2009-10 Schedule Notre Dame’s Probable Starting Lineup (C = captain) No Name Pos Ht Yr PPG RPG Other Notes 52 Erica Williamson C 6-4 Sr. 4.1 2.5 0.7 bpg • 5.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg. in past 3 games 20 Ashley Barlow (C) G 5-9 Sr. 11.7 5.4 2.5 apg • Season-high 21 pts (5-9 3FG) at GU 23 Melissa Lechlitner (C) G 5-7 Sr. 7.7 2.0 3.2 apg • ND 22-2 all-time when she has 5+ asst. 24 Lindsay Schrader (C) G 6-0 Sr. 11.3 7.3 1.6 apg • DNP @ STJ/GU (1st career missed gms) 44 Alena Christiansen G 5-7 Sr. 1.0 0.6 0.4 spg • Walk-on with career-high 5 pts vs. Charlotte Off the Bench For the Irish 1 Erica Solomon F 6-2 So. 3.4 1.3 0.9 apg • 9th school history for career bpg (1.07) 4 Skylar Diggins G 5-9 Fr. 14.1 4.2 2.8 apg • 4-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week 12 Fraderica Miller G 5-10 So. 2.4 2.2 1.2 spg • Defensive stopper (1 steal per 7.3 min) 14 Devereaux Peters F 6-2 Jr. 5.9 5.4 1.3 bpg • Career-high 14 rebs/6 blks at St. John’s 15 Kaila Turner G 5-8 Fr. 1.8 0.8 0.7 apg • Career-high 4 rebounds vs. Villanova 21 Natalie Novosel G 5-11 So. 5.7 2.3 1.8 apg • 1 of 5 ND players with 30+ steals 22 Brittany Mallory G 5-10 Jr. 7.9 3.4 2.4 apg • One of BIG EAST’s top “sixth men” 32 Becca Bruszewski F 6-1 Jr. 9.6 3.5 1.6 apg • Career-high 25 pts, 10-17 FG vs. DPU Pronunciations: Bruszewski (broo-SHEFF-skee); Fraderica (fruh-DARE-uh-kuh); Kaila (KAY-luh); Lechlitner (LECK-light-ner); Novosel (KNOW-vuh-sell) 2009-10 ND Women’s Basketball: Game 27 #7/3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-3 / 10-3 BIG EAST) vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (14-12 / 5-8 BIG EAST) uDATE: February 23, 2010 uTIME: 7:00 p.m. ET uAT: Notre Dame, Ind. Purcell Pavilion (9,149) uSERIES: ND leads 28-6 u1ST MTG: MU 66-41 (2/3/78) uLAST MTG: MU 75-65 (1/13/09) uWEBCAST: UND.com (live) uRADIO: Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) Bob Nagle, p-b-p uLIVE STATS: UND.com uTWITTER: @ndwbbsid uTEXT ALERT: UND.com uTICKETS: (574) 631-7356 Storylines u Notre Dame will honor its seven seniors in a pre-game ceremony. The Irish are 26-6 all- time on Senior Night, with a 19-3 record in the Muffet McGraw era. u Tuesday’s game is expected to be sold out, the school-record fifth sellout of the season for Notre Dame, and the seventh time the Irish will play in front of a capacity crowd this year. O n the night when Notre Dame celebrates its senior class, the No. 7 Irish will look to tap into some of their veteran knowledge as they look to snap a two-game losing streak Tuesday with a 7 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST matchup against Marquette at Purcell Pavilion. The game will be webcast live and free of charge on the of- ficial Notre Dame athletics web site, UND.com. The Irish (23-3, 10-3) are coming off a rough week that saw them lose a pair of road games at ranked opponents, most recently a 76-66 setback at No. 14/12 Georgetown on Saturday. Notre Dame led by as many as seven points early, and got within three points with under 90 seconds to play, but couldn’t quite nab the win. Senior guard/tri-captain Ashley Barlow led the Irish with a season-high 21 points and a game-best eight rebounds, including a career- high five three-pointers. Rankings u Notre Dame is No. 7 in the latest Associ- ated Press poll and was tied for No. 3 in last week’s ESPN/USA Today poll. u Marquette is not ranked. Web Sites u Notre Dame: www.UND.com u Marquette: www.gomarquette.com u BIG EAST: www.bigeast.org Setting The Standard Under the guidance of 23rd-year head coach Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame has evolved into one of the country’s leading women’s basketball powers. The Irish have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments (including a current streak of 14 in a row) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 seven times in the past 12 years. Notre Dame also has reached the NCAA Women’s Final Four twice, winning college basketball’s ultimate prize with the 2001 national championship. In its history, Notre Dame has developed nine All-Americans, 10 WNBA players (including seven draft picks in the past nine years) and four USA Basketball veterans (eight medals won). Now in their 33rd season in 2008-09, the Irish own an all-time record of 683-299 (.696). Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw Saint Joseph’s ’77 u 23rd season at Notre Dame • 519-200 (.722) at Notre Dame. • 607-241 (.716) in 28th season overall. u 2001 consensus National Coach of the Year u Four-time Naismith Coach of the Year finalist u Four-time conference Coach of the Year • BIG EAST (2001) • Midwestern Collegiate/Horizon League (1991) • North Star (1988) • East Coast (@ Lehigh - 1983) u 2009 WBCA Carol Eckman Award recipient 23-3 / 10-3 BIG EAST N3 (4) Indianapolis (exhibition) W, 97-53 N15 (4/7) Arkansas-Pine Bluff W, 102-57 N19 (5/6) @ Michigan State (21/21) BTN W, 68-67 N22 (5/6) Iona W, 80-45 N26 (5/6) vs. San Diego St. (23/24) 1-FCS B W, 84-79 N27 (5/6) vs. South Carolina 1-FCS B W, 78-55 N28 (5/6) vs. Oklahoma (20/17) 1-FCS B W, 81-71 D2 (5/6) Eastern Michigan W, 69-59 D8 (3/4) IPFW W, 96-60 D12 (3/4) Valparaiso W, 88-47 D20 (4/4) Charlotte W, 90-31 D29 (3/3) @ Central Florida CBS C W, 85-52 D31 (3/3) Vanderbilt (18/16) CBS C W, 74-69 J4 (3/3) @ Purdue ESPN2 W, 79-75 J9 (3/3) • Villanova BETV W, 81-46 J12 (3/3) • South Florida W, 81-64 J16 (3/3) • @ Connecticut (1/1) ESPN L, 46-70 J19 (4/5) • @ Louisville CBS C W, 78-60 J24 (4/5) • West Virginia (16/11) ESPNU W, 74-66 J27 (3/3) • Providence W, 84-59 J30 (3/3) • @ Syracuse W, 74-73 F1 (3/3) • @ Rutgers ESPN2 W, 75-63 F6 (3/3) • Pittsburgh W, 86-76 F9 (4/3) • @ Cincinnati W, 66-50 F14 (4/3) • DePaul ESPN2 W, 90-66 F16 (4/3) • @ St. John’s (22/23) L, 71-76 F20 (4/3) • @ Georgetown (14/12) L, 66-76 F23 • Marquette 7:00 ET F27 • @ Seton Hall 2:00 ET M1 • Connecticut ESPN2 7:00 ET M5 BIG EAST 1st Round 2 TBA M6 BIG EAST 2nd Round 2-BETV TBA M7 BIG EAST Quarterfinal 2-ESPNU TBA M8 BIG EAST Semifinal 2-ESPNU TBA M9 BIG EAST Final 2-ESPN 7:00 ET M21 NCAA 1st Round 3-ESPN/ESPN2 TBA M23 NCAA 2nd Round 3-ESPN/ESPN2 TBA M27 NCAA Regional Semifinal 3-ESPN TBA M28 NCAA Regional Semifinal 3-ESPN TBA M29 NCAA Regional Final 3-ESPN TBA M30 NCAA Regional Final 3-ESPN TBA A4 NCAA National Semifinals 4-ESPN TBA A6 NCAA Championship Game 4-ESPN TBA (x) = numbers before opponent name indicate ND rank in AP/ ESPN-USA Today polls; numbers after are opponent rank. • = BIG EAST Conference game 1 = Paradise Jam (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands) 2 = BIG EAST Championship (Hartford, Conn.) 3 = NCAA Championship (1st/2nd rounds at Purcell Pavilion; Regionals at Dayton, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Sacramento, Calif.) 4 = NCAA Women’s Final Four (San Antonio, Texas) CBS C = Game televised live on CBS College Sports BETV = Game to be televised live on BIG EAST TV package BTN = Game televised live on Big Ten Network FCS B = Game webcast live on Fox College Sports Broadband NOTE: All regular-season home games not scheduled for commercial TV (except Nov. 15 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff) will be webcast live on UND.com. All games will air live on radio on South Bend’s Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and worldwide on the Internet at UND.com. All times Eastern and subject to change 1 NOTRE DAME Women’s Basketball 2009-10 2009-10 Notre Dame Women’s Basketball 2001 NCAA Champions • 1997 NCAA Final Four 7 NCAA Sweet 16 Berths • 16 NCAA Tourney Appearances
pre-gameceremony. The Irish are26-6all-timeonSeniorNight,witha19-3 record intheMuffetMcGrawera.
u Tuesday’sgameisexpectedtobesoldout,theschool-recordfifthselloutoftheseasonfor Notre Dame, and the seventh time theIrishwillplayinfrontofacapacitycrowdthisyear.
astheylooktosnapatwo-gamelosingstreakTuesdaywitha7p.m.(ET)BIGEASTmatchupagainstMarquetteatPurcellPavilion.Thegamewillbewebcastliveandfreeofchargeontheof-ficialNotreDameathleticswebsite,UND.com. TheIrish(23-3,10-3)arecomingoffaroughweekthatsawthemloseapairofroadgamesat ranked opponents, most recently a 76-66setbackatNo.14/12GeorgetownonSaturday.Notre Dame led by as many as seven pointsearly,andgotwithinthreepointswithunder90secondstoplay,butcouldn’tquitenabthewin. Seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlow ledthe Irish with a season-high 21 points and agame-best eight rebounds, includingacareer-highfivethree-pointers.
Rankingsu Notre Dame is No. 7 in the latest Associ-
Web SitesuNotreDame: www.UND.comuMarquette: www.gomarquette.comuBIGEAST: www.bigeast.org
Setting The StandardUnder the guidance of 23rd-year head coachMuffetMcGraw,NotreDamehasevolvedintooneofthecountry’sleadingwomen’sbasketballpowers. The Irish have appeared in 16 NCAATournaments (including a current streak of 14inarow)andadvancedtotheNCAASweet16seven times in thepast12years.NotreDamealsohasreachedtheNCAAWomen’sFinalFourtwice,winningcollegebasketball’sultimateprizewiththe2001nationalchampionship. In its history, Notre Dame has developednineAll-Americans,10WNBAplayers(includingsevendraftpicksinthepastnineyears)andfourUSA Basketball veterans (eight medals won).Now in their33rdseason in2008-09, the Irishownanall-timerecordof683-299(.696).
(x) = numbers before opponent name indicate ND rank in AP/ESPN-USA Today polls; numbers after are opponent rank.
• = BIG EAST Conference game1 = Paradise Jam (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)2 = BIG EAST Championship (Hartford, Conn.)3 = NCAA Championship (1st/2nd rounds at Purcell Pavilion;
Regionals at Dayton, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Sacramento, Calif.)
4 = NCAA Women’s Final Four (San Antonio, Texas)
CBS C = Game televised live on CBS College SportsBETV = Game to be televised live on BIG EAST TV packageBTN = Game televised live on Big Ten NetworkFCS B = Game webcast live on Fox College Sports Broadband
NOTE: All regular-season home games not scheduled for commercial TV (except Nov. 15 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff) will be webcast live on UND.com.
All games will air live on radio on South Bend’s Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and worldwide on the Internet at UND.com.
All times Eastern and subject to change
1
NOTRE DAMEWomen’s Basketball 2009-10
2009-10 Notre Dame Women’s Basketball
2001 NCAA Champions • 1997 NCAA Final Four7 NCAA Sweet 16 Berths • 16 NCAA Tourney Appearances
Media ServicesThe official Notre Dame athletics web site containsschedules,rosters,updatedstatisticsandsomehistoricalinformationfrompreviousseasons.High-resolutioncolorheadshots and action photos ofNotreDameplayers,coachesandstaffareavailableuponrequest.OfficialNotreDameathleticswebsite:•http://www.UND.com
In-Season Interview PolicyAllrequestsforNotreDameplayer,coachorstaffinterviewsmustbemadethroughChrisMastersand24hours’noticeis appreciated.Pleasebe aware that student-athletes’academicobligationsalwaystakeprecedencebeforeanyinterviewrequests. MediamembersalsomayspeaktoIrishteampersonnelbeforeorafterpracticesessions.Whilemostpracticesareopentothemedia,somemaybeclosedatthecoachingstaff’sdiscretion—contactChrisMastersforthelatestpracticescheduleandavailability. Ongamedays,nointerviewswillbegrantedwithanyNotreDameplayerorcoachpriortocompetition.
Game NotesNotreDame’sgamenotespackageiscompletedandmadeavailableon-linethroughtheofficialIrishathleticswebsiteduringtheseason,usuallyatleastonedaypriortotipoff.NotreDame’sgamenotesareinAdobePDFformatandwillbedistributedviaelectronic means only (e-mailorweb).Faxdistributionisbyrequestonly. PleasecontactChrisMastersifyouwishtobeaddedto the e-mail distribution list forNotreDame’s regularwomen’sbasketballreleases.
