Feb. 1, 2002
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Following two important BIG EAST Conference wins at home in the last week, Notre Dame heads back out on the road for a two-game trip that begins Saturday with a 2 p.m. (EST) visit to Seton Hall. The Irish will be looking to maintain their grip on third place in the conference standings as they enter the final month of the regular season.
Notre Dame (12-7, 6-2 BIG EAST) picked up its 10th win in the last 13 games with a 71-46 rout of Syracuse Tuesday night at the Joyce Center. The Irish freshman class combined for 51 points, including a career-high 21 points from guard Allison Bustamante, to secure Notre Dame’s 48th consecutive home victory, extending the longest active home court winning streak in the nation. Freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast added her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, helping to pace a 48-31 Irish edge on the boards.
Seton Hall (11-9, 3-6) returns home this weekend after registering a 64-45 win at Georgetown Wednesday night. Junior guard/forward Cecilia Lindqvist poured in a game-high 20 points, sophomore guard Melissa Langelier added 18, and senior center Susan Murray chalked up 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds for the Pirates, who have won two in a row after losing five of their previous six contests.
With the loss of leading scorer Leslie Ardon to a knee injury, Lindqvist has picked up the slack for Seton Hall, averaging a team-high 12.1 points per game. Sophomore forward Charlene Thomas is second at 11.3 ppg. and is pulling down a team-best 7.2 rebounds per outing.
Phyllis Mangina is one of the veterans of the BIG EAST coaching ranks, now in her 17th season at Seton Hall. She owns a 241-236 (.505) career record, but she is 2-10 in her tenure against Notre Dame.
SCOUTING THE IRISH – Notre Dame looks to write a new chapter in its rapidly-developing history as the Irish defend their first NCAA championship in 2001-02. Six monogram winners, including two starters, return from last season’s title-winning squad, giving head coach Muffet McGraw a broad foundation from which to build this year. In addition, the Irish welcome six talented freshmen to the fold, a group heralded as perhaps the finest recruiting class in school history and ranked as high as third by several national publications.
McGraw is in her 20th season as a college coach (15th at Notre Dame) with a 422-165 (.719) overall record and 334-124 (.729) mark while under the shadow of the Golden Dome. She has led the Irish to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and eight overall – Notre Dame has advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen four times, the Final Four twice and won the 2001 NCAA title, all in the last five seasons under McGraw’s guidance. She was a near-unanimous choice as national coach of the year in 2000-01, winning top honors from the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith Award), Associated Press, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), and Sports Illustrated for Women. She also was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, marking the third different conference to recognize McGraw as its top skipper since she took the reins at Notre Dame in 1987.
Both of Notre Dame’s returning starters were honored by the BIG EAST coaches in their preseason balloting. Senior guard/forward Ericka Haney (5.2 ppg., 4.6 rpg.) was a second team preseason all-conference pick and brings explosive quickness and versatility to the Irish lineup, along with veteran leadership. As Notre Dame’s only captain, she is being called upon to assume a greater mantle of responsibility in ’01-02. After starting the first six games for the Irish, she moved into a reserve role for the next four games, picking up her first double-double of the year with season highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds against Western Michigan. She returned to the starting lineup beginning with the DePaul game and scored 10 points Tuesday against Syracuse. Junior guard Alicia Ratay (13.3 ppg., 5.2 rpg., .442 3FG%) was a first team preseason all-BIG EAST choice and is one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Award after setting an NCAA record for three-point percentage (.547) by a sophomore last season. On Dec. 6 at Purdue, she became the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. She ranks 11th in the BIG EAST in scoring for all games, and ninth in conference games at 13.9 ppg after pouring in 22 points (19 in the second half) last Saturday against No. 16/17 Virginia Tech.
Joining Ratay in the backcourt is sophomore Le’Tania Severe (6.6 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 5.2 apg.), who was hampered by injuries last season, appearing in just 22 games. However, she has confidently taken a larger role in the Irish offense this season, scoring a career-high 17 points against USC and handing out a career-best nine assists (with only one turnover) Tuesday against Syracuse. She also ranks eighth in the BIG EAST Conference in assists and 14th in steals (1.95 spg.). Severe has moved to a reserve role in five of the last seven games, logging 5.6 apg. and posting a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio (39:18) in that time. Also spending time at the point has been sophomore Jeneka Joyce (3.8 ppg., 1.7 rpg.), who has started eight times for the Irish this season. Joyce has made 13 three-point field goals, one of four Notre Dame players to have at least 10 treys this year. However, she has missed the last two games with a strained left Achilles’ tendon. Junior Karen Swanson (1.3 ppg., 0.6 rpg.) and Jill Krause (0.3 ppg., 0.4 rpg.) provide McGraw with additional flexibility in her point guard rotation. Freshmen Allison Bustamante (5.6 ppg., 2.3 rpg.) and Kelsey Wicks (5.3 ppg., 3.4 rpg.) provide the Irish with solid ballhandling and perimeter shooting depth. Bustamante broke out with a career-high 21 points (including five three-point field goals) in Tuesday’s win over Syracuse, while Wicks posted a career-best 16 points on Jan. 21 at No. 1 Connecticut.
