Jan. 2, 2000.
Marquette (9-2) at
No. 10/8 Notre Dame (8-2)
Date: Sunday, January 2, 2000
Place: Joyce Center (11,418)
Time: 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Radio: All Notre Dame games are broadcast on WJVA-AM (1580 in South Bend). Jeremy Gray provides play-by-play for games.
TODAY’S GAME — Notre Dame plays its first game of the new year, and the third of four straight home games, as the Irish entertain Marquette. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad enters this afternoon’s contest with an 8-2 record and are riding a four-game win streak, its longest of the season after an 88-63 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday night. Today’s game is the final non-conference test of the 1999-2000 campaign. The Irish open up BIG EAST play on Wednesday, January 5 when they play host to West Virginia at 7:00 p.m. Marquette enters the game with a 9-2 mark and has won nine of its last 10 games.
This is the 25th meeting between the two teams and the first since the 1995-96 campaign when Notre Dame best the Golden Eagles 84-62 at the Joyce Center on December 8, 1995. The Irish have been victorious in the series 19 of the last 20 times the two teams have played.
Notre Dame is in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and USA Today rankings as the Irish are 10th and eighth, respectively. The Irish have been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll 21 of the past 24 weeks, including a school-record 19 consecutive weeks from November 16, 1998 thru November 29, 1999. Notre Dame has been in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Poll for 24 straight weeks.
VALPARAISO REVIEW – Notre Dame won its fourth straight game as the Irish posted an 88-63 victory over the Crusaders. Ruth Riley led four Irish players in double figures as she scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. It was the ninth straight game Riley had been in double figures, and the fourth contest in which she has led the team in scoring. The 6-5 junior was a perfect seven-for-seven from the free throw line in the game. Freshman Alicia Ratay reached double figures for the seventh time as she scored 14 points. Ratay connected on five-of-10 shots from the field and was three-of-five from three-point range. Niele Ivey had one of her best outings in 1999-2000 as she tallied 13 points and dished off eight assists while committing just one turnover. Ivey also tied her career-high with seven steals in the game. Danielle Green reached double figures for the third straight game as she scored 11 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
Notre Dame shot 42.9 percent marking just the fourth time this season that the Irish had shot under 50 percent in a game. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad held the Crusaders to 36.7 percent accuracy from the floor and forced 23 turnovers. Notre Dame went to the foul line 28 times in the game and converted on 22 of its attempts, while Valparaiso was 26-35 from the charity stripe.
IRISH CONCLUDE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE – Notre Dame plays its final non-conference game of the season this afternoon against Marquette before opening up BIG EAST play on Wednesday, January 5 against West Virginia.
Notre Dame Probable Starting LineupNo. Name Hometown Pos. Ht. Cl. PPG RPG 32 Julie Henderson*** Ann Arbor, MI F/C 6-3 Sr. 4.5 4.3 00 Ruth Riley** Macy, IN C 6-5 Jr. 15.2 5.8 3 Ericka Haney* Toledo, OH G/F 6-1 So. 9.0 4.822 Alicia Ratay Lake Zurich, IL G 5-11 Fr. 16.5 4.7 33 Niele Ivey** St. Louis, MO G 5-8 Sr. 11.1 3.4
Off The Bench11 Karen Swanson Westlake, OH G 5-7 Fr. 0.9 0.3 12 Danielle Green*** Chicago, IL G 5-8 Sr. 10.0 3.1 23 Monique Hernandez Rio Rancho, NM G 5-9 Fr. 2.4 1.3 31 Amanda Barksdale Friendswood, TX F 6-3 Fr. 0.8 0.741 Imani Dunbar** San Angelo, TX G 5-7 Jr. 1.4 1.744 Meaghan Leahy* Wilbraham, MA F 6-4 So. 3.3 3.550 Kelley Siemon** Edina, MN F 6-2 Jr. 5.5 3.4
* Indicates monograms won
RILEY REACHES DOUBLE FIGURES FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT GAME – After being held scoreless for the first time in her career (64 games) in the season opener against Toledo, Ruth Riley has come back to score in double figures in nine consecutive games. She has scored 20-plus points twice this season as she netted a season-high 32 points against Liberty on December 5 which marked the third 30-point performance of her career. Riley also had 20 points in a win over Florida International at the Orange Bowl Women’s Basketball Fab Four.