Post-Game InterviewsFollowingeachNotreDamehomegame,IrishheadcoachMuffetMcGrawandselectedplayers,aswellasthevisit-ingheadcoachandselectedplayers,willbeavailabletospeakwiththemedia.Post-gamepressconferencesareheldintheHammesAuditorium,locatedbetweenGates1&2onthefirstfloorofPurcellPavilion(exitcourtviaGate1ramponoppositeendofcourtfrompressrow,gostraightandturnrightattheNotreDamewomen’sbasketballoffice;auditoriumentrancewillbeonyourleft). Mediamembers should submit player requests forpost-gameinterviewstoChrisMastersatthefinalmediatimeoutofthesecondhalf.
Coverin
g th
e Irish
Quick Hitters• NotreDameisinthemidstofa54-weekrun
in theAssociatedPresspoll, thesecond-longest streak in school history (56 from1998-2002).
• Notre Dame’s 15-gamewinning streakearlierthisseasontiedforthethird-longestin school history, and longest since aschool-record23-gamerunfromNov.17,2000-Feb.14,2001.
• The Irish have secured their 16th 20-winseasoninthepast17years,aswellasthe20th in the 23-yearMuffetMcGraw era(1987-88 to present) and the 24th in theprogram’s33-yearhistory.
• The Irishwon the2009Paradise Jam Is-landDivisiontitle(theirfirstregular-seasontourneycrownsincethe2005Duel intheDesertinLasVegas),withfreshmanguardSkylarDigginscapturingMVPhonorsandseniorguard/tri-captainMelissaLechlitner
• Conversely, Notre Dame has no playerrankedhigherthan58thinanyNCAAsta-tisticalcategory—seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowis58thinthelandinstealsat2.5pergame.
• NotreDame is forcing23.4 turnoverspergamethisseason,including26.1athome.The Irish also have caused at least 20takeawaysin20of26gamestodate,withnofewerthan25opponentturnoversin10games (and six 30-takeaway nights) thisyear.
• NotreDame is averaging 8,604 fans pergamethisyear,unofficiallyrankingfifth inthe nation and showing a 20-percent in-creasefromlastyear(7,168).TheIrishalsoaretheonlyschoolfromthetop25ofthefinal2008-09NCAAattendancerankingstoseeanincreaseinattendancethisyear.
Other Notre Dame Notables• Not re Dame is
among the na-tion’s winningestprograms duringthe past 14 sea-sons (1996-97 topresent), rankingseventhwith 337victories.
• Notre Dame hasrankedamongthetop 20 in the nation in attendance eachof the past nine seasons. Last year, theprogramfinishedninth in the country forthesecondyearinarowwithanaverageof7,168 fans for its13homegames (thesecond-highestsingle-seasonattendanceaverage in school history). The Irish alsohavedrawn5,000-or-more fans to137oftheir last 139 homegames, including 10PurcellPavilionsellouts(mostrecentlyonFeb.14,2010vs.DePaul).
• TheIrishhavebecomearegularfixtureintheWNBADraftinrecentyears,assevenNotreDameplayershavebeenselectedinthepastnineseasons.CharelAllenwasthemostrecentIrishplayertobechosen,goingto theSacramentoMonarchs in the thirdround(43rdoverallpick)ofthe2008WNBADraft.RuthRiley(SanAntonio)wasactiveintheleagueduringthe’09season,helpingtheSilverStarsreturntotheplayoffsforthethird consecutive season. ThreeofNotreDame’seightWNBAalumshavewonatotaloffourleaguechampionships—RileywonapairofcrownswiththeDetroitShock(2003FinalsMVP,2006),CoqueseWashington
WinningestTeams(1996-97topresent)
462 Connecticut434 Tennessee395 Duke356 LouisianaTech345 OldDominion343 Purdueu337 NOTREDAMENOTE: through games of Feb. 21.
• Forthefourthyearinarow,theIrishpostedaperfect100-percentGraduationSuccessRate(GSR),accordingtofiguresreleasedbytheNCAAinOctober2009.What’smore,sinceMuffetMcGraw became the Irishhead coach in 1987, everyNotreDamewomen’sbasketballplayerthathascom-pletedherathleticandacademiceligibilityattheUniversityhasgraduated(a58-for-58successrate),withallfivemembersofthisyear’sseniorclassontargettograduatebyMay2010 (EricaWilliamson earnedherundergraduatedegreeonesemesterearlyinJanuary2010).
A Quick Look At MarquetteIt’sbeenanup-and-downseasonforMarquette,as theGolden Eagles have battled throughinjuriesandgrowingpainstopickupapairofwins over rankedopponents (Pittsburgh andGeorgetown).However,MUalsohashadtodealwithsomefrustratingcloselosses,particularlyoflate,withtheGoldenEaglesdroppingfiveoftheirlastsix(fourby10pointsorfewer). Most recently,Marquette (14-12, 5-8BIGEAST) fell toDePaul, 72-63 last Saturday inMilwaukee.TheGoldenEaglesledbyasmanyas10pointsinthefirsthalf,butDePaulscorchedthe nets in the second half (.556 FG%) andpulledawaylateforthewin.JuniorguardAngelRobinsonandseniorguardLaurenThomas-JohnsonledMUwith13pointsapiece. Robinson,areturningsecond-teamall-BIGEAST selection, is one of the top all-aroundthreatsintheconference,averagingteamhighsof12.3points, 4.7assistsand2.3 stealspergame.SophomoreforwardJessicaPachko,amemberoflastyear’sBIGEASTAll-FreshmanTeam, issecondontheteaminscoring(10.7ppg.)andtopsinrebounding(6.7rpg.). HeadcoachTerriMitchellisinher14thsea-sonatMarquette,havingcompileda269-158(.630)recordattheschool.Sheis2-8againstNotreDameinhercoachingcareer.
The Notre Dame-Marquette SeriesIt’s the longest running series inNotreDamewomen’s basketball history, as the Irish andMarquetteprepare tomeet for the 35th timeinarivalrythatextendsallthewaybacktotheprogram’sfirstvarsityseasonin1977-78. Notre Dame is 28-6 all-time against theGoldenEagles,witha17-1recordagainstMUatPurcellPavilion.However,MarquettecomesintoTuesday’sgamehavingwontwoofthepastthreematchupsaftertheIrishhadwon26oftheprevious27.
The Last Time Notre Dame and Marquette MetMarquettecoachTerriMitchellhasbeenwait-ingforasignaturewinoveratopteamforherprogram.ShefinallygotoneonJan.13,2009,whenMarquette upsetNo. 10/4NotreDame75-65inMilwaukee. ThevictorywasthefirstoveraTop10op-ponentinschoolhistory.
The Last Time Notre Dame and Marquette Met At Purcell PavilionTulyahGainesgotNotreDame’sdefensegoing,thenshegotgoingoffensively. Gaines stoppedMarquette’sKrystal EllisaftersheburnedNotreDamefor13points inthefirsteightminutes.ThenGainesscoredaseason-high22pointstopacetheIrishoffen-sively ina99-76victoryonFeb.13,2008,atPurcellPavilion. Ellisscored13pointsasMarquettejumpedtoanearly23-17leadon10-of-15shooting.ButtheFighting Irish switched to abox-and-onedefense,withGainesguardingEllis,andwentona21-1run.TheGoldenEagleswentmorethannineminuteswithoutabasket.Ellishadjustoneshot therestof thehalfandfinishedthegamewith18points. Theonly otherplayer indouble figures fortheGoldenEagleswasCourtneyWeibel,whoscored11ofher14pointsinthesecondhalf. Gaines,whowas10-of-15shooting,repeat-edlydrovefor layups.CharelAllenadded13
Player of the WeekNov.23.................................... TinaCharles,ConnecticutNov.30........................................EricaMorrow,SyracuseDec.7.............................ChelseaMarandola,ProvidenceDec.14.............................JessicaLawson,SouthFloridaDec.21............................................BrittanyRay,RutgersDec.28....................................MayaMoore,ConnecticutJan.4....................................... TinaCharles,ConnecticutJan.11..................................... TinaCharles,ConnecticutJan.18..................................... TinaCharles,ConnecticutJan.25.....................................MayaMoore,ConnecticutFeb.1...............................JessicaLawson,SouthFloridaFeb.8....................................... NicoleMichael,SyracuseFeb.15.................................... TinaCharles,ConnecticutFeb.22.......................................MoniqueReid,Louisville
Freshman of the WeekNov.23.............................. SkylarDiggins,NotreDameNov.30................................SugarRodgers,GeorgetownDec.7..................................... KaylaAlexander,SyracuseDec.14................................... AsyaBussie,WestVirginiaDec.21.................................ShenneikaSmith,St.John’sDec.28................................SugarRodgers,GeorgetownJan.4...................................SugarRodgers,GeorgetownJan.11.............................. SkylarDiggins,NotreDameJan.18.................................SugarRodgers,GeorgetownJan.25.............................. SkylarDiggins,NotreDameFeb.1...................................ShenneikaSmith,St.John’sFeb.8................................ SkylarDiggins,NotreDameFeb.15...............................NadirahMcKenith,St.John’sFeb.22.................................ShenneikaSmith,St.John’s
Upcoming BIG EAST GamesTuesday,February23 •MarquetteatNotreDame 7:00p •WestVirginiaatCincinnati 7:00p •GeorgetownatVillanova(CBS C) 7:00p •ProvidenceatSouthFlorida 7:00p •PittsburghatDePaul(CBS C) 9:00p
pointsandtheIrishshotaseason-high64per-cent.Marquettehadnotallowedanopponenttoshootbetterthan49percentallseason. Marquette,whichbouncedbackfroma19-pointdeficitagainstCincinnatiaweekearlier,trailed 45-31 at halftime. TheGoldenEaglesclosedto13pointsearlyinthesecondhalf,buttheIrishquicklyansweredwitha7-0run. TheIrish,wholedbyasmanyas32,didn’tmakeabasketinthefinal3:58astheyfailedtobecomethefirstteamin13yearstobreak100againstMarquette.
Other Notre Dame-Marquette Series Tidbits• From1982-2006,NotreDamewon 26 of
27gamesintheseriesafterMarquettewonthree of the first fourmeetings (twice inMilwaukee,onceinSouthBend).However,theGoldenEagleshavewontwoofthepastthreematchups,bothinMilwaukee.
• Sixof thepastsevengames in theserieshavebeenparticularly close (10points orfewer),with awinningmargin of just 6.5pointspergame.Yet,onlyonceinthe34-gameserieshasacontestgonetoovertime—a67-65NotreDamevictoryin2006(wononaMeganDuffylayupatthehorn).
• The28victoriesand34seriesgamesbothare school records. Syracuse, ValparaisoandNotreDame’smost recent opponent,Georgetown, are tied for second on theserieswinslist(23),whileNotreDamehasplayedDePaul33timesforsecondonthatlist.
• WithMarquette’sarrivalintheBIGEASTforthe2005-06season, the IrishandGoldenEagleshavebeenmembersofthesamecon-ference three times.Previously, the teamssharedaffiliationsfortwo-yearperiodsintheNorthStar (1986-88)andMidwesternCol-legiate(1989-91)conferences.TheNSCnowisdefunct,whiletheMCCwasrenamedtheHorizonLeague.NotreDameis10-2againstMarquetteinconferenceplay,going4-0inboththeNSCandMCC,and2-2intheBIGEAST.
• Five ofMarquette’s six serieswins havecome inMilwaukee,whileNotreDame is17-1all-timeagainsttheGoldenEaglesatPurcellPavilion,includinganactive16-gamewinningstreak.
Going Out On TopAlthoughitwon’tbeNotreDame’sfinalregular-seasonhomegame,theprogramwilltaketimetohonoritssevendepartingseniors(fiveplay-ers, plus studentmanagersTomBacsik andBryantWelters)onTuesdaynightwithaspecialpre-gameceremony. NotreDameis26-6(.813)all-timeonSeniorNight,includinga19-3(.864)recordintheMuf-fetMcGrawera(1987-88topresent). Infact,theIrishlosttheirfirstSeniorNightgameunderMcGraw(69-68vs.DePaulin1988),buthaveproceededtowinon19ofthepast21SeniorDayssincethen.Theonlysetbacksduringthiscurrentstretchcame in2002,whenVillanovaedgedtheIrish,48-45,tobreakNotreDame’sschool-record51-gamehomewinningstreak,andin2007,whenRutgerspulledawaylatefora76-60win.
Peaking When It CountsWhentheregularseasonentersitsstretchruninthemonthofFebruary,NotreDamehistoricallyseemstoraiseitslevelofplay.SincejoiningtheBIGEASTConferencein1995-96,theIrishare85-25(.773)inFebruarygames,includinga48-5(.906)markathome. In the 23-yearMuffetMcGraw era (1987-present),theIrishare133-40(.769)inthemonthofFebruary,includinga70-11(.864)homerecord.In that time,NotreDamehasnothada losingFebruary, andonly oncedid the Irish end themonthat.500(4-4in1988-89,McGraw’ssecondseasoninSouthBend).
Chipping InJuniorguardBrittanyMalloryhasspentmuchofthisseasonservingasNotreDame’s“sixthman,”aroleshe’sfilledmorethancapably,averaging7.9pointsandcareerhighsof3.4reboundsand1.8stealspergame. However,theBaltimorenativealsohasprovento be a solid starter when necessary.Whenfifth-year senior guardLindsaySchraderwassidelinedfortwogameslastweekwithasprainedankle,Mallorysteppedintothelineupandaver-aged13.0points and3.5 reboundsper gameontheroadatnationally-rankedSt.John’sandGeorgetown.
Twenty QuestionsNotreDame reached the 20-winmark for the16thtimeinthepast17seasonswithits75-63victoryatRutgersonFeb.1.TheIrishnowhaveregistered20-or-morewins20timesinthe23-yearMuffetMcGraw era and24 times in theprogram’s33-yearhistory. NotreDamealsohitthe20-winplateauinits21stgamethisseason,reachingthatmilestonefasterthanallbutoneIrishteam—the2000-01squadthatopened23-0andearnedits20thvic-toryatProvidenceonJan.31,2001(onecalendardayearlierthanthisyear’sclub).