A pair of freshmen (and former Parade All-Americans) are making an immediate impact on the Notre Dame front line, as forward Jacqueline Batteast (14.8 ppg., 8.4 rpg.) and center Teresa Borton (6.7 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) started the first six games for the Irish. Batteast was named the 2001-02 preseason BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and her combination of speed, athleticism and perimeter shooting ability make her a valuable weapon in the Irish arsenal. Already a five-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, Batteast is one of only two players to rank in the top five in the BIG EAST in scoring (4th), rebounding (2nd), blocks (4th, 1.68) and double-doubles (2nd, 8), and she has claimed game-high scoring and/or rebounding honors eight times each. Batteast picked up her eighth double-double of the season Tuesday night with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, along with a career-best six assists in the win over Syracuse. Meanwhile, at 6-3, Borton is a smooth and versatile post player with excellent mobility and a solid defensive presence. She tied a BIG EAST rookie record by going 7-of-7 from the field on Jan. 9 against Seton Hall, and later chalked up her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds on Jan. 19 at Providence.
Junior Amanda Barksdale (4.1 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 3.1 bpg.) was one of the nation’s top shot blockers last season and has recovered nicely after missing Notre Dame’s first four games with a stress reaction in her right leg. She notched seven blocks against USC and tied a school record with eight blocks against Marquette – those outings rank 1-2 in the BIG EAST this season and the Marquette performance ties for the sixth-best showing in the nation this season. She currently leads the BIG EAST in blocked shots and stands fifth in the most recent NCAA rankings, justifying her national standing with three rejections Tuesday night against Syracuse. Meanwhile, freshman Katy Flecky (3.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg.) was a two-time Miss Colorado Basketball and offers the Irish an physical presence in the post. She scored eight points in the win over Syracuse earlier this week.
RECAPPING SYRACUSE – The Notre Dame freshman class rang up 51 points, including a career-high 21 by guard Allison Bustamante, to run past Syracuse, 71-46, in BIG EAST Conference action Tuesday night before a Joyce Center crowd of 8,571, the fifth-largest in school history. It was the 48th consecutive home victory for the Irish, extending the longest winning streak in the nation, and it was the 28th straight BIG EAST win at the Joyce Center for Notre Dame.
Bustamante canned five three-point field goals, including four during a 19-3 run in the first half which broke open a tight game. Freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast added 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, collecting her eighth double-double of the season. Batteast also matched her career best with six assists. Senior guard/forward Ericka Haney equalled Batteast’s scoring output with 10 points, while sophomore guard Le’Tania Severe was rock solid at the point, registering career highs of nine assists and five steals against only one turnover in 30 minutes on the floor.
Shannon Perry, the reigning BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week, was the only Syracuse player to crack double figures, posting team bests of 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. The Orangewomen, who came into the contest ranked fourth in the conference with a .450 field goal percentage, were held to season lows of 46 points and 29.6 percent shooting by a stingy Irish defense. Notre Dame also owned a commanding 48-31 edge in the rebounding column.
The first 10 minutes of the contest were close, with Syracuse drawing first blood on a Julie McBride three-pointer before the Irish rallied and eventually claimed a 15-8 lead on a free throw by freshman center Teresa Borton with 13:03 left in the period. The Orangewomen closed the gap to three at the 9:57 mark when Chineze Nwagbo sank a layup from the right block, forcing Notre Dame to call a 30-second timeout.
Following the stoppage, Bustamante went to work, needing just 24 seconds to drill her first three-pointer of the night and ignite the game-turning 19-3 run. At the same time, Syracuse went cold from the field, connecting on only one field goal over the next six minutes and wound up on the short end of a 34-15 score at the final media timeout of the first half.
Leading by a 39-25 count at the break, Notre Dame maintained its defensive intensity to open the second half, holding the Orangewomen without a field goal over the first 9:32 of the stanza. The Irish outscored the visitors, 15-4, during that time to push their lead over 20 points for the first time in the contest. Tara Trammell finally broke an 0-for-14 shooting drought for Syracuse with a short jumper in the lane just before the midway point of the second half. However, Notre Dame continued to roll, opening up its largest lead of the night at 64-36 when junior guard Karen Swanson hit two free throws with 5:08 remaining, propelling the Irish to their 12th consecutive win over Syracuse.
THE NOTRE DAME-SETON HALL SERIES – Notre Dame holds a 10-2 series advantage over Seton Hall, having won all 10 meetings with the Pirates since joining the BIG EAST Conference for the 1995-96 season. The Irish also are 4-1 against SHU at Walsh Gymnasium, having rebounded from an overtime loss in their first visit to South Orange (60-55 on Dec. 11, 1993) with four consecutive victories by an average of 28.5 points per game.
NOTRE DAME-SETON HALL, PART ONE – Four days is a short time to learn lessons in college basketball, but in the case of Notre Dame, it proved to be long enough.
After nearly letting a 19-point lead slip away in a Jan. 5 win over Providence, the Irish jumped out to a similar advantage on Jan. 9 against Seton Hall. However, this time around, Notre Dame didn’t let off the gas, keeping the visiting Pirates at arm’s length the entire game and posting a 79-45 BIG EAST Conference win before 6,975 fans at the Joyce Center.
The victory extended Notre Dame’s home winning streak to 46 games, the longest active string in the nation. The Irish also picked up their 26th consecutive home win over a BIG EAST opponent and improved to 51-3 all-time against conference foes at the Joyce Center.
The Irish earned their seventh win in eight games thanks to a season-high .580 field goal percentage (29-50) and a +20 edge (46-26) in the rebounding column. The Notre Dame bench also came alive in the victory, outscoring their Seton Hall counterparts by a 47-11 count.
Junior guard Alicia Ratay led three Irish players in double figures with 18 points. Freshman center Teresa Borton continued to scorch the nets in conference play, tying a BIG EAST rookie record by going 7-of-7 from the field and scoring 15 points.
