at the BIG EAST championship at Rutgers.

A BIG GAME FOR RILEY – Ruth Riley’s 36-point performance against Providence on January 12 marked a career day for the 6-5 center. The 36 points tied her for the second most in a single-game at Notre Dame and was the first 30-point performance by an Irish player since Beth Morgan scored 36 in the NCAA East Regional semifinal game versus Alabama on March 22, 1997. Riley also finished with 13 rebounds for her 16th career double-double.

IRISH PUT UP BIG NUMBERS AT HOME – Notre Dame went over the century mark for the second time this season in its 111-90 victory over West Virginia. It was the most points ever scored by the Irish in a BIG EAST game and the second most in school history. The 111 points were the most by a Notre Dame team at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame went over the 100-point mark earlier this season with its 101-92 victory over Illinois. It is the first time in the 22-year history of the program that an Irish team has topped the 100-point mark twice in a season.

FIRST 6-0 START IN SCHOOL HISTORY – Notre Dame’s 6-0 start was the first in school history. The best start ever by an Irish team prior to this was in the program’s first year (1977-78) when it started 5-0 before finishing up with a 13-4 record. The best start ever for 12th-year head coach Muffet McGraw’s team before this was in 1993-94 when it began the season 4-0 and ended up with a 22-7 ledger.

BENCHMARK FOR THE IRISH – Notre Dame’s 14-2 start through its first 16 games marks the best start ever in school history. The ’77-’78 team was 13-2 before losing its third game in the 16th game of the season and finished with a 13-4 record in the first year of varsity women’s basketball at the school.

NOTRE DAME GETS 400TH WIN IN PROGRAM’S HISTORY – Notre Dame’s victory over UCLA in the season opener marked the 400th in the program’s history since the inaugural season in 1977-78. In the 21-plus seasons, Irish teams have compiled a 413-206 mark for a 66.7 winning percentage and have averaged 19.0 victories since the program’s first campaign.

Notre Dame Probable Starting Lineup

                                                            1998-99 StatisticsNo.  Name                Hometown           Pos.  Ht.   Cl.   PPG   RPG50   Kelley Siemon*      Edina, MN          F     6-2   So.    5.4  5.100   Ruth Riley*         Macy, IN           C     6-5   So.   16.5  9.312   Danielle Green**    Chicago, IL        G     5-8   Sr.   16.5  7.820   Sheila McMillen***  Rochester, IN      G     5-10  Sr.   15.3  4.533   Niele Ivey*         St. Louis, MO      G     5-8   Jr.   13.3  3.8Off The Bench
3 Ericka Haney Toledo, OH G/F 6-1 Fr. 4.6 3.811 Sherisha Hills Tampa, FL G 5-8 Fr. 7.9 2.932 Julie Henderson** Ann Arbor, MI F/C 6-3 Jr. 1.6 2.840 Diana Braendly** Staten Island, NY C 6-4 Sr. 1.9 1.641 Imani Dunbar* San Angelo, TX G 5-7 So. 0.7 0.944 Meaghan Leahy* Wilbraham, MA F 6-4 So. 0.9 1.1
* - Indicates Monograms won

NOTRE DAME UNDEFEATED AGAINST NON-LEAGUE FOES – Notre Dame finished with a perfect 8-0 mark against non-league foes as it faced teams from seven different conferences. The Irish played two teams from the Big Ten (Illinois and Michigan State) and then had games against six other conference teams – Pac-10 (UCLA), Midwestern Collegiate (Butler), Atlantic Coast (Duke), West Coast (San Francisco), Mid-American (Toledo) and Conference USA (South Florida).