Tough EnoughNotreDamealreadyhasfacedarigoroussched-ule through26gamesof the2009-10season,takingoneightrankedopponents.TheIrishalsohaverisentothatchallengequitewell,winningfiveofthoseeightcontests(MichiganState,SanDiegoState,Oklahoma,VanderbiltandWestVir-ginia),includingthreevictoriesawayfromhome(MSU,SDSUandOU). Inaddition,twoofthethreelossestorankedopponents (at St. John’s and atGeorgetown)cameby10pointsorfewerandoccurredwhilefifth-year senior guardLindsaySchraderwassidelinedwithasprainedleftankle(thefirsttwogamesSchradermissedinhercollegecareer). FourofNotreDame’sfivewinsover rankedopponents this season cameduring the non-
conference portion of the schedule,markingthesecondconsecutiveyear inwhichtheIrishdefeatedfourTop25non-conferencefoes.
Spread The WealthNotreDamehas seen at least sevendifferentplayersledtheteaminscoring,reboundingandassiststhisseason. Inaddition,11ofthe13playersontheIrishroster have scored in double figures at leastonce this season, including sophomoreguardFradericaMiller,andfreshmanguardsSkylarDigginsandKailaTurner,whoeachtoppedthe10-pointmarkforthefirsttimeintheircareers. What’smore,fivedifferentplayershavescoredatleast20pointsinagamethisyear.Digginshasfive20-pointgames(SanDiegoState,Louisville,Syracuse,Pittsburgh,St. John’s),while seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlow(Georgetown),junior forwardBeccaBruszewski (DePaul),senior guard/tri-captainMelissa Lechlitner(Purdue)andjuniorguardBrittanyMallory(Val-paraiso)haveoneapiece.
Stat Sheet StuffersAnothersignofNotreDame’sversatilityisseenin thenumberof “5-5-5”games (5ormore inpoints,rebounds,assists,blocksand/orsteals)postedbyitsplayersthisyear.Infact,nofewerthansixIrishplayershavepulledoffthisfeatatleastonceduringthecurrentcampaign. Seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlow(Iona,South Florida, DePaul, St. John’s), freshmanguardSkylarDiggins (UAPB,Charlotte,Syra-cuse,Pittsburgh)andjuniorguardBrittanyMal-lory(Arkansas-PineBluff,Oklahoma,Vanderbilt,DePaul)eachhaveateam-highfour5-5-5games.Junior forwardBeccaBruszewski (Louisville),sophomore guardNatalie Novosel (EasternMichigan)andjuniorforwardDevereauxPeters(St.John’s)eachhaveone. BarlowtookittoanotherlevelintheFeb.14DePaulwinwithherfirst“5-5-5-5”game,pilingupninepoints,acareer-higheightassists,sixreboundsandfivesteals.Mallorynearlydupli-catedthattrickinthatsamegame,finishingwithsixpoints,sevenrebounds,fivestealsandfourassists.
Taking What We Can GetFueledbya renewedattention todefense thisoffseason,NotreDamehasbeen in the takingmoodthisyear,forcingitsopponentsintoatleast20 turnovers in 20of 26games thus far,withIrishfoesaveraging23.4giveawayspergame,andNotreDamechalkingupa+6.62 turnover
THE TALE OF THE TAPE ND MUOverall/BIGEASTrecord 23-3/10-3 14-12/5-8AP/ESPN-USA Todayrank* 7/3 —
* - rankings from Feb. 22 AP poll/Feb. 16 ESPN-USA Today poll
Notre Dame Leads Series 28-6Date Site Result Score2/3/78 Milwaukee L 41-662/3/79 NotreDame W 60-572/2/80 NotreDame L 46-671/10/81 Milwaukee L 55-621/10/82 Minneapolis,Minn.1W 50-361/30/82 NotreDame W 60-432/25/83 Milwaukee W 74-5011/22/83 NotreDame W 96-6312/13/85 Milwaukee W 90-461/13/86 NotreDame W 75-421/31/87 NotreDame W 95-602/28/87 Milwaukee W 77-531/26/88 NotreDame W 88-512/20/88 Milwaukee W 79-6912/7/88 NotreDame W 70-6612/9/89 Milwaukee W 87-671/18/90 NotreDame W 81-6412/21/90 NotreDame W 109-561/19/91 Milwaukee W 91-7311/27/91 NotreDame W 83-6812/1/92 Milwaukee L 62-6612/1/93 NotreDame W 90-762/1/95 Milwaukee W 87-6612/8/95 NotreDame W 84-621/2/00 NotreDame W 75-6012/21/00 Milwaukee W 75-5612/22/01 NotreDame W 60-3312/31/02 Milwaukee W 75-681/1/04 NotreDame W 72-6412/19/04 Milwaukee W 50-471/10/06 NotreDame W 67-65(ot)1/23/07 Milwaukee L 62-712/13/08 NotreDame W 99-761/13/09 Milwaukee L 65-751 = Dial Classic (championship game)
SeriesScoring Total AverageNotreDame 2,530 74.4Marquette 2,044 60.1
marginthat iseighth-best in thenation (asofMonday). In a two-game stretch bookending theChristmas holiday,NotreDame harassed itsopponents into a combined79 turnovers (43byCharlotteonDec.20and36atUCFonDec.29). Charlotte’s43turnoverstiedforthesecond-mostopponentgiveawaysinagameinschoolhistoryandthemostsinceDec.8,1981,whentheIrishforcedsisterschoolSaintMary’s(Ind.)into43turnoversduringtheprogram’ssecondseasonattheDivisionIlevel.TheNotreDamerecordforopponentturnoversinagameis48bySouthern Illinois-Edwardsville on Jan. 11,1980,atDeKalb,Ill. The Irish also aremaking even themostdisciplinedteamsfallvictimtotheiraggressivedefensivestyle.VillanovacameintoitsJan.9gamewithNotreDamerankedsecond in thenationwith just12.6 turnoverspergame,buttheIrishdoggedtheWildcatsinto34turnovers(17ineachhalf). NotreDamehasbeenespeciallyhardonop-ponentsin13homegamesthisseason,forcing26.1turnoverspergameandcollectingatleast25ineightPurcellPavilionconteststhusfar.
The Five-Finger DiscountAccordingtoMonday’sNCAAstatisticalreport,NotreDameranksfourthinthenationinsteals(13.1spg.).TheIrishhaveposteddouble-digitstealtotalsin18oftheir26gamesthisseason,includingfive20-stealefforts. Individually, Notre Dame has five playerswithat least30stealsthisyear, ledbyseniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowwith65steals(alsogoodfor58thinthenationat2.5spg.).Infact,Barlownowhastoppedthe60-stealmarkineachofherfourseasonsundertheGoldenDome,makingherjustthethirdIrishplayereverto accomplish that feat, alongwithCoqueseWashington(1989-93)andcurrentNotreDameassistantcoachNieleIvey(1997-2001). FreshmanguardSkylarDiggins is secondon the squadwith 59 thefts,making her theseventhIrishrookietorecordatleast50stealsinherfreshmanseason,andthefirsttodososince2006-07,when(ironicallyenough)Barlowregistered63steals.
Road WarriorsNotreDameis27-12(.692)intrueroadgamessincethestartofthe2007-08season,includinga7-3recordthisyear. Inaddition,nineofthepast10roadlossesfortheIrishhavebeendecidedbyanaverageof8.2pointspergame(allby12pointsorfewer),includingtwoofthreeroadsetbacksthisseason(averagemarginof7.5ppg.). NotreDameposted10winsontheroadineachof thepast two years,marking just thesecond time in school history the Irish haveloggeddouble-digitwintotalsawayfromhomeinconsecutiveseasons(11winsin1989-90;10winsin1990-91).
Polling StationNotreDame is ranked seventh in thisweek’sAssociated Press poll, ending a run of 15consecutiveweeksinthetopfive—itwasthesecond-longestrunintheAPTop5inprogramhistory,andthelongestfortheIrishsincethe2000-01season,whenNotreDamewasatop-fivefixtureforthefinal17weeks. However,withtheircurrentpollappearancerun of 54 consecutiveweeks (the second-longest in school history behind a 56-weekstretchfrom1998-2002),theIrishspentatotalofsevenweeksthisyearataseason-highNo.3ranking.ThatwasNotreDame’shighestpollpositionsincetheweekofNov.29,2004,whentheIrishalsowererankedthird. What’smore,NotreDame’sNo.4preseasonranking onOct. 30was its the highest ever,toppingitsNo.6debutinthe2000-01poll. Withthisweek’spollposition,theIrishnowhaveappearedinthetop10oftheAPpolldur-ing10ofthepast14seasons(1996-97through2009-10). NotreDamehasbeenrankedintheAPpollfor194weeksduringtheprogram’s33-yearhistory,witheveryoneof thoseappearancescomingintheMuffetMcGrawera (since 1987-88).McGraw ranks 13thamongallactiveNCAADivisionIheadcoach-es for weeks in theAP poll, and also is22nd all-time in thatcategory. Inaddition,theIrishwas tied for third inlastweek’sESPN/USA Today/WBCAcoaches’poll. Itwas theeighthtime in nine weeksNotre Dame reachedits seasonhigh in theESPN/USA Todaypoll,whilealsobeingthehighestithasbeenrankedinthecoaches’surveysincethe2004-05season,whentheIrishwerethirdfortwoseparateweeks(Nov.30andJan.5)duringtheyear. What’smore,itwasthefirsttimeNotreDamewas in the top three in consecutiveweekssincethefinal14weeksofthe2000-01season(cappedbyaNo.1rankinginthefinalpollafterwinningthenationalchampionship). ThismarksthesecondconsecutiveseasonNotreDamehasbeenrankedinthetop10oftheESPN/USA Today/WBCApoll,aswellaseightofthepast12campaigns(1998-99topresent). Notre Damewas ranked in the coaches’surveyfor38consecutiveweeksbeforefallingjustoutsidetheTop25inthefinalpollof lastseason.WiththeirNo.3rankinglastweek,theIrishhaveappearedinthecoaches’pollfor185weeksduring their history (all comingduringMcGraw’stenure).
All-TimeD-ICoaches1. Summitt(Tenn) 5772. Landers(UGa) 4473. Conradt(Texas) 39520. Grentz(Illinois) 22521. Blair(TAMU) 22422. uMcGraw(ND) 194NOTE: through Feb. 22 AP poll; only most recent team coached is listed
More Polling DataNotre Dame headcoachMuffetMcGrawis one of 28 peoplein NCAA Division Iwomen’s basketballh is tory who haveboth played for andcoached a team thathas appeared in theAssociatedPressTop25poll. Besides her 194AP poll appearanceswhi le coaching atNotreDame,McGrawwasthestartingpointguard at Saint Jo-seph’s(Pa.)asaseniorin 1977, helping theHawksrisetoNo.3inthenation. Ofthe28peopleonthis list, 16 currentlyare NCAA Division Iheadcoaches(seeaccompanyingchart),includ-ingformerIrishpointguardandassistantcoachCoqueseWashington(’92),whohelpedNotreDametoitsfirst-everAPpollrankingin1990-91,andisinherthirdseasonasheadcoachatPennState,guidingtheLadyLionsintotheJan.25APpollatNo.23.
Game #26 Recap: GeorgetownIt’sbeenaseasonoffirstsfortheGeorgetownHoyas.Arecord16-gamewinningstreak,andatNo.14,theirhighestrankingever.Now,there’sanewsuperlative:Biggestwininschoolhistory. On Saturday, the Hoyas (22-4, 11-2 BIGEAST) knockedoffNo. 4NotreDame76-66beforearecordcrowdof2,417atMcDonoughArena.Thewinmighthavebeenastunnerna-tionally,buttherewasnoenormouscelebration.Norushingthecourt,noplayersjumpingupanddown. FreshmanSugarRodgers had 24 points,whileAdriaCrawford added 18 points andLatiaMageehad17fortheHoyas. Georgetown took a 45-42 leadwith 14:51remainingona3-pointerbyRodgersandbuilta58-47leadwith8:17remaining.TheywithstoodalaterallybytheIrish(23-3,10-3),whoclosedto62-60onNatalieNovosel’stwofreethrowswith5:21toplay.Georgetownscoredthegame’slastsevenpointstosecurethewin. Ashley Barlow led Notre Damewith 21points.LeadingscorerSkylarDigginswasheldtonine. Rodgersdidn’tstartforthefirsttimebecauseitwas senior day, andGUhead coachTerriWilliams-Flournoystartedseldom-usedseniorcaptainKenyaKirkland instead.By the timeRodgersreportedin,NotreDamewasleading9-2,andthenshegottowork,quicklyscoring13pointsandgiving theHoyasa22-17 leadwith9:54toplayinthehalf. Georgetownsurrenderedtheleadlateinthehalf,butMagee’slayupwith1:26togointhehalfgavethema31-30lead,andtheywereahead33-30atthebreak. TheIrishwereplayingtheirsecondstraight
gamewithoutLindsaySchrader, the team’sthirdleadingscorerandleadingrebounder,whoisoutbecauseofasprainedleftankle.WithoutSchrader,theylost76-71atNo.25St.John’sonTuesday.
Noting The Georgetown Game• NotreDamehas its six-game serieswin-
• Georgetown topped the 70-point markagainstNotreDameforonlythefourthtimein26seriesgames,andsecondinBIGEASTaction—theHoyasare3-1againsttheFight-ingIrishwhenscoringatleast70points.
• AllthreeofNotreDame’slossesthisseasonhave comeon the road at ranked oppo-nents.