Two other freshmen made significant contributions in the win. Rookie guard Allison Bustamante made all four of her shots from the field (including two three-pointers) and scored 11 points in 11 minutes. Meanwhile, freshman guard Kelsey Wicks tallied eight points and a career-best 10 rebounds in the victory. In fact, 11 of the 12 players in uniform scored for the Irish, including freshman guard Jill Krause, who notched her first career basket on a turnaround jumper with less than four minutes to play.
Charlene Thomas led Seton Hall with 13 points and Susan Murray added 12 points for the Pirates, who lost their 10th consecutive game to Notre Dame and fifth in a row at the Joyce Center.
The Irish led virtually the entire way, shaking free from an early 2-2 tie and jumping to a 19-9 lead on a layup by Ratay with 9:20 remaining in the first half. Following a Seton Hall basket, Notre Dame put together a 14-2 run over the next six minutes, capped by a pair of Ratay free throws at the 3:18 mark. A short jumper by Borton in the waning moments of the period gave the Irish their biggest lead to that point (39-18) going into halftime.
Seton Hall tried to mount a charge to open the second half, scoring the first seven points and forcing Notre Dame to burn a timeout, leading 39-25 with 18:05 to play. However, that would be as close as the Pirates would get. Bustamante scored all 11 of her points and Borton added 10 markers in the second frame, and the Irish steadily built their advantage to a game-high 35 points (71-36) on a trey from Bustamante with 4:34 remaining.
OTHER NOTRE DAME-SETON HALL SERIES TIDBITS – After winning two of its first three games against Notre Dame and averaging 67 points per game, Seton Hall has lost its last nine contests with the Irish and has averaged only 49 ppg. … The first three games in the series all were decided by nine points or less, with two contests going to overtime. Since then, no Notre Dame-Seton Hall game has been decided by less than 11 points, with the Irish winning all nine games by an average margin of 30.7 ppg. … Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995, Notre Dame has never scored less than 69 points in a game against Seton Hall. Conversely, the Pirates have topped the mark just once, falling 88-79 in overtime to the Irish in their first conference matchup on Jan. 2, 1996 in South Orange. Seton Hall comes into Saturday’s game averaging 60.2 ppg.
NOTRE DAME-SETON HALL CONNECTIONS – Notre Dame senior guard/forward Ericka Haney and Seton Hall junior forward Leslie Ardon were teammates on the BIG EAST Conference All-Star Team which posted a 6-0 record during its tour of Europe last summer. Haney led the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game, with Ardon right behind her at 11.5 ppg. However, the pair will not reunite on the court this season – Ardon is out for the year after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during practice on Jan. 1.
BATTEAST EARNS FIFTH BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AWARD – For the fifth time this season, freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast has been selected as the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Batteast, who earned top freshman honors for three consecutive weeks earlier this season (Dec. 3, 10 & 17) and added another conference rookie award on Jan. 7, is only the second player in school history to win five BIG EAST Rookie of the Week citations in a single campaign. Junior guard Alicia Ratay took home six rookie awards during the 1999-2000 season.
Batteast averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last week while helping the Irish gain a split of their BIG EAST Conference contests with No. 1 Connecticut and No. 16/17 Virginia Tech. In the latter game on Saturday night against the Hokies, the South Bend native matched her career high with 26 points and bagged seven rebounds in 29 minutes as Notre Dame toppled its first ranked opponent of the season. She scored 13 of the first 15 Irish points and later teamed with Ratay to score 32 of Notre Dame’s 34 second-half points in the win.
For the season, Batteast ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring (14.8 ppg.), second in rebounding (8.4 rpg.), fourth in blocked shots (1.68 bpg.) and second in double-doubles (8), one of only two players to place in the top five in all four categories. She also is the only BIG EAST freshman to lead her team in both scoring and rebounding.
THE BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST – Notre Dame is 95-17 (.848) in regular-season competition against the rest of BIG EAST Conference, owning the best conference winning percentage of any current member of the BIG EAST since joining the circuit for the 1995-96 campaign. The Irish also have won 51 of their last 58 regular-season conference games, and claimed a share of their first-ever BIG EAST regular-season championship in 2001. When including postseason competition (BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments), Notre Dame is 107-23 (.823) against league opponents – when factoring in these 18 postseason tilts, the Irish are 53-3 (.946) at home, 42-17 (.712) on the road and 12-6 (.667) at neutral sites all-time against BIG EAST foes.
PINE TIME PLAYERS – One of the positives for Notre Dame this season has been its depth and the exceptional production it has received from its reserve unit this season. The Irish bench has scored 446 points (23.5 ppg.) this year, accounting for 35.5 percent of Notre Dame’s offensive output this season. In fact, the Irish have won the “Battle of the Benches” 12 times this season, going 9-3 when their reserves outscore the opposition.
Notre Dame’s bench depth has been especially apparent since the start of BIG EAST Conference action last month. The Irish second team has chalked up 247 points (30.9 ppg.) – compared to 148 points (18.5 ppg.) for its opponents – and is logging 46.1 percent of Notre Dame’s offensive production during league play. The Irish are 5-1 in conference games when their bench holds the scoring advantage, including a season-high 47 points in wins over Seton Hall (Jan. 9) and at Providence (Jan. 19).
IRISH BREAK OUT LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY AT MIAMI – Notre Dame put together a record-setting performance from the three-point line in its Jan. 2 win at Miami. The Irish connected on 13-of-24 (.542) three-point attempts in the game, setting a school record for the most triples in one game. The old mark was 12 against St. John’s on Feb. 28, 1998 in the first round of the BIG EAST Conference Championship at Piscataway, N.J.