POINT PILE UP AT HOME – Notre Dame’s 63 points against Villanova on December 12 were the fewest scored by the Irish in any home or away game this season. Coach Muffet McGraw’s Irish had put up some big numbers in its first four home games as they averaged 91.5 ppg. (366 points). Notre Dame scored 99 points in the season opener against UCLA and went over the century mark for the first and only time this season in scoring 101 points against Illinois on November 24. The Irish are averaging 87.5 ppg. (700 points) in eight home contests. In the eight road contests it has played, Notre Dame is averaging 78.6 ppg. (629 points).

IVEY HAS BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES – Niele Ivey had back-to-back double-doubles against West Virginia (Jan. 7) and Providence (Jan. 12) as she scored 12 points and dished off 11 assists (tying a career-high) in Notre Dame’s win over the Mountaineers, and followed that up with 10 points and 10 assists against the Friars. Ivey registered her first career double-double when she scored a personal best 25 points and dished off 11 assists in the season opener against UCLA.

GREEN NETS CAREER-HIGH AGAINST MOUNTAINEERS – Danielle Green had one of her most impressive career outings in Notre Dame’s win over West Virginia as she scored a career-high 28 points, connecting on 11-of-17 shots from the field. Green scored in double figures in the first 13 games of the season before her seven-point performance against Providence. She has scored 20-plus points in four games this season after opening up the 1998-99 campaign with three consecutive 20-plus point outings and has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games.

McMILLEN HAS SIXTH 20-POINT OUTING – Sheila McMillen had her team-leading sixth 20-point outing of the season in Notre Dame’s win over Pittsburgh. McMillen, who has gone over the 20-point mark in three of the last four games, finished with a game-high 21 points as she hit five-of-nine shots from the field and was four-of-seven from three-point range.

McMILLEN HAS THE TOUCH – Senior guard Sheila McMillen was a big offensive threat for the Irish in their wins over Georgetown and West Virginia as she registered back-to-back 20-point outings, including a season-high 26 points against West Virginia. In a 31-point win over Georgetown on the road, McMillen also netted 22 points. In those two games she was 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the field and 11-of-21 (52.4%) from three-point range. Her six three-pointers against the Hoyas marked a season-high. In those two outings, McMillen averaged 24.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. She grabbed a career-best eight against West Virginia.

A PERFECT DAY – In scoring 13 points in Notre Dame’s win over Georgetown on January 2, Ruth Riley was a perfect four-for-four from the field and five-for five from the free throw line. Riley, who leads the team in field goal percentage at 63.4 percent accuracy, is 34-for-46 (73.9%) from the field in Notre Dame’s last four games and 21-26 (87.8%) from the free throw line.

DAILY DOUBLES FOR RUTH AND DANIELLE – Ruth Riley recorded her seventh double-double of the season (and 16th of her career) when she scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Notre Dame’s win over Providence on January 12. Riley has notched double-doubles in five of the team’s last 10 games. Her double-double performances also have come against Duke (20 points, 18 rebounds), Illinois (21 points, 12 rebounds), Toledo (15 points, 17 rebounds), Villanova (13 points, 10 rebounds), Michigan State (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Boston College (22, 11 rebounds). Danielle Green registered her third double-double of the season against the Spartans (16 points, 10 rebounds), giving her four for her career. Her other two double-double efforts of the season were against Duke (20 points, 15 rebounds) and Toledo (12 points, 13 rebounds).

COUNTING ON DANIELLE – Danielle Green hit the game-winning shot against Villanova with 9.8 seconds remaining in the contest. It marked the first game-winning shot of her career. Green was the only Irish player to score in double figures in the first 13 games of the season. She leads the team in scoring with a 16.6 points per game average. She also is second in the rebounding column with 7.5 rebounds per game.

McMILLEN MOVES UP SCORING CHART – Senior guard Sheila McMillen has moved into ninth place on the all-time Notre Dame career scoring list with 1,207 points. She was tied with Krissi Davis who played for the Irish from 1987-91 with 1,194 points before scoring 13 against Seton Hall, moving her past Davis, Heidi Bunek (1,202, 1985-89) and current Irish women’s basketball assistant Letitia Bowen (1,205, 1991-95). McMillen became the 14th Irish women’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point mark this season. She has a 10.4 career scoring average and has started 54 of the 116 games she has played in three-plus seasons. Currently, McMillen is third on the team with a 15.3 scoring average.