• Thiswas the eighth rankedopponent fortheFighting Irish thisseason (5-3 record),with six of those contests coming awayfromhome(fourontheroad,twoatneutralsites).
• Senior guard/tri-captainAshley Barlowtoppedthe1,400-pointmarkforhercareer(1,412) andbecame the fifthNotreDameplayer this season to record 20 points inagame(Barlow’s21pointswereaseasonhigh).
• Barlowalsoconnectedonacareer-highfivethree-pointers,themostbyaFightingIrishplayerthisseason,andthemostbyaNotreDame player on the road since Feb. 22,2006,whenMeganDuffymadefive treysinavictoryatWestVirginia.
AmandaButler(Florida)JuneDaugherty(Wash.St.)NellFortner(Auburn)MaChelleJoseph(Ga.Tech)WendyLarry(ODU)JoanneMcCallie(Duke)KathyMcConnell-Miller(Colo.)uMuffetMcGraw(ND)KatieMeier(Miami-Fla.)KimMulkey(Baylor)KathyOlivier(UNLV)JenniferRizzotti(Hartford)DawnStaley(S.Carolina)CharliTurnerThorne(Ariz.St.)CoqueseWashington(PennSt.)TerriWilliams-Flournoy(G’town)NOTES: Current teams listed … all coaches shown have made AP poll with current teams except Daugherty (did so at Boise State and Washing-ton), Olivier (UCLA) and Staley (Tem-ple) … Butler, Larry and Olivier are coaching at their alma maters.
sellouts, plus the Jan. 16 sellout atCon-necticut).
Getting The JumpAt15-0,NotreDamegotofftothesecond-beststartintheprogram’s33-yearhistory.TheonlytimetheIrishopenedwithabetterrecordthatthisseasonwasin2000-01,whentheyreeledoff a school-record 23 consecutivewins enroutetoa34-2finalrecordandtheprogram’sfirstnationalchampionship.
Streak StatsNotreDame’sseason-opening15-gamewin-ningstreaktiedforthethird-longest successstring in programhis-tory (atanytime),anditwasthelongestsincethe school-record23-gameruntobeginthe2000-01season.
McGraw Earns 600th Career WinIrishheadcoachMuffetMcGrawreachedhersecondimportantcareermilestoneofthesea-sononJan.19,asshebecamethe19thDivisionIcoachtorecord600careerwinswhentheIrishposteda78-60victoryatLouisville. McGrawearnedthemilestonewininher839thcareergame (she nowhas a 28-yearmarkof607-241,.716), tying herwith formerSaintPe te r ’s coachMikeGranelli asthe10th-fastesttothe 600-win pla-teau inDivision Ihistory. Inhonorof thehistoric600thvictory,NotreDamefansatPurcellPavilionheldupsignswiththenumber“600”onthemwhenMcGrawandherstafftookthefloorprior to theJan.24winoverNo.16/11WestVirginia. The visibly-moved Irish coach latercalledthescene“oneofthetopfivemoments”ofherNotreDamecareer.
McGraw Joins Elite Notre Dame ClubWitha84-79winoverNo.23/24SanDiegoStateonThanksgivingDay(Nov.26)attheParadiseJamintheU.S.VirginIslands,IrishheadcoachMuffetMcGrawreached a per-sonalmilestone,becom ing t hefourth coach inschool history (inanysport)toreg-ister500victorieswhile coachingundertheGoldenDome. McGrawnowhasarecordof 519-200 (.722)in 23 seasons at
NotreDame(1987-88topresent)anda607-241(.716)recordin28seasonsoverall—includingafive-yearstintatLehighfrom1982-87. Fencing’sMichaelDeCicco (680-45 from1962-86)andYvesAuriol(525-33from1986-2002), andbaseball’sJakeKline (558-449-5from1934-75)are theonlyothermembersofthe “Fighting Irish FiveHundredClub,”withoneable toconnect75yearsofNotreDameathleticshistoryandsuccessviajustfourde-greesofseparation(KlinetoDeCiccotoAurioltoMcGraw). McGraw reached two othermileposts onDec.2vs.EasternMichigan,asshecoachedher700thgameatNotreDame,aswellasher300thatPurcellPavilion. Asitturnedout,thatEMUgamealsosawtheschoolhonorMcGrawwithanon-courtpost-game celebration for her 500thwin, cappedby a visit fromher 19-year-old son,Murphy,whosecretlydrovefourhoursfromhiscollegecampusatIndianaUniversityinBloomingtontosurprisehismotherwithabouquetofflowersandthegameballfromhermilestonewin.
Keeping It Close To HomeAlthoughNotreDamehas traditionally had anationalreputationinrecruitingcircles,inrecentseasons,theIrishhavefoundtheirstrongesttal-entcomesfromrightintheirownbackyard.Infact,ofthe13playersonthisyear’sNotreDameroster, fourarefromIndiana,whilefiveothersare fromstates thatborder Indiana (includingsophomoreforwardEricaSolomon,wholivedinOakPark,Mich.,andgraduatedfromDetroitCountryDaySchoolin2008beforeherfamilymovedback to her birthplaceofCharleston,W.Va.,thispastsummer). What’smore,ofthefivecurrentNotreDamestarters,fourarefromthestateofIndiana—se-niorguardAshleyBarlow(Indianapolis),juniorforwardBeccaBruszewski (Valparaiso) andtheall-SouthBendbackcourtofseniorguardMelissaLechlitnerandfreshmanguardSkylarDiggins—whilethefifthstarter(fifth-yearseniorguardLindsaySchrader) is fromBartlett, Ill.,locatedrightoutsideChicago. Asifthatweren’tenough,thequartetofBar-low,Lechlitner,BruszewskiandSchraderhavebeenmainstaysintheIrishlineupforthepasttwoseasonsandhaveacombinedtotalof318careerstartsbetweenthem. Schrader reachedapersonalmilestoneonDec.12againstValparaiso,becomingthe12thplayer in school historywith 100 starting as-signments inhercareer.Schradernowistiedforsixthinschoolhistorywith115careerstarts,andhadastreakof73inarowfromJan.16,2008-Feb.14,2010(alsosixth-best inschoolhistory)beforemissingtheFeb.16gameatSt.John’swithanankleinjury.
*GenoAuriemma(UConn) 716*PatSummitt(Tennessee) 734JodyConradt(Texas) 746*TaraVanDerveer(Stanford)767*RobinSelvig(Montana) 771*AndyLanders(Georgia) 784*C.VivianStringer(Rutgers)785RenePortland(PennSt.) 808JoeCiampi(Auburn) 809u*MuffetMcGraw(ND) 839MikeGranelli(St.Peter’s) 839NOTE: Amy Ruley (North Dakota State) earned her 600th win in her 755th game (2003-04) when NDSU was still a Division II member // * - indicates active coach
WinningestNotreDameCoaches(AllSports)
MichaelDeCicco(Fencing) 680JakeKline(Baseball) 558YvesAuriol(Fencing) 525u*MuffetMcGraw(WBB) 519*DebbieBrown(Volleyball) 445*JanuszBednarski(Fencing) 429*BobBayliss(MTennis) 404*JayLouderback(WTennis) 394DiggerPhelps(MBB) 393NOTE: Some sports, such as track & field, do not offer direct head-to-head competition, while fencing features combined men’s/women’s victories; only wins at Notre Dame are listed (through Feb. 22) // * - active coach
G Ashley BarlowPreseasonAll-BIGEASTPreseasonAPHonorableMentionAll-AmericanPreseasonNaismithTrophyWatchListMidseasonWoodenAwardTop20ListBIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Nov.23,Dec.21)
F Becca BruszewskiBIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Feb.15)
G Skylar DigginsPreseasonBIGEASTFreshmanoftheYearPreseasonNaismithTrophyWatchListParadiseJamIslandDivisionMostValuablePlayerBIGEASTFreshmanoftheWeek(Nov.23,Jan.11,Jan.25,Feb.8)BIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Nov.30)
G Melissa LechlitnerParadiseJamIslandDivisionAll-TournamentTeamESPN The MagazineSecond-TeamAcademicAll-DistrictBIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Jan.11)
G Lindsay SchraderStateFarmWadeTrophyWatchListPreseasonAll-BIGEASTBIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Dec.7,Jan.4,Jan.25)
Upwardly MobileTwo ofNotreDame’s senior guards and tri-captains—Ashley Barlow and LindsaySchrader—arealreadymembersofthepro-gram’s 1,000-PointClub, andwill spend thisseason trying towork theirway up the Irishall-timescoringladder. Barlowcurrentlyranks12thinschoolhistoryw i th 1 ,412careerpoints,whileSchrad-eris14thwith1,329points.Theycouldbejoinedbytheirfellow senior guard and tri-captain,MelissaLechlitner,whohas912pointstodate. OnlyoneothertimeinprogramhistoryhasNotreDamefielded three1,000-pointscorersonitsrosteratthesametime—anditliterallyhappenedforlessthanonegame.RuthRiley,NieleIveyandKelleySiemonallreachedthemillenniummark andplayedon the 2000-01Irishnationalchampionshipsquad,withSiemonreachingthemilestoneafterscoring10pointsinherfinalcollegiatecontest—NotreDame’s68-66title-gamevictoryoverPurdueinSt.Louis.
Schrader Added To State Farm Wade Trophy Watch ListFifth-year senior guard/tri-captainLindsaySchraderwasoneofsevenplayersaddedtothe2009-10StateFarmWadeTrophyWatchList,itwasannouncedJan.28bytheWomen’sBasketball Coaches Association (WBCA).Schraderandherfellowmid-seasonadditionsearnedtheirspotsonthisyear’sWadeWatchList by virtue of their on-court performancestodateduringthe’09-10campaign,andtheyexpandtheplayerpoolforthisseason’snationalplayer-of-the-yearawardto32,asselectedbytheStateFarmWadeTrophyCommittee. Schrader,apreseasonall-BIGEASTConfer-enceselectionandthree-timeBIGEASTWeeklyHonorRollchoicethisyear,becomesthefifthNotreDameplayernamedtotheWadeWatchListinthepastsevenseasons,andthefirstsinceCharelAllenin2007-08. Inaddition,SchraderisthethirdNotreDameplayerthisseasontoearnaplaceonanationalplayer-of-the-year awardwatch list. Seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowwasboth apreseasonNaismith Trophy candidate and amidseason John R.Wooden Award Top 20choice,while freshmanguardSkylarDigginsjoinedBarlowonthisyear’spreseasonNaismithTrophycandidateslate.
the1996-97season,theIrishhavewon21oftheirlast24regular-seasontournamentgames(multi-gameeventsonly),mostrecentlycappinga three-game run to the 2009Paradise JamIsland Divisionchamp ionsh i pover the Thanks-giving weekendin theU.S. VirginIslands. TheonlyNotreDamelossesdur-ing this currentstretchwereapairofdefeatstothird-ranked teams inthe PreseasonWNIT semifinals(72-59vs.Tennes-seeatRuston,La.,in1996;75-59atMarylandin2007)anda67-63overtimesetbackatNo.20ColoradoonNov.15,2003inthefinalsoftheWBCAClassic—agamethatsawtheBuffaloessinkadesperation30-footerattheendofregulationtoforcetheextrasession.
High Value FreshmanFreshmanguardSkylarDigginswasnamedthemostvaluableplayerintheIslandDivisionofthe2009ParadiseJamafteraveraging16.3points,4.7reboundsand3.0assistspergamewitha.538fieldgoalpercentage(21-of-39)anda.545three-pointratio(6-of-11)atthetournament. Diggins,whoalsoearnedaspotontheBIGEASTConferenceWeeklyHonorRoll for herefforts,was the firstNotreDame rookie in adecadetocollectall-tournamentteamhonorsin a regular-season event.AliciaRataywasthelasttodoso,garneringaplaceonthe1999WachoviaWomen’sBasketball Invitationalall-tournamentteamafterhelpingNotreDametowinsoverNo.9/12NorthCarolina(99-86)andLiberty(85-68)inRichmond,Va.
Lechlitner Named Second-Team Academic All-DistrictSeniorguard/tri-captainMelissaLechlitnerhasbeennamedtothe2010ESPN The Magazine AcademicAll-District VSecondTeam, itwasannouncedFeb.4bytheCollegeSportsInfor-mationDirectorsofAmerica(CoSIDA). It’s thefirst timeLechlitnerhasearned theaward,andsheisthefirstFightingIrishplayerto garner academic all-district status since2006,when formerNotreDamepoint guardMeganDuffyreceivedhersecondconsecutivedistrictawardandparlayedthatintofirst-teamAcademicAll-America honors.What’smore,Lechlitner becomes the eighth Fighting Irishwomen’sbasketballplayerinthepast12sea-sonstobeanacademicall-districtselection. Lechlitnercurrentlymaintainsa3.377cumu-lativegrade-pointaverage(GPA)intheCollegeofArtsandLetters,wheresheispursuingherbachelor’s degree inpsychology.Sheearneddean’slisthonorsinthespringof2007witha3.75semesterGPA,andiscomingoffastellarfall2009termthatsawherposta3.583GPA.Inaddition,sheisathree-timeBIGEASTCon-ferenceAll-AcademicTeamselectionandisa
Pomp And CircumstanceOnJan.3,seniorcenterEricaWilliamsonre-ceivedherbachelor’sdegreeinfilm,television& theater fromNotreDame’sCollegeofArtsand Letters.Williamson,who also serves asthepresident of the school’sStudent-AthleteAdvisoryCouncil (SAAC),graduatedafullse-mesterearlyandhasbegungraduatestudiesthisspring. WithWilliamsoncollecting her diploma, all58NotreDamewomen’sbasketball student-athleteswhohavecompletedtheirathleticandacademiceligibilityunderheadcoachMuffetMcGraw (1987-present) have earned theirdegrees.