BUST-ING OUT – Freshman guard Allison Bustamante has given Notre Dame opponents yet another reason to sweat following her career-high 21-point performance Tuesday night against Syracuse. The Miami native canned eight of 14 shots from the field, including five of 10 three-pointers in 25 minutes on the floor. She hit four of her five treys in a five-minute stretch late in the first half, highlighting a 19-3 Irish run that broke open what had been a tight game.
Bustamante ranks fifth on the team in scoring this season (5.6 ppg.) and boasts a team-best .538 three-point percentage (14-26). She has appeared in 13 games, starting once, after missing four games in early December with a high ankle sprain.
IT’S BATTEAST, TO SAY THE LEAST – Although her college career is only 19 games old, freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast already is showing much of the potential which led the BIG EAST Conference coaches to vote her as the league’s preseason Rookie of the Year. The South Bend, Ind., resident is a five-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week selection and is one of only two players to rank in the top five in the conference in scoring (4th, 14.8 ppg.), rebounding (2nd, 8.4 rpg.), blocked shots (4th, 1.68 bpg.) and double-doubles (2nd, 8). She also has garnered game-high scoring and/or rebounding honors eight times each. Batteast collected her eighth double-double of the season (and first since the Miami game) Tuesday night against Syracuse, contributing 10 points and career highs of 15 rebounds and six assists in the victory.
FOR ALL LONG DISTANCE CALLS, DIAL “22” – On Jan. 2 at Miami, junior guard Alicia Ratay showed why she is still one of the nation’s premier sharpshooters and has earned the nickname “Dead Eye Ratay.” The Lake Zurich, Ill., native canned seven of nine three-point field goal attempts (a superb .778 percentage) and finished with a season-high 23 points to lead the Irish to a victory in their BIG EAST Conference opener. The seven treys tied Ratay’s career high – she went seven for seven from beyond the arc on Feb. 19, 2000 at Rutgers, a memorable game in which she nailed two threes in the final 25 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where Notre Dame prevailed, 78-74.
Ratay is second on the Irish roster with a .442 three-point percentage (34-77), a ratio that puts her within striking distance of the NCAA record for three-point efficiency by a junior – Cara Frey of Harvard currently holds that mark with a .515 percentage in 1993. All of this comes on the heels of Ratay’s effort last season, when she nailed 54.7 percent of her three-point tries, breaking the NCAA record for long-range efficiency by a sophomore.
In her career, Ratay is making almost half of her long-distance attempts, hitting at a 49.9 percent clip (188-377) in her 87-game college career – that’s good enough to set a new NCAA record for career three-point percentage, passing the current mark of .467 held by Erin Maher of Harvard. She already ranks fourth on Notre Dame’s career three-point field goals made and attempted lists, and her career percentage is 75 points higher than her nearest challenger (Kari Hutchinson, .424, 1994-98).
BARKSDALE’S BLOCK PARTY – Junior center Amanda Barksdale has forced opponents to deal with rejection quite often this season. Although she missed Notre Dame’s first four games with a stress reaction in her leg, she still leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks fifth nationally with 3.1 blocks per game (47 rejections). The Friendswood, Texas, native added to that total Tuesday night with three swats against Syracuse, giving her 139 career rejections.
Barksdale was in peak form last month, when she rang up a school-record eight blocks against Marquette on Dec. 22 and added seven rejections against USC on Dec. 9. Those single-game performances rank first and second in the BIG EAST and the Marquette outing is tied for the sixth-best total in the nation this season.
One of only five players in school history to reach the century mark in career rejections, Barksdale needs just two blocks to catch Katryna Gaither (141) for second place on Notre Dame’s career blocks chart. In addition, she is averaging 1.78 blocks per game in her 78-game career, which is second in Irish history behind only 2001 consensus national player of the year, Ruth Riley, who averaged 2.82 swats per game from 1997-2001.
A SEVERE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE IRISH – Sophomore guard Le’Tania Severe has quickly adapted to her new role as a primary point guard for the Irish, filling the large shoes of All-American Niele Ivey. Through 19 games this season, Severe is fourth on the team with 6.6 points per game and leads the squad with 5.2 assists per game, ranking eighth in the BIG EAST Conference in the latter category. She also stands 14th in the league with 1.95 steals per game. Entering the 2001-02 campaign, her career highs were seven points and two assists and she had played in just 22 games due to injury.
Severe has been adept at distributing the ball to her teammates, earning game-high assist honors in 14 games and dealing at least five assists 11 times, including a career-high nine handouts Tuesday night against Syracuse. She also has proven to be a scoring threat when necessary, reaching double figures six times this season, including a career-high 17 points against USC.
Severe has been especially effective over the last seven games for the Irish. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., product has come off the bench in five of those contests, averaging 5.6 assists per game with a 2.17 assist/turnover ratio (39:18) in that time. She was at her best Tuesday night against Syracuse, balancing nine assists against just one turnover in 30 minutes on the floor.
NOTRE DAME AMONG NATIONAL ATTENDANCE LEADERS – Notre Dame is ranked seventh in the nation, according to the latest unofficial attendance figures released Monday by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Department. The Irish have averaged 7,670 fans for their 10 home games, almost 1,300 ahead of last season’s figures, when Notre Dame was ranked ninth in the country in attendance with an average of 6,376 fans per game.