HELPING PUT THE BIG IN THE BIG EAST – During its three-plus seasons as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, Notre Dame has proven to be one of the league’s most dominant teams. The Irish have a 50-12 record (80.6 percent) in regular season games and 6-3 mark (66.7 percent) in BIG EAST tournament action for an overall record of 56-15 (78.9 percent) against league opponents. Of Notre Dame’s 15 total league losses, nine have come against Connecticut when the Huskies were ranked among the top three teams nationally. The Irish have lost to four other teams in the BIG EAST – Rutgers (twice), Boston College (twice), Villanova and Miami. All four of those games have been on the road.

IRISH TOUGH AT HOME AGAINST BIG EAST FOES – Notre Dame has compiled a 29-3 (.906) record against BIG EAST opponents at the Joyce Center since joining the league in 1995-96. The only three losses have been to Connecticut. Notre Dame was a perfect 9-0 at home in league action during the 1996-97 season.

THE CAPTAIN – Sheila McMillen is Notre Dame’s captain this season. This is the first time since 1981-82, and the second time in the program’s history that the Irish have had just one player serve as a captain during the course of the season. The only other lone captain during a basketball season was Missy Conboy, now an associate athletic director at Notre Dame.

GREEN HAVING BEST SEASON – Senior guard Danielle Green is Notre Dame’s leading scorer and is second in the rebounding column as she is averaging 16.5 points and 7.8 rebounds and was the only Irish player to score in double figures in the first 13 games of the season. Green had her fourth 20-point outing of the season against West Virginia when she tossed in a career-high 28 points.

IRISH 3-1 AGAINST RANKED FOES – Notre Dame’s three wins over ranked opponents thus far are the most by an Irish team during the regular season. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad has posted victories over UCLA and Duke when both teams were ranked sixth in the polls, and also had a win over then 25th-ranked Illinois. Last season, Notre Dame was 0-5 versus ranked opponents until its second round win in the NCAA tournament versus Texas Tech (ranked sixth at the time of the game). Notre Dame has one remaining opponent on its schedule ranked in this week’s two polls – Rutgers.

BIG NUMBERS IN SEASON OPENER – Notre Dame’s 99 points were the second most in a season opener (the most was 113 versus Liberty on November 24, 1989) and most by a Notre Dame team in a season opener at the Joyce Center.

LOFTY RANKINGS – In nine weeks, Notre Dame has climbed eight spots in the Associated Press and 10 spots in the USA Today/ESPN rankings. For just the second time in its 22-year history, Notre Dame started the season ranked and has been in the top 10 for a school-record eight consecutive weeks. The Irish began the 1998-99 campaign with its highest preseason rankings in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls at 17th and 19th, respectively. Two years ago, Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad was 20th in the AP and 25th in the USA Today/ESPN preseason rankings. Wins against top 10 opponents UCLA (#6), Duke (#6) and 25th-ranked Illinois propelled the Irish into the top 10.

HILLS HAS SUCCESSFUL HOMECOMING – Freshman Sherisha Hills returned to her hometown of Tampa, Fla. when the Irish played against South Florida. In leading Notre Dame to an 83-63 victory, Hills played a season-high 30 points, scored 15 points (one point shy of her personal best) as she hit five-of-nine shots from the field, including a four-for-eight performance from three-point range. In addition, she grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Hills is the team’s fifth-leading scorer averaging 7.9 points per game. She earned BIG EAST co-Rookie of the Week honors earlier this season and has scored in double figures in four games this season, netting a career-high 16 points coming off the bench in Notre Dame’s win at San Francisco.