Century CityWith its 102-57season-openingwin over Arkan-sas-PineBluff onNov.15atPurcellPavi l ion, NotreDametoppedthe100-point markfor the 13th timein school history,andthethirdtimein less than twoyears (104-86 atGeorgetown onJan. 19, 2008;102-54atBostonCollegeonNov.23,2008). NotreDamealsohitthecenturymarkathomeforthefirsttimesinceNov.26,2002,whentheIrish toppledClevelandState, 107-65 in the2002-03seasonopener.
First ImpressionsFreshmanguardSkylar Digginshad14points intheNov.15sea-son opener vs.Arkansas-PineBluff, the fifth-mostbyan Irishrookieinherde-but game dur-ing the 23-yearMuffetMcGrawera (1987-88 topresent),andthemostsinceCourtneyLaVerebeganhercareerwith 18points in a 2002win overClevelandState.
Eight Is Enough (For Now)NotreDamehadaschool-recordeightplayersscore indoublefigures in its102-57winoverArkansas-PineBluffonNov.15atPurcellPa-vilion.Thateclipsedtheoldstandardofsevendouble-digitscorersthatwasfirstsetonFeb.6,1997vs.Syracuse(90-73winattheJoyceCenter) andmatchedon Jan. 19, 2008, in a104-86winatGeorgetown.
Dishing Thirty-One FlavorsNotreDame’s31assistsagainstArkansas-PineBluffonNov.15werethemostfortheIrishinasinglegamesinceNov.20,2000,whentheyalsorecorded31assistsina95-65winoverArizonaattheJoyceCenter. LeadingthewayforNotreDameonthatnightwas current Irish assistant coachNiele Ivey,whohadadouble-doublewith14pointsand11assists.
Half And HalfDuringthepastdecade,NotreDamehasbeennearlyunbeatablewhenithastheleadathalf-time.TheIrishare183-17(.915)sincethestartofthe2000-01campaignwhentheygointothedressingroomwiththelead,includingwinsin111oftheirlast122suchcontests. NotreDamehasledatthebreakin20gamesthisseasonandhasgoneontoearnvictorieseachtime.
The Best Offense Is A Good Defense…During the past 15 seasons, Notre Damehas discovered that a solid defensive effortcan almost certainly guarantee a victory. Infact,sincethebeginningof the1995-96sea-son (Notre Dame’s first in the BIG EASTConference),theIrishhaveanamazing205-14(.936) recordwhen theyhold theiropponentsbelow60pointsinagame. Notre Dame has added 10 more wins tothe ledger this season with victories overArkansas-Pine Bluff, Iona, South Carolina,EasternMichigan,Valparaiso,Charlotte,UCF,Villanova,ProvidenceandCincinnati.
…But Sometimes You Have To Score If You Want To WinNot resting solely on its defensive laurels,Notre Dame also seemingly has found themagicmark when it comes to outscoring itsopponents.Duringthepast15seasons(since1995-96), the Irish are 136-4 (.971) whenthey score at least 80points in a game. Theonly blemishes on that record are a pair ofovertime losses to Texas A&M (88-84) andMichiganState(87-83)in1995,a106-81losstoConnecticut in1998,andan81-80 loss toDePaulin2008. Notre Dame already has added 13 morewins to this ongoing record with its con-questsofArkansas-PineBluff,Iona,No.23/24SanDiegoState,No.20/17Oklahoma,IPFW,Valparaiso, Charlotte, UCF, Villanova, SouthFlorida,Providence,PittsburghandDePaul.
Now That’s A Home Court AdvantageOneofthehallmarksofNotreDame’ssuccesshasbeen itsstellarplayathome. In fact, theIrishhavebeenvirtuallyuntouchableathomein recent years,winning186of their last 210games(.886)atthe9,149-seatPurcellPavilion,includingwinningstreaksof51and25gamesin that span. Notre Dame also has a 105-17(.861)recordinBIGEASTConferenceplayatthe formerJoyceCenter,sportinga31-gameleaguewinningstreakathomebeforeitendedwitha48-45losstoVillanovainthe’02homefinale.
Aca
dem
ics
Notre Dame Student-Athletes Rank Among Nation’s BestByvirtuallyanymeasurement, theUniversityofNotreDamewins the 2009 national championship for graduating itsstudent-athletes. Whether measured by the federal government in itsDepartmentofEducationreportorbytheNCAAthrough itsGraduation Success Rate (GSR) numbers, graduation ratesforNotreDamestudent-athletes rankeither numberoneoramongthehandfulofnationalleadersinallmajorcategoriesamongallmajorfootball-playingcollegesanduniversities. Notre Dame’s institutional research found that Irishstudent-athletesrankednumberoneineightof10majorcat-egories,rankingsecondinoneandthirdinanother.ThosearefarandawaythebestresultsforNotreDameinthefiveyearstheNCAAhaspublishedboththeGSRandfederalnumbers.Theeight top rankingsare fourmore thaneverachieved inanyotheryear(thefourNo.1rankingscamein2008). NotreDameledthenationintheGSRratingsforallstu-dent-athletes(at99),whilealsorankingfirstinboththeGSRandfederalstandingsformalestudent-athletes(98GSR,88federal), female student-athletes (100GSR, 94 federal) andblackstudent-athletes(97GSR,85federal)—aswellasfirstintheGSRlistingforfootballstudent-athletes(96). Incalculationsforallstudent-athletesinallsports,NotreDamewas first among theFBSschools in theGSR figuresinitiated in 2005 by the NCAA. The University’s 99 percentGSRforallitsstudent-athletesrankedaheadofthe98figurefortheU.S.NavalAcademy.Usingthefederalformula,NotreDame graduated a four-year average of 90 percent of itsstudent-athletes,justbehindStanfordat91percent. NotreDamegraduated94percentofallwomencompet-ing in varsity athletics, to rank first among its peer institu-tions based on the federal calculations (ahead of Stanford,NorthwesternandRiceat93).NotreDamealsograduated85percentof itsblack student-athletes, ranking first nationallybasedonthefederalrate. IntheGSRstandings,theIrishscoredasweep.Inaddi-tiontoitsnumber-onerankingforallstudent-athletes,NotreDamefinishedtiedforfirst(withtheNavalAcademy)amongfemale student athletes at 100, first among male student-athletesat98percent(aheadoftheNavalAcademyandDukeat97),andfirstamongblackstudent-athletesat97percent(aheadoftheNavalAcademyandVanderbiltat93). The NCAA also calculated graduation rates over a10-yearperiod (student-athleteswhoentered from1993-94through 2002-03). During those 10 years, Notre Dame had635 student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility — and100 percent of them graduated within the allotted six-yearperiod.Bycomparison,Northwesternhada100percentrate,Vanderbilt, Duke and Boston College recorded 99 percent,andRicehada98percentrate.
Academic All-AmericansEntering the 2009-10 academic year, Notre Dame rankssecondinthenationwith210AcademicAll-America®selec-tions, including a national-best 84 in the past decade. TheAcademic All-America® Program is administered by theCollege Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA),whose membership votes on the award winners, and theprogramissponsoredbyESPN The Magazine. TheNotreDamewomen’sbasketballprogramhaspro-duced five Academic All-America® honorees in its 33-yearhistory, with those five players winning a total of sevencitations. In addition, two-time first-team Academic All-America®pickRuthRileywastappedasthe2001AcademicAll-America®Women’sBasketballTeamMemberoftheYear,aswell as theAcademicAll-America®TeamMemberof theYear. Riley also is one of only 12 student-athletes in NotreDamehistorytoearnAll-AmericaandAcademicAll-America®honorstwiceinhercareer. MeganDuffywasthelatesthonoreein2006,whenshewas named a first-team Academic All-America® selection,becomingthesecondIrishplayertoattainthatdistinction.
The Irish have been particularly strongwhen it comes to non-conference games athome, winning 83 of their last 90 non-BIGEASTcontests(.922)atPurcellPavilion,datingbacktothe1994-95season.Fiveofthesevenlosses in thatspancameat thehandsofBigTenConferenceopponents (fourby12pointsor less)—Wisconsin in1996(81-69),Purduein2003(71-54),MichiganStatein2004(82-73OT), Indiana in 2006 (54-51) and Minnesotain2009 (79-71)—with theother twodefeatscoming to Tennessee in 2005 (62-51) and2008(87-63).ThePurduelossalsosnappeda33-gamenon-conferencehomewinningstreakwhichbeganaftertheUWsetback. Since its inaugural season in 1977-78,NotreDamehasplayedallofitsgamesattheformer JoyceCenter,postinga336-85 (.798)record at the venerable facility. Three times(1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04), the Irishwentaperfect15-0athome,settingaschoolrecordforhomewinsinaseason.
It’s Fan-Demonium At Notre DameIf the preseason was any indication, NotreDame women’s basketball is easily the hot-test ticket in South Bend. For the first timeinschoolhistory,all Irishwomen’sbasketballseason ticketpackages (close to7,500)havebeen sold, including more than 1,000 pack-ages to first-time season ticket purchaserswhentheywentonsaleAug.14.Furthermore,fanswerewaitinginlineatthePurcellPavilionticket office as early as 4:30 that morning,more than four hours before the ticket win-dowsopened.Thoseearlybirdswerereward-edwith a visit from Irish head coachMuffetMcGraw, who delivered coffee and bagels,courtesy of McGraw and athletics directorJackSwarbrick. While it’s likely that some tickets will bemadeavailableforindividualgamesduringtheweeksanddaysprior tothecontests, there’sa very real possibility thatNotreDamecouldapproachaselloutforeveryoneofitsregular-seasonhomegamesatthenewly-refurbished9,149-seatPurcellPavilion. Infact,thecrowdof 9,080 for the Nov. 15 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the largest season-openingaudienceinprogramhistory,morethan1,100higherthantheoldmarksetin2001-02(7,960vs.Valparaiso). Through 13 home games this season,NotreDameisaveraging8,604fanspergame,puttingtheIrishnearly800fansaheadoftheirschool-record attendance average of 7,825fanspergame,alsosetin2001-02. NotreDamehasposted10selloutsinpro-gramhistory,themostrecentcomingonFeb.14,when the Irishdrew9,149 fans toPurcellPavilionfortheirwinoverDePaul—italsowasthe fourth women’s basketball sellout sincetherenovatedarenaopenedthisfall(theothercapacity crowds coming on Dec. 31 vs. No.18/16Vanderbilt, Jan.24vs.No.16/11WestVirginia and Feb. 6 vs. Pittsburgh), setting anewschool record forsellouts inoneseason(Notre Dame had two each in 2000-01 and2007-08).
Irish In The Pink (Zone) All Season LongNotreDameisproudtobeaparticipantinthethird annual Pink Zone initiative, created bytheWomen’sBasketballCoachesAssociation(WBCA) in order to heighten breast cancerawareness and raisemoney for research to-wardsfindingacureforthedisease. Lastyear,theIrishraisedmorethan$48,000through thePinkZoneprogram, earning thefirstWBCAPinkZoneChallengeawardforthemostmoneyraisedamongthe nation’stop25atten-danceleaders.Thisseason,NotreDameelevat-ed itsPinkZonefund-raisinggoalto$55,000andhasfarexceededthattotal,generatingmorethan$70,000todate($40,000inadvanceoftheFeb.14PinkZonegamevs.DePaul,andanother$30,000ongameday). Throughout the 2009-10 season, the Irishhave takenpart in several activities centeredaroundthePinkZoneinitiative,including:• OpenPractice/Tip-OffLuncheon-OnOct.
19,theIrishopenthedoorstooneoftheirpreseasonpractice sessions and allowedapproximately600seasonticketholderstowatch the teamprepare for theupcomingseason.Aluncheonwiththeteamfollowedandatotalof$3,500wasraised.
• Three-PointPledge - Fans canpledgeanamount to donate for every three-pointerthe Irishmake this season.Pledge cardsareavailableatthePurcellPavilionmarket-ingtables(Gates8-10)priortoeachhomegame.
• GameDay(Feb.14vs.DePaul)-TheIrishselectedtheirValentineDay’sgameagainstDePaulastheirannualPinkZonecontest,presentedbySaintJosephRegionalMedicalCenter.TheIrishtookthecourtinwhite,pinkandnavyuniformsandpinkshoes,specially-designedby the school’s official athleticsapparelprovider,adidas.Thefirst1,000fansinattendancereceivedspecialNotreDamewomen’sbasketballPinkZonetradingcards,complimentsoftheNotreDameCollegeofScience. In addition, hundreds of breastcancer survivorswere recognized on thecourt during a special halftime ceremony,alongwithauniquedancetributefeaturingAdeObayomiandMelissaSandvig fromthehitFoxTVshow“SoYouThinkYouCanDance”.
• TeamDonations-Forthesecondconsecu-tiveseason,all15NotreDameplayersandstudentmanagers voted unanimously todonatetheirpost-gameperdiemfromtheFeb. 14PinkZonegame to the cause. In
Notre Dame Enjoys Successful Tour of Europe In Summer of 2009InMay2009,theNotreDamewomen’sbasketballprogramembarkedonamemorable11-dayadventuretoFrance,MonacoandItaly,visitingsomeoftheworld’smosthistoriclandmarks,includingtheEiffelTowerinParis,thePrince’sPalaceinMonaco,picturesqueLakeComointhefoothillsoftheItalianAlps,thefamedEl DuomocathedralinMilan,theColosseumandForuminRome,aswellasSt.Peter’sBasilicaandtheSistineChapellocatedatTheVatican. TheIrishalsohadthechancetoplaythreeexhibitiongamesagainstinternationalopponentsonthetour,winningallthreecontestsagainsttheFrenchJuniorNationalTeam(77-44)and Italianprofessional teamsGEASSestoSanGiovanni (78-68)andRomaAthenaBasket (94-39).ThewinovertheFrenchsidewasparticularlynoteworthy,asitcameonlyweeksbeforeFrancewonthegoldmedalattheEuropeanU20ChampionshipswithmuchofthesameteamthatfacedtheIrishlastMay. Seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowledNotreDameinscoring (13.0ppg.)andthree-pointpercentage (.727,8-11)onthetrip,whilejuniorforwardBeccaBruszewskiwassecondinscoring(12.0ppg.)andfourthinrebound-ing(5.7rpg.).Otherstatisticalleadersincluded:fifth-yearsenior guardLindsaySchrader (6.3 rpg.), sophomoreguardNatalieNovosel (3.3spg.),seniorguardMelissaLechlitner(3.3apg.)andsophomoreforwardEricaSolo-mon(2.5bpg.).