FRESHMAN FOLLIES – Freshman guard Alicia Ratay, who leads the Irish in scoring with a 16.5 points per game average, has been Notre Dame’s top scorer in five games this season and in two of the last three outings its last two outings. Ratay, a two-time BIG EAST rookie-of-the week honoree, had 19 against USC on Monday night and 27 in a win at Florida International on December 19. She has topped the 20-point mark twice this season, including a 32-point performance against North Carolina which marked just the second 30-point performance by an Irish rookie in the 22-year history of the program.
IRISH CAPTURE WACHOVIA WOMEN’S INVITATIONAL – Notre Dame captured the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament in Richmond, Va., as the Irish beat North Carolina and Liberty in the seventh annual event. The tournament is recognized as one of the most prestigious in-season events.
Junior center Ruth Riley was named MVP of the tournament in addition to being selected along with freshman Alicia Ratay to the all-tournament team. Riley scored 32 points (the third 30-point performance of her career) against Liberty in the championship game as she connected on 12-of-14 shots from the field and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. In addition, she had seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 29 minutes of action. Against North Carolina, she registered 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 28 minutes. For the tournament she averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots. Riley also was 17-of-22 (.773) from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Ratay had the first 30-point performance of her career, and second-ever by a Notre Dame freshman, when she tossed in 32 points on a 12-for-15 shooting performance against North Carolina. The Irish rookie also hit six-of-eight from three-point range. In the championship tilt, she was the only other Notre Dame player in double figures as she netted 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished off five assists playing a season-high 36 minutes. For the tournament, she averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals. Ratay shot 18-of-25 (.720) percent from the field and was seven-for-11 (.636) from three-point range.
POLL WATCHING – Notre Dame is ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll and eighth in the ESPN/USA Today ranking this week. Notre Dame has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll 21 of 24 weeks. The Irish slipped out of the top 10 (after a school-record 19 consecutive weeks there) on November 29. Prior to that, Notre Dame had held a spot in the top 10 of every poll dating back to November 16, 1998. Coach Muffet McGraw’s squad has now been ranked 24 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today ranking. Notre Dame has earned a top 25 ranking for a school-record 27 consecutive weeks, breaking the old mark of 24 weeks set from February 5, 1996 thru March 10, 1997.
ASSOCIATED PRESS(Week of Dec. 27) LW1. Connecticut 12. Tennessee 23. Louisiana Tech 34. North Carolina State 45. Georgia 56. Texas Tech 77. Auburn 88. Penn State 99. North Carolina 1010. NOTRE DAME 1211. LSU 1312. Rutgers 1513. Purdue 1114. Iowa State 1615. Duke 1716. UCLA 617. Illinois 1818. Old Dominion 2019. Arizona 1420. Kansas 2321. Mississippi State 2122. Oregon 1923. Santa Barbara 2224 Tulane 2425. Texas 25
ESPN/USA TODAY(Week of Dec. 27) LW1. Connecticut 1 2. Tennessee 23. Louisiana Tech 34. North Carolina State 45. Georgia 56. Penn State 67. Texas Tech 78. NOTRE DAME 89. Auburn 1010. North Carolina 1111. Duke 1512. Purdue 1213. Iowa State 1314 Rutgers 1615. Arizona 1416. LSU 1717. UCLA 918. Oregon 1819. Old Dominion 1920. Illinois 2021. Kansas 2222. Santa Barbara 2123. Mississippi State 2324. Tulane 2425. Boston College 25
NOTRE DAME POLL WATCHING(Week By Week)
Date AP ESPN/USA Today Preseason 8 9 Nov. 15 7 9Nov. 22 6 6Nov. 29 11 8Dec. 6 7 6Dec. 13 11 7Dec. 20 12 8Dec. 27 10 8
HEAD COACH MUFFET McGRAW – Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw is in her 13th season with the Irish and 17th as a collegiate coach. She has guided Notre Dame to four straight NCAA tournament appearances and six 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 12-plus seasons at Notre Dame, she has a record of 269-112 (.706), and in 17-plus campaigns overall, her teams have registered a 357-153 (.700) 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. Last season, McGraw, after guiding the Irish to their sixth consecutive 20-win season, was named as a finalist for the Naismith Women’s Basketball and Associated Press coach-of-the-year awards.