IRISH IN THE JOYCE CENTER – Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center. The Irish own a 191-65 mark for a .746 winning percentage since that first season. Last season, Notre Dame won a school-record 12 games at home en route to a 12-1 record. Prior to the loss to Connecticut, Notre Dame had tied a school record with 15 straight victories at home. The last loss at home prior to the one on December 8 was against Connecticut on December 6, 1997. Ironically, it was Connecticut who stopped Notre Dame’s 15-game home winning streak two years ago.

BALANCED SCORING ATTACK – Four players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Irish this season. Danielle Green and Ruth Riley lead the team with 16.5 ppg., followed by Sheila McMillen (15.3) and Niele Ivey (13.3 ppg.). In four games this season, Notre Dame has had five players in double-figure scoring. Against Illinois and West Virginia, three Irish players ended up with 20 or more points.

WITH THE STUFF – Notre Dame has 90 blocks on the season in 16 games (5.6 per game), while its opponents have just 39. Ruth Riley leads the Irish with 59 blocks (3.7) and had a career-high eight blocks against Duke on November 21. The eight blocks tied the school mark set by Shari Matvey against Wisconsin-LaCrosse on March 15, 1980.

DOMINATION ON THE BOARDS – Notre Dame is outrebounding its opponents by a 11.8 margin this season. The Irish were most dominant against Duke as they outrebounded the Blue Devils 67-34, and were just seven rebounds away from tying the school record of 74 set against IUPUI-Fort Wayne on January 24, 1978. Ruth Riley and Danielle Green combined for 33 of those 67 rebounds as Riley finished with a career-high 18 boards, while Green also established a personal best with 15. Riley leads the team with 9.3 rpg., and Green is second in the rebounding column with an 7.8 average. Notre Dame is averaging 46.4 rebounds per game and has only been outrebounded in two games this season (UCLA and Boston College).

POINTS A PLENTY – Notre Dame is averaging 83.1 points through its first 16 games and is outscoring its opponents by an 14.5 margin as it has yielded opponents 68.6 ppg. Last season, Notre Dame averaged 74.2 points per game. Notre Dame outscored the three ranked opponents it played in the first three home games of the season – UCLA, Duke and Illinois – by 17.7 ppg. Against the four ranked teams they have faced, the Irish have averaged 91.3 ppg., while giving up 84.3 ppg. In its season opener against the Bruins, the Irish scored 99 points which represented the second most points in a season opener and the most points by a Notre Dame team in a season opener at the Joyce Center.

OVER THE CENTURY MARK – Notre Dame scored 100-plus points for the second time this season in its 111-90 victory over West Virginia. The Irish went over the century mark in the fourth game of the season when they beat Illinois 101-92. During Irish head coach Muffet McGraw’s tenure, Notre Dame has hit the century mark seven times. The 111 points represented the second most ever scored by a Notre Dame women’s basketball team and the most ever for an Irish squad at the Joyce Center.

ELITE COMPANY – Notre Dame was one of just nine schools to advance to the Sweet 16 in both 1997 and 1998. The eight other schools on the short list included: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina, Old Dominion and Tennessee. The Irish also were one of 29 teams to earn an NCAA tournament bid each of the last three seasons.

IRISH SCORE HIGH MARKS IN THE CLASSROOM – The Notre Dame women’s basketball team earned a 3.091 cumulative grade point average for the four semesters with four players named to the Dean’s List – Diana Braendly (3.917), Danielle Green (3.834), Sheila McMillen (3.500) and Ruth Riley (3.619). Riley has been on the Dean’s List all three of her semesters at Notre Dame.

RILEY STARS FOR U.S. SELECT TEAM – Ruth Riley starred for the 1998 USA Women’s Select Team over the summer. The team compiled an eight-game, 15-day tour of Puerto Rico, Poland and Spain and finished 7-1 mark. Riley was the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder with averages of 10.3 ppg. and 7.6 rpg. She registered two double-doubles in the seven games and recorded bests of 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-70 victory over Puerto Rico. Riley led the team once and in rebounding on four occasions.