Decade RecapThe recently-completed decade of the 2000s repre-sentedthemostsuccessful10-yearperiodinthe33-yearhistoryoftheNotreDamewomen’sbasketballprogram.Here’salookatsomeoftheFightingIrishnumbersfromthedecadegoneby:
Followingan intensivefive-month,$26.3million in-teriorrenovation,thearenaforthenewly-christenedPurcellPavilionattheJoyceCentermadeitsregularseasonwomen’sbasketballdebutonNov.15whenNotreDamedefeatedArkansas-PineBluff,102-57. TheUAPBgamewaspartoftheculminationofatwo-yearprojecttoupgradethehomeforNotreDamebasketballandvolleyball. Thefirst(exterior)phaseoftheproject,thatbeganinSeptember2008,involvedconstructionofanewthree-storystructureatthesouthendofthearena.Thatstructureincludedanewthree-storylobby,whichhousestheNotreDameticketoperations (approxi-mately4,500squarefeet)andavarsityshoptosellapparelandsouvenirs(approximately3,000squarefeet),inadditiontoanewclubseatingandhospitalityarea. Replacementof theexistingarenaseating foot-print,includinginstallationofsingle-colorchair-backseating throughout the arena, began following theUniversity’sCommencementExercisesinMay2009andwascompletedintimefortheIrishvolleyballteamtoplaythefirstathleticeventinthefacilityonOct.30(a3-1winoverSetonHall). Oneoftheotheruniquefeaturesofthisrenovationstagewasanintensivetheminginitiativeontheupperconcourseinsidethearenawalls,featuringmanyofthehistoricmomentsandvisitorstothearenaduringitsfour-decadehistory.Inaddition,thefacilitysignagetookonaCelticscript,whiletheevolutionofthedis-tinctiveNotreDamemonogramlogoisprominentlydisplayedontheconcourse. TheUniversityannounced inOctober2007 thatthisambitiousarenarenovationhadreceiveda$12.5millionleadershipgiftfromNotreDamealumnusandTrusteePhilipJ.PurcellIII,theretiredchairmanandchiefexecutiveofficerofMorganStanley. Additionalcornerstonedonationsweremadeby:VincentJ.Naimoli(’59),whose$5millioncontributionled to thecreationof thenewNaimoliFamilyClubRoom,andSouthBend-areaautodealershipownerMikeLeepSr.,whosegenerousgifthasbeenrec-ognizedwiththenamingoftheMikeLeepSr.VarsityShop. Both of those areas, alongwith the three-storyRosenthal Atrium (named for formerNotreDamedirectorofathleticsDickRosenthal)openedtothepublic on Jan. 9, 2010,when the Irish basketballteams swept a BIG EAST doubleheader (womendefeatedVillanova, 81-46;men upsetNo. 8WestVirginia,70-68). PurcellPavilionwasofficiallydedicatedattheFeb.4men’sbasketball game vs.Cincinnati,while theNaimoliFamilyClubRoomwasdedicatedonFeb.6atthewomen’sbasketballgamevs.Pittsburgh.
addition,headcoachMuffetMcGrawonceagaindonated$10 for every rebound theIrishcollectedduringtheirPinkZonegame(this year, itwas38 rebounds,good for a$380contributiontotheeffort).
• Silent Auction -More than 100 specialtyitems and entertainment packagesweredonated foragamedaysilentauction thatwasheldintheMonogramRoomatPurcellPavilion.Someoftheunique itemsontheauction block included: the pink shoeswornbyIrishplayersinthePinkZonewinoverDePaul(autographed),commemorativeNotreDamewomen’sbasketballpinkjerseys(autographed)andprivatedinnerswithIrishcoachesandplayers.
ProceedsfromallofNotreDame’sPinkZoneeventsthisseasonaredividedequallybetweentheKayYow/WBCACancer Fund and threelocalcharitiesassociatedwiththeFoundationof Saint JosephRegionalMedicalCenter—Women’sTaskForce,YoungSurvivorsGroupandSecretSistersSociety.FormoreinformationontheWBCA’sPinkZoneinitiative,logontotheWBCA’sofficialwebsiteatwww.wbca.org.
Irish On Your Radio DialBeginningwiththe2008-09athleticsyear,theNotreDame athletics department announcedithadpartneredwiththeLeSEABroadcastingNetwork,makingPulseFM(96.9/92.1)thenewradiohomeofNotreDamewomen’sbasketballintheSouthBendmarket. LeSEA originates all Notre Dame wom-en’s basketball games, with those eventscarried on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1), marking areturn to the FM side of the dial for the firsttime since the 1998-99 season. Combined,thesetwostationsblanketthenation’sNo.89mediamarket(SouthBend-Elkhart),coveringa21-countyareainnorthernIndianaandsouth-west Michigan that contains more than 1.35million listeners (better than 800,000 in thegreaterSouthBendareaalone).Alltold,NotreDame’swomen’sbasketballnetworkstretchesfrom Kalamazoo, Mich., to the north, NorthJudson,Ind.,tothewest,Macy,Ind.,(homeofformer IrishAll-AmericacenterRuthRiley) tothesouth,andLaGrange,Ind.,totheeast. Women’sbasketballgamebroadcastsalsocontinuetobestreamedliveandfreeofchargeon Notre Dame’s official athletics web site(www.UND.com)throughtheFightingIrishAll-Accessmultimediapackage. BobNagle,thevoiceofNotreDamewom-en’sbasketballfrom1996-97through1998-99(includingtheprogram’sfirstNCAAFinalFourberth in1997), returns forhissecondseasonin his second stint as the radio play-by-playbroadcasterfortheIrish.
Notre Dame On The Small ScreenNotreDamewillhaveat least18gamestele-visedduringthe2009-10season.Highlightingthisyear’sbroadcastscheduleare11national-ly-televisedIrishwomen’sbasketballcontests,includingatleastsixgamesontheESPNfam-ilyofnetworksandfourothersonCBSCollegeSports (check schedule on page 1 of thesenotesforexactbroadcastcoverage). In addition, Notre Dame continues to
expand its broadcast reach globally on theInternet.All Irish regular-seasonhomegamesnot selected for commercial TV coverage(with the exception of the Nov. 15 game vs.Arkansas-Pine Bluff) will be webcast live onthe official Notre Dame athletics web site,www.UND.com,via thesite’s freemultimediapackage, Fighting Irish All-Access. And, theThanksgiving weekend Paradise Jam waswebcast in its entirety through Fox CollegeSportsBroadbandonapay-per-viewbasis. This year’s TV slate continues a recenttrendthathasseentheIrishbecomearegularfixtureontelevision.BeginningwiththeNCAAchampionshipseasonof2000-01andcontinu-ingthroughthisyear,NotreDamehasplayedin 159 televised games, including 106 thatwerebroadcastnationally.
Oh Captain, My CaptainFifth-yearseniorguardLindsaySchraderandsenior guards Ashley Barlow and MelissaLechlitner all return for their second year asteam captains for the 2009-10 season. Allthreeplayersreceivedthecaptain’shonorfol-lowingavoteof their teammatesprior to theseason. Thismarksthefirsttimeinprogramhistorythatthesameplayersareservingascaptainsinconsecutiveseasons.
Irish Sign Three For 2010-11 SeasonNotre Dame head coach Muffet McGrawannouncedNov.13thatthreeofthecountry’stophighschoolstudent-athleteshavechosentocontinuetheiracademicandathleticcareerswiththeFightingIrish,eachsigningaNationalLetter of Intent to attendNotreDame begin-ninginthefallof2010. Natalie Achonwa (last name pronounced uh-CHAWN-wuh),a6-3forwardfromGuelph,Ontario(St.Mary’sCatholicSecondarySchool/National Elite Development Academy), ArielBraker, a 6-1 forward from Grosse PointeWoods, Mich. (Grosse Pointe North HighSchool) and 2010 McDonald’s All-AmericanKaylaMcBride, a 5-11 guard from Erie, Pa.(Villa Maria Academy) all made their officialcommitments to the Fighting Irish during theearlysigningperiod,whichendedNov.18. Allthreestudent-athletesareratedamongthe top 50 players in the country by variousnational recruiting services. As a group, thistrio is ranked as the No. 10 recruiting classin the country by All-Star Girls Report (anda consensus top-16 class by other recruit-ing services), giving Notre Dame a Top 25recruitingclassforthe14thconsecutiveyear,astreakonlytwootherschoolsinthecountry(Connecticut and Tennessee) can match. It’salso the third consecutive top-10 recruitingclassfortheFightingIrish. “I’mveryexcitedabouttheclassthatwe’resigning this year,” McGraw said. “I think wereally addressed our needs, with three verygood players coming in. They’re going tochange the way we do some things at bothends of the floor next year. We’re going tobe able to be more aggressive on defensebecausewe’readdingathleticism, lengthandspeed,andonoffense,we’lllookatwaysthat
Notre Dame Lends A Hand For Haiti Earthquake ReliefFundraising efforts held in conjunctionwith twoUniversityofNotreDamehomebasketballgameshaveresultedinmorethan$250,000indonationsthatwillgotowardreliefeffortsinHaitiintheaftermathof the devastating earthquake that hit the islandnationonJan.12. Through thegenerosity of fans and alumni, aswell as contributions from theUniversity and theNotreDameMonogramClub,themoneywasraisedat themen’s andwomen’sbasketball games thatwereplayedJan.23and24,respectively,atPurcellPavilion. NotreDamedonated full gate receiptsandnetconcession revenue frombothgames to the reliefeffort.Inaddition,acollectionorganizedbytheNotreDameStudent-AthleteAdvisoryCouncil(SAAC)—ledbypresidentandcurrentIrishwomen’sbasketballseniorcenterEricaWilliamson,aswellasbaseballplayerRyanConnollyandrowerEmilyCrosby—raisedmorethan$25,000fromfansandalumniwhocontributedduringthegames.TheMonogramClubaddeda$10,000matchinggifttothestudenttotal. Moneyraisedwillbenefitshort-termneedsandlong-termrebuildingeffortsinHaitiandwillbedistrib-utedtotheNotreDameHaitiProgram,whichworkstoeradicatethedebilitatingmosquito-bornediseaselymphaticfilariasis;theCongregationofHolyCross,whichhasservedinHaitisince1944andwasheav-ilyaffectedbytheearthquake;andCatholicReliefServices, the internationalhumanitarianagencyoftheCatholiccommunityintheUnitedStates.
Haiti Earthquake Relief
wecantakeadvantageof thesize thatwe’regoingtohave.Itwillprobablybeawholenewlook,goingfromthemoreguard-orientedteamthatwehavenow,tonextyearwhenwe’llhavesomedepthinthepostaswell.” “Notre Dame emphasized strengtheningtheirperimetergameanddidsowithsize,ath-leticismandversatility,”saidDanOlson,direc-toroftheCollegiate Girls Basketball Report. Thefullpressrelease,withacompletelookat the newest members of the Notre Damewomen’sbasketballprogram, isavailableon-line at http://www.und.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/111309aab.html.
Irish Signee Kayla McBride Named McDonald’s All-AmericanNotreDame incoming freshman guardKaylaMcBride(Erie,Pa./VillaMariaAcademy)isoneof24student-athleteswhohavebeennamedto the 2010 McDonald’s Girls’ High SchoolAll-AmericaTeam, itwasannouncedFeb.11.With the selection,McBridewill compete fortheEastteamintheMcDonald’sHighSchoolAll-AmericaGame,whichisscheduledtotakeplaceat5:30p.m. (ET)onMarch31andwillbe televised live toanationalcableaudiencebyESPNUfromValueCityArenainColumbus,Ohio. “This is an incredible honor and we aresoproudofKayla,”FightingIrishheadcoachMuffetMcGrawsaid.“Sheputinsomuchtimeandeffortduringtheoff-seasontoimprovehergame,andit’ssuchathrilltoseethatkindofhardworkanddedicationpayoff.We’relook-ing forward to followingKayla throughout therestofherhighschoolcareer,andexcited tohaveherjoiningusnextseason.” The 5-foot-11McBride is the sixth futureNotre Dame women’s basketball player, andthirdinfourseasons,toearnMcDonald’sHighSchoolAll-Americarecognitionsincethegirls’teamwas firstcreated in2002.Other incom-ing Fighting Irish cagers who played in theMcDonald’s game have included CourtneyLaVere (2002), Crystal Erwin (2003), and atrioofcurrentNotreDameplayers—LindsaySchrader (2005), Devereaux Peters (2007)and Skylar Diggins (2009). Diggins sharedMost Valuable Player honors at last year’sMcDonald’sgame inCoralGables,Fla., aftercollectingagame-high18points,fivereboundsandthreesteals for theEast team ina69-68losstotheWestsquad. McBride, who also earned a spot on theESPN Hoopgurlz All-Star Team that likewisewas released Feb. 11, has been ranked asoneof the top25players in thenation in theClassof2010bybothESPNHoopgurlz(20th)andAll-Star Girls Report (22nd).She recentlybecame the all-time scoring leader in VillaMaria Academy history and has helped VMA—thedefendingPennsylvaniaClassAAstatechampion—toaNo.1rankinginthestateinClassAA.TheVictorsalsohavebeenrankedamongthetop15teamsintheEastRegionbyseveralnationalmediaoutletsthisyear.