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER MAGAZINE TO FOLLOW IRISH ALL SEASON – Annette John-Hall, a feature writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer will be following head coach Muffet McGraw, a native of Pottsville, Pa., and the Irish all season long and feature them in the magazine section of that publication. She will file stories throughout the season on McGraw and her squad. Hall has already written three features thus far with the fourth installment scheduled for sometime in mid-January.
BABY RUTH GIVEAWAY – Baby Ruth candy bars are being thrown into the stands this season following every blocked shot by an Irish player. The Notre Dame-Michigan State game was designated “Baby Ruth Day.” All fans entering the game received a Baby Ruth bar.
IRISH GET 200TH WIN AT JOYCE CENTER – Wednesday night’s win over Valparaiso was the 200th for the Irish at the Joyce Center. Since 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games here and owns a 200-65 mark for a .755 winning percentage.
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 200-65 mark for a .754 winning percentage since its first season. Currently, the Irish are 4-0 at home and have won 12 straight home games dating back to the 1998-99 campaign. Last season, Notre Dame won a school-record 12 games at home en route to a 12-1 home mark.
SERIES RECORD VERSUS MARQUETTE – Today’s game marks the 25th meeting between the two schools with Notre Dame holding a 20-4 advantage in the series. The two teams have not played since the 1995-96 campaign when the Irish beat the Golden Eagles 84-62 at the Joyce Center on December 8, 1995. Notre Dame has been victorious in the series 19 of the last 20 times the two teams have played. The Irish have won four straight with their last loss to the Golden Eagles coming on December 1, 1992 (66-62) in Milwaukee, Wis. Notre Dame has won 12 of the 13 meetings at the Joyce Center. Marquette’s lone victory (67-46) at the Joyce Center came on February 2, 1980. Since that loss, Notre Dame has won 11 straight on its home floor against the Golden Eagles.
Irish All-Time vs. 1999-2000 Opponents
Team RecordBoston College 4-3Butler 19-6Connecticut 0-10Florida International 1-0Georgetown 11-1Illinois 1-4Liberty 2-0Marquette 20-4Miami 7-2Michigan State 4-6North Carolina 1-0Pittsburgh 6-0Providence 6-0Purdue 2-9Richmond 1-0Rutgers 5-6St. John's 7-0Seton Hall 7-2Syracuse 10-1Toledo 3-2USC 1-1Valparaiso 13-0Villanova 9-3West Virginia 6-0
Total 146-60 (.709)
RILEY REACHES 1,000-POINT – Junior center Ruth Riley became the 15th player in Notre Dame women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau this season. Riley reached the mark in the first half of Notre Dame’s win over Florida International on December 19. The 6-5 Macy, Ind., native has 1,034 career points in 73 career games for a 14.2 career scoring average.
“I” GETS THE ASSIST – Junior guard Imani Dunbar, who has been a part-time starter for the Irish this season with four starts in nine games, dished off a career-high eight assists against USC last Monday nights in playing a personal best 23 minutes. Dunbar is second on the team in assists with 31 for a 3.1 assists-per-game-average.
GREEN PROVIDES A SPARK OFF BENCH – Senior guard Danielle Green has been a spark for the Irish off the bench in the last three outings scoring in double figures. She had 10 against Florida International and 11 versus USC and Valparaiso. Green has scored in double figures four times in the seven games she has played, including season-high 16 points in the season opener against Toledo. Her lone start of the campaign was in the second game of the season versus Illinois.
RILEY NEARLY PERFECT FROM THE LINE – While the Irish have struggled as a team from the free throw line this season, Ruth Riley has missed just four times and is 28-32 from the line (.875). Heading into the game against Purdue on December 8, Riley had made all 12 of her free throw attempts on the season. She hit her first three attempts in the contest, but missed for the first time on her 16th attempt. Riley was a perfect eight-for-eight from the line against Liberty in the championship game of the Wachovia Women’s Basketball Invitational and was seven-for-seven the charity stripe against Valparaiso.
HOT STUFF – As a team, Notre Dame has hit 50.3 percent (292-581) of its shots from the field. That number has been helped by the squad’s last seven games as the Irish have connected on 51.7 percent connecting on 240-of-464 field goal attempts in those contests. In six of Notre Dame’s last eight games, the Irish have shot better 50 percent or better from the field. Notre Dame has shot 50 percent or better in six games this season.