In their last two games, the Irish have welcomed two of the top five crowds in school history. A season-high 8,878 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in school history, visited the Joyce Center for Notre Dame’s win over No. 16/17 Virginia Tech on Jan. 26. Then, a gathering of 8,571 fans, the No. 5 crowd in school annals, enjoyed a 71-46 Irish win over Syracuse on Tuesday night.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – With six freshmen making up half of this year’s roster, Notre Dame is certainly going through some growing pains. However, the Irish rookies are getting a great deal of college experience this season, as evidenced by their production through 19 games of the 2001-02 campaign. Notre Dame’s freshmen have accounted for 51.2 percent of the points (643 of 1256), 49.2 percent of the rebounds (392 of 796) and 42 percent of the minutes (1595 of 3800) recorded by the Irish this season. Additionally, Notre Dame started two freshmen in seven games this year, and five of the six Irish rookies are averaging at least 11 minutes per contest.
PROTECTING THE PILL – With six freshmen on the 2001-02 roster, Notre Dame could be excused if its turnover numbers look a bit high. However, on Jan. 26 against No. 16/17 Virginia Tech, the Irish put together one of the finest exhibitions of ball control in the 25-year history of the program, setting a school record by committing just seven turnovers in the 64-57 victory. That was two giveaways fewer than the previous standard, which had been set twice before (most recently on Feb. 3, 2001 at Boston College).
CRASHING THE BOARDS – Despite losing its top two rebounders from last year (Ruth Riley and Kelley Siemon), Notre Dame doesn’t appear to have broken stride in the rebounding department this season. The Irish have averaged 41.9 rebounds per game through 19 games in 2001-02, owning a +6.3 edge on the glass, which ranks third in the BIG EAST Conference and 33rd in the nation this week.
Leading the charge on the boards for Notre Dame have been a pair of freshmen – forward Jacqueline Batteast is setting the pace at 8.4 rebounds per game (ranking second in the BIG EAST), while center Teresa Borton is third with 4.9 caroms per contest. Additionally, the Irish have been potent on the offensive glass, collecting 13.8 offensive rebounds per game. Batteast and Borton also are setting the pace in that category – Batteast has 51 offensive boards (2.68 orpg.), ranking eighth in the BIG EAST, while Borton has corralled 45 offensive caroms (2.37), placing ninth in the conference.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE … – Over the last five-plus seasons, Notre Dame has discovered that a solid defensive effort can almost certainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since the beginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish have an amazing 97-1 (.990) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game. Curiously, the only time that notion didn’t come to pass was last season, when Rutgers handed Notre Dame a 54-53 loss, one of only two setbacks the Irish suffered en route to the 2001 national championship.
The Irish already have added to this total 10 times during the 2001-02 season – Valparaiso (35 points), Army (57), USC (49), Western Michigan (48), Marquette (33), DePaul (50), Seton Hall (45), Providence (41), Virginia Tech (57) and Syracuse (46).
… BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCORE IF YOU WANT TO WIN – Not resting solely on its defensive laurels, Notre Dame also seemingly has found the magic mark when it comes to outscoring its opponents. Over the last five-plus seasons (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 80-3 (.964) when they score at least 80 points in a game. The only blemishes on that record are a pair of overtime losses to Texas A&M (88-84) and Michigan State (87-83) in 1995 and a 106-81 loss to Connecticut in 1998. Notre Dame contributed another win to that growing record when it rang up 89 points in a win over Army on Nov. 26.
NOTRE DAME MAKING A LIVING BEYOND THE ARC – The season-opening win over Valparaiso produced an offensive anomaly for Notre Dame. The Irish were held without a three-point field goal, breaking a streak of 50 consecutive games in which they had made at least one trey. Prior to that game, the last time Notre Dame had gone dry from beyond the arc was Jan. 26, 2000, at St. John’s.
Notre Dame hasn’t wasted any time in starting up a new three-point streak, canning 105 triples in its last 18 games (5.8 per game), including a school-record 13 treys at Miami on Jan. 2. The Irish have now made at least one three-point field goal in 164 of their last 166 games, a streak that dates back more than four seasons.
FRESH FACES IN THE IRISH LINEUP – Notre Dame had a decidedly youthful look in its starting lineup when it opened the season Nov. 18 against Valparaiso, as freshmen Jacqueline Batteast and Teresa Borton got the nod at forward and center, respectively. In doing so, the pair were first rookie tandem in 20 years to start a season opener for the Irish – Ruth Kaiser and Mary Beth Schueth cracked the starting five in a 78-44 win over St. Joseph’s (Ind.) on Dec. 2, 1981. Borton paced the Irish with 14 points and nine rebounds against Valparaiso, while Batteast scored two points and grabbed five boards against the Crusaders.
WINNING BY THE MONTH – Another indication of Notre Dame’s continued rise to national prominence has been its consistent run of success. Case in point – the Irish have posted a record of .500 or better in 37 consecutive months dating back to December 1994. That month, Notre Dame stumbled to a 1-4 record, dropping to 1-6 on the season, but the Irish recovered nicely to finish 21-10 and finish third at the National Women’s Invitation Tournament (NWIT). Notre Dame’s 64-57 win over No. 16/17 Virginia Tech on Jan. 26 assured the Irish of a winning record in January, preserving the streak for at least another month.
RATAY LETS ONE FLY – Junior guard Alicia Ratay is known nationwide for her three-point shooting prowess, but she took her marksmanship to a new level on Jan. 26 against No. 16/17 Virginia Tech. The Lake Zurich, Ill., product took off one step behind the midcourt stripe and banked in a 48-foot heave at the halftime horn to give Notre Dame a 30-24 lead and emphatically switch the momentum back in favor of the Irish. Several longtime Notre Dame followers, including 15-year head coach Muffet McGraw, could not recall an Irish player ever canning a shot from that distance.