Irish Fans Crave Another Big Mac AttackIt’s year three of Notre Dame’s wildly-suc-cessful “BigMac” promotion, offering fans acouponfora freeBigMacfromSouthBend-areaMcDonald’srestaurants if the Irishscoreatleast88pointsinahomegame. In the three-year history of the promotion(andcountingexhibitiongames),NotreDamehas hit the 88-point mark 18 times, includ-ing wins this yearover Indianapolis,Arkansas-Pine Bluff,IPFW, Valparaiso,Charlotte andDePaul. It should comeas no surprise thatin the short historyofthepromotion,theNotre Dame playerwith the most “BigMac”basketssharesthesameinitialswiththe tasty burger —juniorguardBrittanyMallory, who sentthe crowd homehappy (and presum-ablywith full bellies)fourtimesduringthepromotion’s inaugu-ralrunin2007-08. Andforthosetrackingsuchthings(orper-hapsfallingundertheheadingof“SIDhastoomuchtimeonhishands”),10differentplayershave converted the “burger ball”, includingninecurrentmembersoftheIrishroster. What’smore,ofthe18BigMacgamestodate, nine have been reached on two-pointbaskets,sixonfreethrows,andthreeonthree-pointers.
Next Game: Seton HallTheIrishwillplaytheir finalroadgameofthe2009-10 regular season Saturday when theytraveltoSouthOrange,N.J.,fora2p.m.(ET)BIGEASTcontestatSetonHall.ItwillbethesecondvisittoWalshGymnasiuminasmanyyearsforNotreDame,withtheIrishearningahard-fought66-60winlastseason. Seton Hall (9-17, 1-12) has lost four in arow,mostrecentlydroppinga78-57decisionat Pittsburgh last Saturday. The Pirates willplay host to Louisville on Wednesday nightbefore turning their attention to Notre Damethisweekend.
All times listed are Eastern and are subject to change• = indicates BIG EAST Conference game(1) = Paradise Jam (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)(c) = indicates capacity crowdNR = national ranking (listed as Associated Press/ESPN-USA Today)CBS CS = Game televised live on CBS College SportsBIG EAST TV = Game to be televised live as part of BIG EAST-Regional Sports Networks packageBTN = Game televised live on the Big Ten NetworkFCS B = Game webcast live on Fox College Sports BroadbandNOTE: All regular-season home games not scheduled for commercial TV (except Nov. 15) will be webcast live at UND.comHome games listed in ALL CAPS and played inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (capacity 9,149)
NOTE: totals may not add up to games played due to ties … figures in parentheses by player totals are career totals (charges taken first tracked in ’08-09)
MISCELLANEOUSLedNDinpoints/rebounds/assists:SkylarDiggins(23p/10r/6a)vs.Pittsburgh,2/6/10Hit“finalminute”game-winningshot:AshleyBarlow(3FG/0:34.22nd)atSyracuse,1/30/10Four-pointplay:AshleyBarlow(0:08.4,1sthalf)atSyracuse,1/30/10Madeshotfrommidcourtorbeyond:BreonaGray(48feetat0:00,1sthalf)atSetonHall,1/2/07Playedeveryminute:MelissaLechlitnervs.St.John’s,1/17/09Playedmorethan40minutes:41byCharelAllenvs.Oklahoma,3/25/08(@ West Lafayette, Ind.)NDralliedfroma10-pointdeficittowin:trailedvs.WestVirginia,31-44with19:25leftin2ndhalfandwon,74-66,1/24/10NDralliedfroma15-pointdeficittowin:trailedatVanderbilt,28-46with15:56toplayandwon,59-57,12/30/08NDscored20straightpoints:20-0runvs.Oklahoma,11/28/09(@ St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)NDscored25straightpoints:27-0runvs.GeorgiaSouthern,11/25/08
OVERTIMENDplayedanOTgame:atMichigan(L,59-63),12/10/08NDplayedtwoovertimes:atUCLA(W,93-91),11/30/97NDwonanOTgame:vs.Oklahoma(79-75),3/25/08(@ West Lafayette, Ind.)NDwonanOTgameathome:vs.BowlingGreen(85-81),11/13/06NDwonanOTgameontheroad:atBowlingGreen(86-84),12/5/07NDlostanOTgame:seeplayedanOTgame
The Last Time An Opponent…SCORINGPlayerscored25points:KeishaHampton(28),DePaul,2/14/10Playerscored30points:JeneMorris(32),SanDiegoState,11/26/09(@ St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)Playerscored35points:AngelaSimpson(37),NorthwesternState,3/24/95(@ Amarillo, Texas)Twoplayersscored20points:ShenneikaSmith (23)andDa’ShenaStevens (21)atSt. John’s,2/16/10Threeplayersscored20points:AngelaSimpson(37),BridgetteWilliams(24)andStephanieShaw(22),NorthwesternState,3/24/95(@ Amarillo, Texas)Twoplayersscored25points:JeneMorris(32)andQueneseDavis(25),SanDiegoState,11/26/09(@ St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)Noneindoublefigures:GeorgiaSouthern,11/25/08(threewitheightpoints)Oneindoublefigures:MariaGetty(10),Villanova,1/9/10Five indoublefigures: JanaeStokes (16), JazmineSepulveda (15), PorcheGrant (14), JessicaLawson(12)andShantiaGrace(11)atSouthFlorida,2/17/09Six indoublefigures: JannonRoland (21),DanielleMcCulley (14),JenniferJacoby (12),StaceyLovelace(12),NicoleErickson(11)andShannonLindsey(11),Purdue,11/30/94Scored50points/half:50(2ndhalf),SanDiegoState,11/26/09(@ St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)Scored55points/half:see60points/halfScored60points/half:63(2ndhalf),NorthwesternState,3/24/95(@ Amarillo, Texas)Scored100points/BIGEASTgame:106,Connecticut,12/8/98Scored100points/non-BIGEASTgame:103,NorthwesternState,3/24/95(@ Amarillo, Texas)Scoredfewerthan15points/half:14(1sthalf),Charlotte,12/20/09Scoredfewerthan20points/half:18(1sthalf)atCincinnati,2/9/10Scoredfewerthan40points/game:31,Charlotte,12/20/09
FIELDGOALSHOOTINGShot50percent/game:see60percent/gameShot55percent/game:see60percent/gameShot60percent/game:60.0(30-50),DePaul,1/22/08Shotbelow25percent/game:24.5(13-53),Charlotte,12/20/09Shotbelow30percent/game:seebelow25percent/gameShot50percent/half:52.2(12-23),2ndhalfatCincinnati,2/9/10Shot55percent/half:55.6(15-27),1sthalfatPurdue,1/4/10Shot60percent/half:62.5(15-24),2ndhalfbyMinnesota,3/22/09Shot50percent/bothhalves:53.8(14-26)and56.0(14-25)atMarquette,1/23/07Shotbelow20percent/half:19.2(5-26),2ndhalfbySouthCarolina,11/27/09(@ St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)Shotbelow25percent/half:24.0(6-25),1sthalfbyCharlotte,12/20/09Shotbelow30percent/half:25.0(7-28),2ndhalfbyCharlotte,12/20/09Shotbelow30percent/bothhalves:24.0(6-25)and25.0(7-28)byCharlotte,12/20/09
THREE-POINTSHOOTINGPlayermade5three-pointers:LizRepella,WestVirginia,1/24/10Playermade6three-pointers:AnneBoese,IPFW,12/8/09Playermade7three-pointers:AngieBjorklund,Tennessee,1/5/08Player attempted 10 three-pointers: Janae Stokes (14) and Jazmine Sepulveda (10) at SouthFlorida,2/17/09Made10three-pointers:11byIPFW,12/8/09Didnotmakeathree-pointer:0atLSU,11/16/08Shot50percent3FG(min.5att.):55.6(5-9)atSt.John’s,2/16/10Shot60percent3FG(min.5att.):60.0(9-15)byWestVirginia,1/24/10
FREETHROWSHOOTINGPlayermade10freethrows:AdriaCrawford(10)atGeorgetown,2/20/10Playermade15freethrows:NokDuany(15)atGeorgetown,2/23/02Playerattempted15 free throws:CandaceParker (17), Tennessee,3/30/08 (@ Oklahoma City, Okla.)Playermade10for10orbetter:EpiphannyPrince(12-12),Rutgers,1/27/09Shot90percent(min.10att.):91.7(11-12)byValparaiso,12/12/09Shotbelow50percent(min.10att.):33.3(4-12)byCharlotte,12/20/09Made30freethrows:32(attempted37)byIllinois,11/24/98MadefewerthanfiveFTs:1(attempted2)byVillanova,1/9/10Attempted40freethrows:45(made28)atSouthFlorida,1/13/07Attemptedfewerthan5FTs:2(made1)byVillanova,1/9/10
15pointsand15rebounds:CourtneyParis(24/16),Oklahoma,3/25/08(@ West Lafayette, Ind.)20pointsand10rebounds:ShenneikaSmith(23/10)andDa’ShenaStevens(21/11)atSt.John’s,2/16/1020pointsand20rebounds:WendyScholtens(29/20)atVanderbilt,1/8/89
BLOCKEDSHOTSPlayerblocked5shots:CourtneyParis(5),Oklahoma,3/25/08(@ West Lafayette, Ind.)Blocked10shots:seeblocked15shotsBlocked15shots:16atConnecticut,1/27/07Blocked0shots:atLouisville,1/19/10
SCORING MARGINS — The Last Time…NDwonby30-pluspoints:35—atND81,Villanova46,1/9/10NDwonby30-pluspointsontheroad:33—ND85,atUCF52,12/29/09NDwonby40-pluspoints:see50NDwonby50-pluspoints:59—atND90,Charlotte31,12/20/09NDwonby60-pluspoints:78—ND113,Liberty35,11/24/89(@ Orlando, Fla.)
NOTES:NotreDamehadaschool-recordeightplayersscoreindoublefigures,eclipsingtheoldstandardofsevendouble-digitscorersthatwasfirstsetonFeb.6,1997vs.Syracuse(90-73winattheJoyceCenter)andmatchedonJan.19,2008,ina104-86winatGeorgetown…NotreDameimprovesto25-8(.758)all-timeinseasonopeners,includinga20-3(.870)recordintheMuffetMcGrawera(1987-88topresent)andanactive15-gamewinningstreakthatmirrorstheprogram’smembershipintheBIGEAST(1995-96topresent)…TheIrishalsoraisetheirrecordinhomeopenersto25-8(.759),witha19-4(.826)markintheMcGrawera…Arkansas-PineBluffwasthe179thdifferentopponentinthe33-yearhistoryofNotreDamewomen’sbasketball,withtheIrishmovingto40-5(.889)againstnewopponentssincejoiningtheBIGEAST,anda20-1 (.952) recordsince2000-01andacurrent15-gamewinningstreak…NotreDamenowhaswon18consecutivehomegamesvs.first-timeopponents…theIrishtoppedthe100-pointmarkforthe13thtimeinschoolhistory,and the third time in less than twocalendaryears (104-86atGeorgetownonJan.19,2008;102-54atBostonCollegeonNov.23,2008)…NotreDamehitsthecenturymarkathomeforthefirsttimesinceNov.26,2002,whentheIrishtoppledClevelandState,107-65…NotreDame’s45-pointmarginofvictorywasitsthird-largestinaseasonopener,toppedonlybya113-35winoverLibertyattheUCFRotaryClassicinOrlandoonNov.24,1989,anda98-50winoverMiami(Ohio)onNov.9,2007,intheopeningroundofthePreseasonWNITattheJoyceCenter…NotreDame’s31assistswerethemostfortheIrishinasinglegamesinceNov.20,2000,whentheyalsorecorded31assistsina95-65winoverArizonaattheJoyceCenter;leadingthewayforNotreDameonthatnightwascurrentIrishassistantcoachNieleIvey,whohadadouble-doublewith14pointsand11assists…BeccaBruszewskiloggedhersecondcareerdouble-double…FradericaMillerpostednewcareerhighswith11pointsandsevenrebounds…BrittanyMallorysawherfirstactionsincesufferingatornACLinherleftkneeonDec.10,2008atMichi-ganandhadacareer-highsixsteals…NatalieNovoselearnedherfirstcareerstartanddishedoutacareer-highsixassists…thecrowdof9,080fortheregular-seasondebutofthenewly-renovatedPurcellPavilionwasthe14th-highestattendanceinarenahistoryandthelargesthomecrowdeverforaNotreDamewomen’sbasketballseasonopener.
FGPct:NotreDame47.0,SouthCarolina32.0.3-PTFGPct:Notre Dame 27.8, South Carolina 36.4. FT Pct: Notre Dame55.0, South Carolina 70.4.Turnovers: Notre Dame 11, SouthCarolina21.BlockedShots:NotreDame4,SouthCarolina2.Steals:NotreDame9(Diggins4),SouthCarolina4(Bruner3).Attendance:577.