DOUBLE DIPPER – Guard Niele Ivey had her second double double of the season when she scored 14 points and dished off 11 assists against Michigan State on December 11. It marked the sixth double double of her career and the sixth time in which she has dished off 10 or more assists in a game. Ivey leads the team with 62 assists for a 6.20 average.
IRISH IN THE NCAA STATISTICS
Ruth Riley - Field Goal Pct. (3rd) Blocked Shots (6th)
Team - Field Goal Pct. (6th) 3pt. Field Goal Pct. (14th)
IVEY SHINES AGAINST VALPARAISO – Guard Niele Ivey had one of her best games of the season against Valparaiso as she scored 13 points, dished off eight assists and tied her personal best with seven steals in the game. In 29 minutes of action, Ivey had just one turnover in the game. She is averaging 3.40 turnovers per game.
RILEY NOTCHES THIRD 30-POINT PERFORMANCE – Ruth Riley’s 32-point performance in the championship game of the Wachovia Women’s Invitational marked the third time in her career that she scored better than 30 points in a game. Riley had two 30-plus efforts last season, both against Providence College, as she scored 36 and a school-record 41.
A ROOKIE RARITY – Alicia Ratay’s 32-point performance against North Carolina was the first 30-point outing of her brief career and marked just the second time an Irish freshman has scored better than 30 points in a game. The only other Notre Dame rookie to record a 30-point performance was Michelle Marciniak as she scored 33 versus Georgia in a 90-86 loss on December 8, 1991.
RILEY NAMED FINALIST FOR NAISMITH PLAYER OF THE YEAR – On everyone’s preseason All-America teams, Ruth Riley, a third-team Associated Press All-America selection in 1999, is one of 10 finalists for the 1999-2000 Naismith Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Award which is presented by the Atlanta Tip-off Club. Riley and the nine other candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading college basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. She is the first Notre Dame women’s basketball player to be named a finalist for the award, which was first presented in 1983. The nine other finalists include: Svetlana Abrosimova (Connecticut), Edwina Brown (Texas), Tamika Catchings (Tennessee), Tamicha Jackson (Louisiana Tech), Maylana Martin (UCLA), Kelly Miller (Georgia), Lynn Pride (Kansas), Semeka Randall (Tennessee) and Nikki Teasley (North Carolina).
RILEY RECORDS 500 REBOUNDS – Ruth Riley grabbed her 500th career rebound against Butler on December 1 and is 10th on the all-time career rebounding list with 551 boards. In 73 career games, Riley has a 7.5 rebounding average.
NON-CONFERENCE LOSSES A RARITY – Notre Dame’s recent loss to Purdue marked just the second loss the Irish had suffered to a non-conference opponent in two seasons. The Irish were a perfect 8-0 against non-conference foes during the 1998-99 regular season. When Notre Dame lost to Illinois on November 27, it marked the first regular season loss to a non-conference opponent in 12 games. Heading into its matchup with the Illini, Notre Dame’s last non-conference regular-season loss was to Wisconsin (89-77) on December 8, 1997.
NOTRE DAME TO TAKE ON 10 NCAA TOURNAMENT FOES – The 1999-2000 Notre Dame women’s basketball slate features 10 teams which last season participated in the 64-team 1999 NCAA tournament field. Notre Dame has already played Toledo, Illinois, North Carolina, Liberty, Purdue and Florida International with four other tourney teams on the slate: Boston College (Feb. 5), Connecticut (Feb. 26), Marquette (Jan. 2), Rutgers (Feb. 19).
BIG EAST DEBUTS 16-GAME SLATE – The BIG EAST Conference will begin its 16-game league schedule this season. That’s a change from the 18-game format which had been in existence since the league expanded to 13 teams in 1995-96. In 1999-2000, Notre Dame will play Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Miami and St. John’s twice and has single games against West Virginia, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Providence, Villanova, Rutgers and Connecticut.
RATAY NETS 18 IN DEBUT – Freshman guard Alicia Ratay, a first-team Parade High School All-American, scored 18 points in her collegiate debut. It was the most by an Irish rookie in her first college game since Michelle Marciniak scored 16 points in an 86-70 loss to Penn State on November 22, 1991. Ratay’s five field goals were all from three-point range as she hit five-of-eight field goals from beyond the arc.