PRESEASON HONORS FOR RILEY AND McMILLEN – The names of Ruth Riley and Sheila McMillen appear on preseason All-America teams of several publications. Notre Dame also is ranked in the polls of every preseason publication.

Street & Smith’s: Ruth Riley – First Team; Sheila McMillen – High Honorable Mention; Notre Dame – 24th
The Sporting News: Notre Dame -17th
Dick Vitale’s College Basketball: Notre Dame -14th
Athlon College Basketball: Ruth Riley – Third Team; Notre Dame – 18th
Basketball News: Notre Dame – 22nd
Women’s Basketball Journal: Ruth Riley – Third Team; Notre Dame – 10th
Associated Press: Ruth Riley – Honorable Mention

MIMI GRIFFIN ON RUTH RILEY – ESPN women’s basketball analyst Mimi Griffin rated Ruth Riley one of the top five centers nationally. Griffin picked the top five players at each position. In addition to Riley, mentioned among Griffin’s list of top five centers were Demya Walker (Virginia), Maylana Martin (UCLA), Paige Sauer (Connecticut) and Angie Braziel (Texas Tech).

IRISH SIGN THREE RECRUITS – Irish head coach Muffet McGraw signed three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. Set to join the Irish in the fall of 1999 are Alicia Ratay, a 5-11 guard from Lake Zurich, Ill.; 6-3 forward Amanda Barksdale from Friendswood, Tex.; and Monique Hernandez, a 5-9 guard out of Rio Rancho, N.M. All three players are ranked in the top 100 by Blue Star Basketball. Ratay, who led the U.S. Youth World Games team to a bronze medal during the summer, is eighth, while Barksdale is rated 41st and Hernandez 98th.

McMILLEN NAMED TO ALL-AMERICAN FARM BASKETBALL TEAM – Notre Dame guard Sheila McMillen has been named to the Successful Farming All-American basketball team. Five players were chosen to the women’s team. Notre Dame will receive $500 scholarship check on Sheila’s behalf. McMillen, who grew up on a farm in Rochester, Ind., is the second Irish athlete honored by the magazine. Irish punter Hunter Smith was selected to the football team in 1997.

IRISH IN THE NCAA STATISTICS –

    Ruth Riley -     4th in blocked shots (3.5)                     6th in field goal percentage (63.3)
Niele Ivey - 17th in assists (6.3)
Team - 3rd in rebounding margin (11.5) 4th in free throw percentage (76.1) 9th in scoring offense (82.8) 12th in won-lost percentage (86.7)

QUICK PLAYER BIOS:

* – Diana Braendly tied her career-best with three blocks against UCLA. She had six points, five rebounds and three blocks (tying her career best) against the Bruins. Braendly had eight rebounds in 18 minutes in Notre Dame’s win over Illinois. Scored six points in Notre Dame’s win over West Virginia. She currently is averaging 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds and has played in 14 games.

* – Danielle Green leads the Irish with a 16.5 scoring average with Ruth Riley and is the second-leading rebounder (7.8 rebounds per game). She scored 20-plus points for the fourth time this season in Notre Dame’s win over West Virginia as she netted a career-high 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field. Green scored 20-plus points in Notre Dame’s first three games and was the only player to score in double figures in the first 13 contests of the season and has been in double figures in all but one game (Providence). In wins over UCLA and Butler, Green netted personal bests of 23 points. She recorded her first double-double of the season and second in her career against Duke as she poured in 20 points and grabbed a career-high 15 boards. She was named the BIG EAST’s co-Player of the Week following her performances against Butler and Duke as she averaged 21.5 ppg. and 10.0 rpg. Green had her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 boards versus Toledo and her third double-double (fourth of her career) against Michigan State as she scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Her fourth double-double came against Seton Hall (15 points/13 rebounds).