RATAY FOR THREE … AND ONE! – The four-point play is perhaps the rarest feat in basketball. However, junior guard Alicia Ratay has turned that trick not once, but twice this season. On Dec. 9 against USC, the Lake Zurich, Ill., native buried a long three-pointer from the corner just as Trojan forward Carmen Krause crashed into her. Ratay then calmly sank the free throw to complete the quadruple and help spark Notre Dame to a 62-49 win over USC. The Irish sharpshooter repeated her extraordinary feat on Jan. 26 against No. 16/17 Virginia Tech, knocking down a trey from the left wing as Hokie forward Sarah Hicks fouled her. Ratay again easily converted the free throw, scoring the first of what would be 19 second-half points in Notre Dame’s 64-57 victory over Virginia Tech.
McGRAW REACHES COACHING MILESTONE AGAINST DEPAUL – Muffet McGraw coached her 450th game at Notre Dame on New Year’s Eve against DePaul. She owns a 334-124 (.729) record in her 15th season with the Irish, making her the winningest coach in school history and fourth on the BIG EAST Conference career wins list behind Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma (448), Rutgers’ Theresa Grentz (434) and Villanova’s Harry Perretta (429).
In addition, McGraw is the sixth coach to work 450 games at a BIG EAST Conference school. Besides the Notre Dame mentor, three of those coaches are still active in the league – Perretta (681), Auriemma (546) and Seton Hall’s Phyllis Mangina (477). Grentz (584) and Virginia Tech’s Carol Alfano (540) are the other BIG EAST skippers who reached that milestone.
THE END OF ONE STREAK … – For the first time since the end of the 1997-98 season, Notre Dame was not ranked in either of the major national polls on Dec. 3. The exclusion snapped a 60-week run in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll and a 56-week stretch in the Associated Press rankings. This week, the Irish earned 16 points in the AP poll and seven points in the ESPN/USA Today balloting.
… BUT THE CONTINUATION OF ANOTHER – Thanks to Kent State’s loss at home to Rhode Island on Dec. 1, Notre Dame now owns the longest active home winning streak in the nation at 48 games. The Irish have not lost a game at the Joyce Center since Dec. 8, 1998, when Connecticut logged a 106-81 victory. Notre Dame’s home winning streak next will be put to the test Feb. 10 when the Irish entertain No. 20/21 Boston College in a 1 p.m. (EST) contest at the Joyce Center.
RATAY NAMED NAISMITH CANDIDATE FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR – Notre Dame junior guard Alicia Ratay has been selected as a preseason candidate for the 2001-02 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. It marks the second time in as many seasons that Ratay has been named to the 30-player preseason Naismith watch list.
Ratay averaged 12.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, and set an NCAA record for three-point percentage (54.7 percent) by a sophomore on the way to third-team all-BIG EAST Conference honors – she was the only sophomore to make any of the three all-league squads. Ratay also is a former BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press in 2000. She will be looking to follow in the footsteps of her former teammate, Ruth Riley, who won the 2000-01 Naismith Award, becoming the first Notre Dame women’s basketball player to be so recognized.
The Naismith Awards, in their 34th year, are given in honor of the inventor of the game of basketball – Dr. James Naismith. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball. The Awards, including Men’s and Women’s College Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, Male and Female Prep Player of the Year and Men’s and Women’s Official of the Year, are determined by a vote of the Naismith Board of Selectors. In addition, the Board of Selectors, comprised of a select group of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators, honors a Men’s and Women’s Outstanding Contributor to Basketball. The 2001-02 Naismith Award will presented April 5, 2002 in Atlanta.
NOTRE DAME PICKED SECOND IN BIG EAST PRESEASON BALLOTING – Fresh off a share of their first-ever BIG EAST championship last season, the Irish have been picked to finish second in 2001-02 according to a preseason poll of the league’s coaches which was released at BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 25. Notre Dame claimed two first-place votes and 155 points overall, trailing only Connecticut (11 first-place votes, 167 points). Rutgers, Boston College and Villanova round out the top five, with VU picking up the remaining first-place vote.
Individually, junior guard Alicia Ratay was a first team preseason all-BIG EAST selection after earning third-team honors last year. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native set an NCAA record for three-point percentage by a sophomore last season (.547) and is the top returning scorer for the Irish in 2001-02 after charting 12.9 points per game a year ago.
Senior guard/forward Ericka Haney also was recognized by the conference coaches, earning second team preseason all-BIG EAST laurels. She joins Ratay as one of two starters back from last year’s NCAA championship squad and averaged 11 ppg. and 5.7 rpg. during the ’00-01 campaign.
In addition, freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast was chosen as the preseason BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. It was one in a series of early-season honors for the South Bend, Ind., product, who also was named a first team freshman All-American by the Women’s Basketball News Service and was tabbed as one of the Top 21 “New Players of Impact” by Women’s College Hoops.com.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN – This season, for only the fourth time in school history, Notre Dame has just one captain – senior guard/forward Ericka Haney. She is the first solo captain for the Irish since Sheila McMillen in 1998-99 and the second in head coach Muffet McGraw’s 15-year tenure.
IRISH HAIL FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA – The 12 players on this season’s Notre Dame roster hail from nine different states, including two each from Florida, Illinois and Ohio. Other states represented on the Irish roster include Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The all-time Notre Dame women’s basketball roster features players from 34 different states, including 23 during the Muffet McGraw era. Ironically, the most common home state on the Irish all-time roster – Michigan (14) – is not represented on this season’s roster.