RILEY HELPS USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CAPTURE SILVER MEDAL – Ruth Riley was one of 12 players selected to the 1999 World University Games Team. She and 1999 graduate Sheila McMillen (now an assistant coach at Western Michigan) were among the 44 players invited to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the five-day tryout. The team, coached by Penn State’s Rene Portland, took home the silver medal after posting a 4-2 mark in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, site of the basketball competition. Riley appeared in all nine games with the USA and started five of those contests and was the team’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder as she averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, with a .630 field-goal percentage. At a tournament in Madrid Spain prior to the start of the World University Games, the USA Women’s Basketball squad posted a 3-0 mark and captured first-place. During those three games, she averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. This was Riley’s second stint with the USA Women’s basketball program. In the summer of 1998, she was a member of the USA Women’s Basketball Select Team.
SIEMON TOURS WITH BIG EAST TEAM – Junior Kelley Siemon averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in helping the BIG EAST/Nike Women’s Basketball All-Stars to a 4-1 record in a ’99 summer tour of Belgium and Germany. Siemon scored 14 points in the win over Aalst (Division) and had seven points and eight rebounds in a win over the Belgian Junior National Team. The team was coached by Boston College’s Cathy Inglese.
THERE’S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK – Coquese Washington, who played for Notre Dame from 1989-93, has joined head coach Muffet McGraw’s coaching staff this season as an assistant coach. She replaces Letitia Bowen who has become the administrative assistant to the women’s basketball program while attending graduate school. Washington, the Notre Dame record holder for steals (307) and steals average (2.7), has played professionally the last three years. During the summers of 1998 and 1999, she has been a member of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) New York Liberty. This past season, her Liberty advanced to the finals of the WNBA Championship. The 5-6 guard, who led the Irish in steals all four seasons she was at Notre Dame, spent the 1996-97 season on the roster of the Portland Power franchise of the now defunct American Basketball League (ABL).
IRISH SIGN TWO – Notre Dame signed two players listed among the top 40 prep players in the country during the early signing period. Jeneka Joyce, a 5-9 shooting guard from Topeka, Kan., and Le’Tania Severe, a 5-9 point guard from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., were rated 26th and 40th, respectively, by Blue Star Basketball.
PRESEASON HONORS FOR RILEY – The name Ruth Riley appears 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 - High Honorable, Notre Dame Mention, Notre Dame - 7th Athlon College Basketball: Notre Dame - 8th Basketball News: Notre Dame - 8th Women's Basketball News Service: Ruth Riley - Second Team, Alicia Ratay - All- Freshman Third Team, Notre Dame - 9th Women's Basketball Journal: Ruth Riley - Second Team, Notre Dame - 25th
QUICK PLAYER BIOS:
Amanda Barksdale has seen action in all 10 contests… she scored her first career points against Michigan State when she made two of her three field goal attempts for four points… had two points and a career-high three rebounds against Valparaiso… has 11 blocked shots on the season.
Imani Dunbar earned starts against Butler, North Carolina, Liberty and Purdue… earned first career start versus the Bulldogs… played a career-high 23 minutes against USC and registered personal bests of eight assists, five rebounds and three steals… second on the team in assists with 31.
Danielle Green has scored in double figures in Notre Dame’s last three games… has been a spark for the Irish off the bench… scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed seven reboundings coming off the bench in the season opener at Toledo… has made one start (versus Illinois) in the six games she has played… grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Valparaiso… missed three games (Butler, North Carolina and Liberty) due to a disciplinary suspension… averaging 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Ericka Haney has started six games this season and has played in all 10 contests… first career start came against Toledo in the season opener… has scored in double figures in five games… recorded first career double-double with personal bests of 18 points and 14 rebounds against North Carolina… tallied a season-high 11 points against Butler and also added five rebounds and three assists in the game… grabbed six rebounds in the Valparaiso game… scored 10 points in her first collegiate start in the season opener at Toledo… averaging 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Julie Henderson has been in the Irish starting lineup the last eight games after coming off the bench in the first two contests of the season… has had season-highs of six points in four games this season versus North Carolina, Liberty, Michigan State and USC… grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Purdue, one shy of her career best? had four rebounds against the Tar Heels, five versus Florida International and and six versus the Spartans and Women of Troy… grabbed five rebounds versus Valparaiso… averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Monique Hernandez played in the first seven games of the season and has seen action in nine contests… had career bests of five points, four rebounds and two assists against Valparaiso… played a season-high 15 minutes in both the Butler and North Carolina contests… scored four points and grabbed four rebounds against Butler.