* – Ericka Haney is averaging 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while playing in all 16 games. She scored a season-high nine points against Connecticut and recorded a season-high seven rebounds against Pittsburgh. She also collected six rebounds against the Huskies. Haney scored eight points in the Georgetown and Providence contests. She had six points and four rebounds in win over West Virginia. Haney is averaging 15.1 minutes per game.

* – Sherisha Hills netted a career-high 16 points in the win at San Francisco, while playing 29 minutes, and matched that total at Seton Hall with 16 points in 24 minutes. She came off the bench to score 14 points in season opener against UCLA. Against the Bruins, she hit her first three three-point attempts (was three-for-seven overall in the contest). She had missed the first two exhibition games after suffering a concussion following a collision with Danielle Green in pregame warmups of the first exhibition contest. Hills sparked the Irish in the first half against Illinois as she scored nine points. In that game, she also had four rebounds and three assists. She had her second straight double figure scoring effort (and third of the season) as she scored 12 points against Toledo. Hills recorded double figures for the fourth time this season when she scored 15 points and grabbed a personal best eight rebounds versus South Florida. In that game, she also played a career-high 30 minutes. Hills is averaging 7.9 ppg. in 19.4 minutes per game. She earned co- BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors after averaging 12. 5 points and 3.5 rebounds in wins over Illinois and San Francisco. She missed the West Virginia game for personal reasons and did not play against Providence.

* – Niele Ivey had career bests of 25 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double in the season opener against UCLA. Ivey recorded back-to-back double-doubles recently, netting 13 points and dishing off 11 assists (tying her career-high) against West Virginia, while scoring 10 points and dishing off 10 assists against Providence. She had her second 20-point outing of the season when she netted 22 points in win over Illinois in 36 minutes of action. Ivey registered 17 points and dished off nine assists against Connecticut. She is the team’s fourth-leading scorer (13.3 ppg.) and leads the team with 99 assists and 40 steals. Ivey has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games. She was the co-BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time in her career against the Bruins. Ivey played a career-high 39 minutes against Villanova.

* – Sheila McMillen has had 59 double figure scoring outings in her career. She became the 14th player in Notre Dame women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau against Illinois on Nov. 24. She has 1,207 career points (ninth on the career scoring list) and is averaging 15.3 ppg. this season. McMillen has scored in double figures in 14 of 16 games, including a season-high 26 points against West Virginia. She leads the team with six 20-point performances this season. Her 20-point outings have come against came against Illinois (20 points), Toledo (23 points), Connecticut (21 points), Georgetown (22 points), West Virginia (26 points) and Pittsburgh (21 points).

* – Ruth Riley is averaging 16.5 ppg. (first on the team with Green) and 9.3 rpg. (leads the team) this season as well as 3.7 blocks per game (fourth in the nation). She has had seven double-doubles this season, most recently on January 10 against Providence when she scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. The 36 points were the second most in school history and first 30-point performance by a Notre Dame player in nearly two years. She now has 16 career double-doubles. Riley has had five 20-plus points games this season – Duke, Illinois, Boston College, Georgetown and Providence. In the Irish win over Duke, she netted 20 points, grabbed a personal-high 18 rebounds while tying a Notre Dame school record with eight blocked shots. Riley was named BIG EAST co-Player of the Week for the first time in her career for the week of December 28 after scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against Michigan State. She also was selected this past week (Jan. 11) following her performance against Providence.

* – Kelley Siemon is the third leading rebounder (5.1 rpg.) and is averaging 5.4 points per game. She has scored in double figures in one game this season – San Francisco (10 points). She grabbed a personal best nine rebounds against Butler. Siemon had nine points and six rebounds in win at Michigan State. Siemon dished off a personal best five assists against Duke. She tied her season-high with nine rebounds at Georgetown. Siemon had eight points and seven rebounds at Seton Hall.