FUN WITH NUMBERS – This season, Notre Dame fans are seeing a pair of jersey numbers on the floor that haven’t made an appearance in quite some time. Freshman guard Kelsey Wicks has chosen to wear No. 24, becoming the first Irish player since Andrea Alexander (1990-94) to sport those digits. In addition, freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast is wearing No. 21 this season, a number which has not been modeled by an Irish player since All-American Beth Morgan wore the same jersey from 1993-97. Prior to Morgan, the last Notre Dame player to wear No. 21 was current Irish assistant coach Coquese Washington, who had the number from 1989-93.
NOW THAT’S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE – Notre Dame is looking to continue some impressive streaks in 2001-02. The Irish have won a school-record 48 consecutive games at home, which became the longest active streak in the nation when Kent State’s 43-game run came to an end Dec. 1 with a loss to Rhode Island. The Irish have not lost at home in more than three years, dating back to a defeat at the hands of top-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 8, 1998. Notre Dame also has a 53-3 (.946) record (including a current 28-game winning streak) in BIG EAST play at the Joyce Center, with Connecticut the only league team to solve the Irish at home.
In addition, Notre Dame sports a five-year, 29-game non-conference winning streak at the Joyce Center – a stretch that includes victories over a trio of sixth-ranked teams (UCLA and Duke in 1998-99 and Purdue in 2000-01), as well as 25th-ranked Illinois in ’98-99. Notre Dame’s last non-conference loss at the Joyce Center came way back on Dec. 9, 1996, when 19th-ranked Wisconsin toppled the Irish, 81-69. Overall, the Irish are 73-2 (.973) at the Joyce Center in their last 75 home games, with the only losses coming to Connecticut.
Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center, sporting a 236-65 (.784) mark at the venerable facility. Last season, the Irish were a perfect 15-0 for the second year in a row. The 15 victories are a school record for home wins in a season and the first time Notre Dame teams have been undefeated at home during the regular season. Also, since joining the BIG EAST Conference in time for the 1995-96 season, Muffet McGraw’s squad is 86-4 (.956) at the Joyce Center.
SEASON TICKET SALES REACH ALL-TIME HIGH FOR IRISH – Attendance at Notre Dame women’s basketball games in 2000-01 increased nearly 88 percent compared to the previous season – and indications suggest another significant jump is underway for the 2001-02 campaign. Coming off the 2001 NCAA championship, there have been more than 6,700 season tickets sold to the general public and University faculty and staff for the ’01-’02 women’s basketball season. That’s compared to 2,700 a year ago and 940 in 1999-2000- a jump of nearly 150 percent over last season, and a whopping 700 percent rise in just two years.
The sale of season tickets for the ’01-02 campaign actually began midway through Notre Dame’s 2001 championship season. All seats are reserved for Irish women’s games for the first time this season – all seating in previous years had been general admission.
The Irish ranked ninth nationally in attendance last year at 6,376 fans per game, compared to 3,392 in 1999-2000. Notre Dame also recorded the first two women’s basketball sellouts in school history, as 11,418 fans packed the Joyce Center for victories over top-ranked Connecticut and Georgetown.
All 10 of Notre Dame’s home games in 2001-02 have attracted more than 6,900 fans, placing them among the top 20 crowds in school history (see chart on page 6). Leading the way is the gathering of 8,878 fans for a Jan. 26 win over No. 16/17 Virginia Tech, representing the fourth-largest crowd in school history. Furthermore, all of the top 20 crowds in the Notre Dame record book have occurred during the 15-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw.
NOTRE DAME FACES TOUGH SCHEDULE IN 2001-02 – Notre Dame is slated to play 10 teams which reached the postseason as part of a rugged schedule this year. On the docket are seven 2001 NCAA Tournament squads and five teams (Connecticut – 1/1, Purdue – 7/8, Colorado State – 18/19, Boston College – 20/21 and Virginia Tech – 23/20) which are ranked in the Top 25 in the latest Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches’ polls. In addition, five other Irish opponents (DePaul, Marquette, Michigan, Syracuse and USC) are receiving votes in one or both of the major polls this week.
IRISH ON THE SMALL SCREEN – Notre Dame is getting a good deal of face time in 2001-02, playing on television at least eight times, including a pair of nationally-televised contests – Nov. 21 at Arizona (Fox Sports Net) and Jan. 21 at Connecticut (ESPN). The Irish also will make two regional television appearances this season – Jan. 2 at Miami (Fox Sports Florida) and Feb. 2 at Seton Hall (CN8, The Comcast Network).
In addition, Notre Dame will appear three times as part of the BIG EAST regular-season television package, playing host to Virginia Tech (Jan. 26) and traveling to Villanova (Jan. 12) and Rutgers (Feb. 16). All three of those games will be telecast live on Fox Sports Chicago as part of the league’s TV deal. The BIG EAST Championship semifinals on March 4 also will be aired on the BIG EAST TV package, while the conference title game on March 5 will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Additionally, the Dec. 6 rematch of the 2001 NCAA championship game between Notre Dame and Purdue was televised live statewide by LeSea Broadcasting, which includes WHME-TV (Channel 46) in South Bend and WHMB-TV (Channel 40) in Indianapolis.
NOTRE DAME RECEIVES COMMITMENTS FROM PAIR OF TOP 25 PROSPECTS – Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw announced Nov. 15 that two of the nation’s top high school student-athletes have chosen to continue their careers with the Irish, signing national letters of intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2002. Megan Duffy (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne HS) and Courtney LaVere (Ventura, CA/Buena HS) both committed to the Irish during the early signing period.