Niele Ivey has started all 10 games and is averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists… has registered two double-doubles, most recent was against Michigan State in which she scored 14 points and dished off 11 assists (the sixth double-doubel of her career)… had first double-double of the season with a season-high 17 points and career-best 13 assists versus North Carolina in the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament… the 13 assists in the game also marked a tournament record… has scored in double figures in five games this season… had solid all-around game against Valparaiso as she scored 13 points, dished off eight assists and made seven steals, tying her career-high, while playing 29 minutes and committing just one turnover.
Meaghan Leahy has come off the bench for the Irish in all 10 games… averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds… had a career-high nine points and tied her personal best with nine rebounds while playing 24 minutes (also a career-high) against Butler… scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action against Illinois… grabbed five rebounds against Michigan State and dished off a career-high four assists.
Alicia Ratay is the leading scorer on the team averaging 16.5 ppg…. also averaging 4.7 rebounds… named game MVP at the Orange Bowl Women’s Basketball Four Four against Florida International… scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and made five steals (personal best) in the contest while playing a season-high 39 minutes against the Panthers… turned in only the second 30-point performance by an Irish rookie when she scored 32 points against North Carolina… scored in double figures in seven games and been the team’s leading scorer in five contests… in her collegiate debut, scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action… it was the most points by an Irish rookie in a season opener since 1991… tallied 16 points and dished off seven assists against Butler… scored 19 points against USC as she hit six-of-10 shots from the field (4-5 from three-point range)… has twice earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors for the week of December 6 and was selected to the all-tournament team at the Wachovia Women’s Invitational Tournament.
Karen Swanson is a walk-on freshman who has played in six games… tallied her first career basket against USC… registered her first career three-pointer against Vaparaiso.
Ruth Riley has been in double figures scoring in nine of 10 games… was plagued by foul trouble in the first two games of the season and played only 28 minutes in those outings… had the third 30-plus outing of her career when she scored 32 points against Liberty in the championship game of the Wachovia Women’s Basketball Invitational… averaging 15.4 points and a team-leading 5.5 rebounds… scored her 1,000th career point against Florida International and finished with 20 for the game on nine-for-11 shooting from the field… grabbed her 500th rebound against Butler… had a season-high nine rebounds against Florida International… hauled in eight rebounds versus Purdue… blocked a season-high seven shots versus Butler… was the only player in double figures against Illinois with 16 points in 18 minutes of action… played only 10 minutes in the season opener at Toledo because of foul trouble… held scoreless in the contest for the first time in 64 career games… scored 18 points and blocked six shots versus Michigan State… had 15 points and eight rebounds against Valparaiso.
Kelley Siemon has come off the bench in Notre Dame’s last nine games after starting the season opener against Toledo… scored a season-high 12 points and grabbed five rebounds against North Carolina… had a season-high seven rebounds against Toledo… has fouled out in two games… averaging 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Series RecordNotre Dame leads 20-4Home: 12-1 Away: 7-3 Neutral: 1-0
Date Site Score2-3-78 Milwaukee, WI L 41-662-3-79 Notre Dame, IN W 60-572-2-80 Notre Dame, IN L 46-671-10-81 Milwaukee, WI L 55-621-10-82 Minneapolis, MN* W 50-361-30-82 Notre Dame, IN W 60-432-25-83 Milwaukee, WI W 74-5011-22-83 Notre Dame, IN W 99-6312-13-85 Milwaukee, WI W 90-461-13-86 Notre Dame, IN W 75-421-31-87 Notre Dame, IN W 95-602-28-87 Milwaukee, WI W 77-531-26-88 Notre Dame, IN W 88-512-20-88 Milwaukee, WI W 79-6912-7-88 Notre Dame, IN W 70-6612-9-89 Milwaukee, WI W 87-671-18-90 Notre Dame, IN W 81-6412-21-90 Notre Dame, IN W 109-561-19-81 Milwaukee, WI W 91-7311-27-91 Notre Dame, IN W 83-6812-1-92 Milwaukee, WI L 62-6612-1-93 Notre Dame, IN W 90-762-1-95 Milwaukee, WI W 87-6612-8-95 Notre Dame, IN W 84-62
*Dial Classic
1999-2000 BIG EAST Coaches' Preseason Poll 1. Connecticut (10) 142 2. Rutgers (3) 135 3. NOTRE DAME 121 4. Boston College 112 5. Georgetown 90 6. Villanova 86 7. Miami 79 8. Syracuse 59 9. St. John's 46 10. Pittsburgh 44 11. Seton Hall 39 12. Providence 38 13. West Virginia 23
Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team: Svetlana Abrosimova (Connecticut), Tasha Pointer (Rutgers), Shea Ralph (Connecticut), Ruth Riley (Notre Dame), Shawnetta Stewart (Rutgers)
Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team: Niele Ivey (Notre Dame), Alissa Murphy (Boston College), Katie Smrcka-Duffy (Georgetown), Tammy Sutton-Brown (Rutgers), Tamika Williams (Connecticut)
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year: Svetlana Abrosimova (Connecticut)
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year: Kennitra Johnson (Connecticut)
Irish Record
By Day On Sundays: 2-0 On Mondays: 1-0 On Tuesdays: 0-0 On Wednesdays: 2-1 On Thursdays: 0-0 On Fridays: 0-0 On Saturdays: 3-1
By Time Night Games: 5-1 Day Games: 3-1
By Location Home Games: 4-0 Road Games: 2-2 Neutral Games: 2-0
By Halftime Score Lead at halftime: 8-0 Trail at halftime: 0-2 Tied at halftime: 0-0
By Rebound Margin Outrebounding opponents: 6-0 Outrebounded by opponents: 2-1 Same number of rebounds 0-1
By Field Goal Shooting Shoot better from field: 8-1 Shoot worse from field: 0-1 Shoot same from field: 0-0 Shoot 50% or better: 5-0 Shoot less than 50%: 2-2 Keep opponents under 50%: 8-2 Keep opponents under 40%: 7-1
By Free Throw Margin Hit more free throws: 4-0 Hit fewer free throws: 3-2 Same number of free throws: 1-0
By Turnovers Commit fewer turnovers: 3-0 Commit more turnovers: 4-2 Commit same number of turnovers: 1-0
By Margin One-point games: 0-0 Two-point games: 0-0 Three-point games: 0-0 Four-point games: 0-0 5-10 point games: 1-2 11-20 point games: 5-0 21-30 point games: 2-0 31+point games: 0-0
By Conference Mid-American 1-0 Big Ten 1-2 Midwestern Collegiate 1-0 Atlantic Coast 1-0 Big South 1-0 Sun Belt 1-0 Pac 10 1-0 Mid-Continent 1-0
By Month In November 1-1 In December 7-1 In January 0-0 In February 0-0 In March 0-0
1999-2000 BIG EAST STANDINGS(through games of Dec. 30) BIG EAST Overall Record Record Connecticut 1-0 9-0Boston College 1-0 11-3Rutgers 1-0 7-2Georgetown 1-0 7-4Providence 1-0 4-4NOTRE DAME 0-0 8-2Syracuse 0-0 6-3Miami 0-0 5-4Pittsburgh 0-1 8-3Seton Hall 0-1 6-5St. John's 0-1 5-6West Virginia 0-1 4-5Villanova 0-1 6-5
1999-2000 BIG EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
Player of the Week:Nov. 22 Becky Gottstein (BC) Jen Gombotz (PC)Nov. 29 Shea Ralph (UC)Dec. 6 Ruth Riley (ND) Swin Cash (UC)Dec. 13 Becky Gottstein (BC) Katie Smrcka-Duffy (GU)Dec. 20 Cal Bouchard (BC) Shawnetta Stewart (RU)Dec. 27 Shanetta Stewart (RU) Svetlana Abrosimova (UC)
Rookie of the Week:Nov. 22 Amanda Papuga (UM)Nov. 29 Shannon Perry (SU) Trish Juhline (VU)Dec. 6 Alicia Ratay (ND)Dec. 13 Santia Jackson (GU)Dec. 20 Alicia Ratay (ND)Dec. 27 Kennitra Johnson (UC)