Duffy, a 5-7 guard, averaged 17 points per game last season for Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio. She was a 2001 first-team Division I all-state selection and earned honorable mention All-America accolades from Street & Smith’s. Additionally, Student Sports tabbed her as a junior All-America selection. She was rated as high as No. 24 in the country by the All-Star Girls Report (ASGR) and No. 29 by School Sports.
LaVere, a 6-3 forward, tallied 13.8 points and eight rebounds per game last season for Buena High School in Ventura, Calif. She also shot 54 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line for BHS, which was ranked in the top 10 nationally throughout the 2000-01 season by USA Today. In addition, LaVere was an All-America honoree by both USA Today and Street & Smith’s last year, and she already has been selected as a preseason third-team All-American for the ’01-02 campaign by School Sports. Like Duffy, LaVere also was a first-team all-state selection last season. She is a consensus top-15 player according to all of the major recruiting services – No. 10 by the Blue Star Index, No. 13 by School Sports and No. 15 by ASGR.
The additions of Duffy and LaVere have given Notre Dame one of this year’s top 10 recruiting classes, according to at least two major recruiting outlets. The Women’s Basketball Journal, in conjunction with ASGR, has pegged the Irish Class of 2006 at No. 5 in the nation. Meanwhile, the Blue Star Index ranked the latest group of Irish signees eighth in the nation, marking the sixth consecutive year in which Blue Star has placed Notre Dame’s recruiting class among the Top 20 in the country.
IRISH SOLID IN THE CLASSROOM – The Notre Dame women’s basketball program posted a 3.24 grade-point average during the fall 2001 semester, paced by its freshman class which had an impressive 3.2 GPA in its initial semester on campus. All told, nine Irish players charted a 3.0 GPA or better last fall, led by junior guard Karen Swanson, who recorded a 3.733 GPA as she works towards her business degree.
The other eight players to top the 3.0 mark last semester were juniors Alicia Ratay and Monique Hernandez, sophomores Jeneka Joyce and Le’Tania Severe, and freshmen Teresa Borton, Katy Flecky, Jill Krause and Kelsey Wicks.
KRAUSE FEATURED IN “CONFESSIONS OF A FRESHMAN” – Freshman guard Jill Krause is giving fans an inside look at the 2001-02 Irish women’s basketball team through regular diary entries on the Notre Dame athletic website, www.und.com. Entitled “Confessions of a Freshman,” the Glenview, Ill., native is detailing her journey as a first-year player on the defending NCAA championship squad. Her diary entries may be accessed either from the front page or the women’s basketball page on the Notre Dame website.
HANEY SHINES ON BIG EAST ALL-STAR TEAM – For the second time in as many years, Notre Dame sent a player with the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball All-Star Team, as guard/forward Ericka Haney joined the squad for its six-game swing of Germany last summer. Haney followed in the footsteps of Niele Ivey, who helped lead the BIG EAST All-Stars to a 5-1 record during a junket through Canada in the summer of 2000.
Haney paced the BIG EAST squad, which was led by Syracuse head coach Marianna Freeman, to an unbeaten 6-0 record during its tour, scoring a team-high 18 points in a 103-57 win over Ludwigsburg/Malmsheim in the final game of the trip.
Haney finished with a team-high 13.0 points per game and collected 4.5 rebounds per game during her European vacation. She also scored in double figures in five of the All-Stars’ six wins.
RILEY RECEIVES NCAA TODAY’S TOP VIII AWARD – Former Notre Dame All-American and Academic All-American Ruth Riley, the consensus national player of the year in women’s basketball in 2001 and already winner of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, was named a recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award on Dec. 13. The Today’s Top VIII Award winners are a group of distinguished student-athletes from the 2001 calendar year who were recognized for athletics, academic achievement, character and leadership at the 37th annual NCAA Honors Dinner Jan. 13 in Indianapolis.
In addition to their athletics accomplishments, the NCAA Today’s Top VIII recipients earned numerous academic honors, volunteered countless hours to community projects and served as role models for their academic institutions and to their peers.
A two-time Associated Press first team All-American, Riley was selected as the 2001 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the AP and Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year after helping lead Notre Dame to its first national title last spring. Off the court, Riley was selected as the Verizon Academic All-America? Team Member of the Year after being named first team Academic All-American for two consecutive years.
Riley averaged 19 points and eight rebounds a game, leading Notre Dame to a 34-2 record. The former Irish center is the only player in Notre Dame history to score more than 2,000 points and grab more than 1,000 rebounds.
An eight-time Dean’s List selection at Notre Dame, Riley graduated in May 2001 with a 3.64 grade-point average in psychology and sociology. She was also selected as the BIG EAST women’s basketball scholar-athlete of the year and the BIG EAST women’s scholar-athlete of the year for all sports. Riley received the university’s highest scholar-athlete honor when she was awarded the Byron V. Kanaley Award at the 2001 Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet.
Last April, she was chosen in the first round of the 2001 WNBA Draft, going fifth overall to the Miami Sol. In her inaugural professional season in south Florida, Riley averaged 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.44 blocks per game (ninth in the league) while helping Miami, a second-year expansion franchise, qualify for the WNBA playoffs.
REMINDER – SOUTH BEND AREA CODE CHANGE – The area code for north central Indiana, including South Bend, Elkhart and Mishawaka, has changed from 219 to 574, effective Jan. 15. Please be aware that all University of Notre Dame athletic department phones also have switched over to this new area code. The 219 area code still will be active through June 15, although callers will be reminded of the change to the new 574 area code.
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