NOTES:NotreDameandSouthCarolinaweremeetingforthefirsttimein27years,ninemonthsandsevendays,makingitthesecond-longest hiatus between series games in Fighting Irishwomen’sbasketballhistory (toppedonlybythepreviousday’srenewaloftheSanDiegoStateseries)…NotreDameearnsitsfirstwininthreetriesagainstSouthCarolina…theFightingIrishalsocollecttheirthirdconsecutivewinoveraSoutheasternConferenceopponent(allawayfromhome)andare6-7intheirlast13gamesagainsttheSEC…theFightingIrishheldSouthCarolinato18second-halfpoints(on5-of-26shooting,.192),thefewestbyanopponentinonehalfsinceNov.25,2008,whenGeorgiaSouthernscoredjust17first-halfpointsattheformerJoyceCenterina85-38NotreDamewin…theFightingIrishcommittedaseason-low11turnovers,fourfewerthantheirpreviousseasonlowvs.IonaonNov.22atPurcellPavilion…seniorguardMelissaLechlitnerscoredaseason-high15points,herbestoffensivedaysincelastyear’sNCAATournamentopenervs.Minnesota(16points)…seniorguardsAshleyBarlowandLindsaySchraderbothplayedinthe100thgameoftheircareers,onedayafterLechlitnerandseniorcenterEricaWilliamsonreachedthat landmark;thisrepresentsthefirsttimeinthe33-yearhistoryoftheNotreDamewomen’sbasketballprogramthatfourplayershaveappearedintheir100thcareergameinthesameseason…Schraderhas1,110careerpoints,movinginto21stplaceontheFightingIrishcareerscoringlist,passingDanielleGreen(1,106from1995-2000)…Barlowaddedaseason-highfourassists…juniorforwardBeccaBruszewskiloggedherfirstcareer“point-a-minute”gamewith11pointsin11minutes(duetofoultrouble);it’sthefirst“point-a-minute”gameforaNotreDameplayer(min.10minutesplayed)sinceNov.23,2008,whencurrentsophomoreforwardEricaSolomonhad15pointsin14minutesatBostonCollege…freshmanguardSkylarDigginsmadeherfirstcareerstart,tallying12points,fourreboundsandaseason-high-tyingfourstealsin27minutes.
5GA
ME #5/6NotreDame81,#20/17Oklahoma71
Paradise Jam - Island DivisionNovember28,2009Sports&FitnessCtr.(St.Thomas,U.S.V.I.)
NOTES:NotreDame’scurrentnine-gamewinningstreakisitslongestsincea10-gamerunfromNov.20,2007-Jan.2,2008…theFightingIrishimproveto23-0all-timeagainstValparaiso(11-0athome),withits41-pointmarginbeingthelargestinSouthBendsinceDec.17,1995(90-44NDwin)…theFightingIrishalsohaveheldtheCrusaderstofewerthan60pointsin21of23seriesmeetings,whiletoppingthat60-pointmarkthemselvesin16of23seriescontests…NotreDamenowis116-21(.784)all-timeagainstin-stateopponents,witha57-11(.838)homerecordandactive11-gamewinningstreak(seveninarowathome)…theFightingIrishare104-14(.881)all-timeagainstcurrentHorizonLeaguemembers,witha53-5(.914)recordatPurcellPavilion…theFightingIrishtiedaschoolrecordwiththeirfourth35-pointwinoftheseason,matchinglastyear’smark…afterallowingIPFWtomake11-of-22three-pointers,NotreDameclampeddownatthethree-pointlineagainstValparaiso,holdingtheCrusadersto2-of-10frombeyondthearc…theFightingIrishalsoheldtheHorizonLeague’stopscorer,Valparaiso’sBetsyAdams(17.1ppg.attipoff),scorelessin30minutesofaction(0-8FG,0-33FG)…NotreDamelimitedtheCrusaderstoanopponentseason-low22points in thefirsthalfandheldValparaisotoanopponentseason-low .293fieldgoalpercentage for thegame…NotreDametieditsseasonhighwitheightthree-pointersandsetnewseasonbestsforfreethrowsmadeandattempted…BrittanyMallorybecomesthesixthdifferentplayertoleadtheFightingIrishinscoringthisseason,andthesecondtodosooffthebench;SkylarDigginsscoredaseason-high21points(thenthemostbyaNotreDameplayerthisyear)asareserveinan84-79winover#23/24SanDiegoStateonNov.26attheParadiseJamintheU.S.VirginIslands…Mallorynotonlysetanewcareerhighinscoring,butalsotiedapersonalbestforfieldgoalsmade,setanewcareerhighforfieldgoalattemptsandloggedherfirstcareer“point-a-minute”game…Mallory is thesecondNotreDameplayerthisseasonwitha“point-a-minute”effort,followingBeccaBruszewski’s11pointsin11minutesvs.SouthCarolinaonNov.27…NatalieNovoselscoredaseason-high12points…FradericaMillernabbedacareer-highfivesteals…forthethirdtimethisyear,MelissaLechlitnerdishedoutaseason-highsixassists…LindsaySchradermadeher100thcareerstart,becomingthe12thplayer inschoolhistory toreachthatmilestone (andthefirstsinceJacquelineBatteastin2004-05).
FGPct:Charlotte24.5,NotreDame43.9.3-PTFGPct:Char-lotte 10.0, Notre Dame 40.0. FT Pct: Charlotte 33.3, NotreDame88.9.Turnovers:Charlotte43,NotreDame26.BlockedShots:Charlotte4(McAdoo2),NotreDame3.Steals:Charlotte13 (Spriggs,McCallum,Forney3),NotreDame24 (Turner5).Attendance:8,821.
NOTES:NotreDamepoststhefourth-largestmarginofvictoryinprogramhistoryanditslargestsinceNov,24,1989,whentheFightingIrishsetaschoolrecordinthatcategorybydefeatingLiberty,113-35,inthefirstroundoftheUCFRotaryClassicinOrlando,Fla.…italsoisNotreDame’slargestmarginofvictoryathomeinthe23-yearMuffetMcGrawera,datingbacktoFeb.28,1985(a99-36winoverButler)…theFightingIrishopenedthegameona16-0run,theirlargestgame-openingsurgesinceDec. 13, 2003, when they scored the game’s first 26 points(aschoolrecordforagame-openingrun) ina78-41winoverDaytonat theJoyceCenter…NotreDamealsosetaschoolrecordwithitsfifthwinthisseasonbyatleast35points…theFightingIrishheldCharlotteto31points,thefewestbyaNotreDameopponentsinceFeb.13,2002,when theFighting Irishposteda66-31winoverBIGEASTfoeSt.John’sattheJoyceCenter…NotreDamesetnewhigh-watermarksinitsBIGEASTConferenceera(1995-96topresent)with43turnoversforcedand24steals…Charlotte’s43turnoverswerethemostcausedbytheFightingIrishinasinglegamesincetheDec.8,1981winoverSaintMary’s(Ind.)(also43),establishinganewhighintheMcGrawera…Charlotte’sfourassistsarethefewestbyaNotreDameopponentsinceNov.20,2007,whenCentralMichiganhadthreehelpers ina94-41Fighting Irishwin inMountPleasant,Mich.…NotreDame’s 24 stealswere its highest total sincetyingtheschoolrecordwith29theftsatSaintLouisonJan.31,1991…theFightingIrishdefenseheldCharlottetoanopponentseason-low.245fieldgoalpercentage, the lowestbyaNotreDamefoesinceNov.25,2008(.214byGeorgiaSouthern);the49ersalsoconnectedonanopponentseason-low1-of-10(.100)fromthethree-pointline…theFightingIrishshotaseason-best.889(24-27)fromthefoul lineandtiedtheirseasonhighwitheightthree-pointers…AshleyBarlowscoredaseason-high19pointsandbecameNotreDame’ssixthdifferentleadingscorerinthepastsixgames…KailaTurnerscoredacareer-high11points,becomingthe10thdifferentNotreDameplayertocrackdoublefiguresthisseason…Turneralsosetnewcareerhighswithfivestealsandfourrebounds…BrittanyMallorydishedoutacareer-bestsevenassists…SkylarDigginstiedhercareerhighwithfiveassists…AlenaChristiansenhadnewcareerhighswithfivepoints(1-13FG,2-2FT)andtwosteals…NotreDamedrew8,821fans,the17th-largestcrowdinschoolhistory.
NOTES: Notre Dame’s 12-game winning streak ties for thefourth-longestinschoolhistory(firstsetbythe1989-90squad),anditremainsthelongestsinceaschool-record23-gameruntoopenthe2000-01season…theFightingIrishknockofftheirfourth ranked opponent this season,while also toppling fourrankednon-conference foes for the second year in a row…NotreDamehasledbydoublefiguresinallfourofitsrankedvictories thisseason…NotreDame improves to4-1all-timeagainstVanderbilt,havingwonfourinarow…NotreDamehaswonfourconsecutivegamesagainstSoutheasternConferenceopponentsdatingbacktothestartoflastseason,extendingthelongestrunagainsttheSECinprogramhistory…thiswasthefirsthomewinoveranSECopponentfortheFightingIrishsinceDec.19,1993,whenNotreDamedefeatedLSU,82-80atPurcellPavilion…theFightingIrishcollected26offensiverebounds,theirhighesttotalsinceNov.26,2001(26vs.ArmyatPurcellPavilion)…NotreDameblockedaseason-high10shots,itsfirsttimereachingdoublefiguresinthatcategorysincea10-blocknightatSt.John’sonMarch3,2008…NotreDametrailedbyeightpointsthreetimesinthefirstsevenminutes,markingitslargestdeficitoftheseason(previouslywasfivepoints,56-51with10:16leftatMichiganStateonNov.19)…fifth-yearseniorguard/tri-captainLindsaySchradersetanewschoolrecordforguardswith her 13th career double-double, breaking the oldmarkpreviouslyheldbycurrentFightingIrishassistantcoachNieleIvey(1996-2001)…thecrowdof9,149markedthesev-enthselloutinprogramhistoryandthefirstsincetherenovatedPurcellPavilionopenedwith thesmallercapacity thisseason… thecrowdalsowas the14th-largest inschoolhistory (theother13allcamewiththeolderandlargerversionoftheJoyceCenterwithacapacityof11,418)…NotreDameis6-2(.750)all-timewhenplayingonNewYear’sEveandhaswonfiveofthepastsixtimesithasplayedonDec.31…theFightingIrishare19-14(.576)all-timeintheirfinalgameofacalendaryear…forthesecondtimeintheprogram’s33-yearhistory,NotreDameclosedoutadecadewithavictory,havingpreviouslylostinitsfinalgameofthe1970s(66-60inovertimeathometoMichiganonDec8,1979)and1980s(70-61atTempleonDec.29,1989)beforewinningtoendthe1990s(88-65athomevs.ValparaisoonDec.29,1999)…theFightingIrishwrapupthedecadeofthe2000switha239-85(.738)record,includinga134-20(.870)markathomeanda117-43(.731)BIGEASTConferenceregu-larseasonrecord,withthe2001nationalchampionship,2001BIGEASTregularseasonco-championship,fiveNCAASweet16appearances(2000,2001,2003,2004,2008)andthe2004PreseasonWNITtitlehighlightingthemostsuccessful10-yearspaninprogramhistory.
NOTES:NotreDameseesits15-gamewinningstreaksnapped,ending the third-longest string in school history (tied with asimilarrunin1990-91)andthesecond-longeststreaktostartaseasoninprogramannals(the2000-01clubwasthelasttohavesuccessstringsofa longer length,opening23-0)…theFightingIrishsuffertheirfirstroadlosssincelastyear’s76-66lossatConnecticut,andfall to23-10ontheroad inthepasttwo-plusseasons (2007-08 topresent)…entering thegame,NotreDamehadnottrailedbymorethan10points (23-13atPurdueonJan.4)atanytimeallseason…theFighting Irishwereheldto46points,theirlowestscoringtotalsinceJan.24,2006(a69-43lossat#10/9Rutgers)…NotreDamealsoshotaseason-low.269fromthefield…theFightingIrishtrailedathalftimeforonlythesecondtimeallyear(alsoatPurdueonJan.4)…NotreDameposteddouble-digitstealsforthe11thtimethisseason…theFightingIrishcollectedatleast20offensivereboundsforthefourthtimethisyear…NotreDamedropsto2-14all-timeagainsttop-rankedopponents…theFightingIrishnoware4-23intheseriesagainstConnecticut,witha1-12seriesrecordontheroad…juniorforwardDevereauxPetersbecametheseventhdifferentleadingscorerforNotreDamethisseason,andtheseventhdifferentscoringleaderinthepastninegames…Peterstalliedaseason-high12points(herbestoutputsinceNov,16,2008,whenshealsoscored12at#24/22LSUintheStateFarmTip-OffClassic)andtiedherseasonbestwitheightrebounds…Peters’sixfieldgoalsmadealsotiedhercareerhighthatshesetthreetimesbefore(mostrecentlyintheLSUgamelastyear)…seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowmovedintoatiefor14thplaceontheNotreDamecareerscoringlistwith1,290points,matchingMeganDuffy’stotalfrom2002-06…fifth-yearseniorguard/tri-captainLindsaySchraderroseto16thplaceontheFightingIrishcareerscoringchartwith1,236points,passingMaryBethSchueth,whoscored1,233pointsfrom1981-85…freshmanguardSkylarDigginsrecordedacareer-highfivesteals,afternotchingfourontwootheroccasionsthisseason (mostrecentlyvs.SouthCarolinaonNov.27attheParadiseJamintheU.S.VirginIslands).
NOTES:NotreDameheadcoachMuffetMcGrawbecomesthe19thNCAADivisionIcoachtorecord600careerwins,andtiesformerSaintPeter’scoachMikeGranelli for10thonthe listoffastestD-Icoachesto600victories(bothMcGrawandGranellihitthemarkingame#839)McGrawnowhasacareerrecordof600-239(.715)inher28thseasonasacollegiatecoach,includ-inga512-198 (.721) record in23yearsatNotreDame… theFightingIrishnoware53-14(.791)in“bounceback”games(firstafteradouble-digitloss)sincejoiningtheBIGEASTConferencein1995-96,witha78-31(.716)recordin“bounceback”gamesduringtheMcGrawera(1987-88topresent)…NotreDametiesitsall-timeserieswithLouisvilleat4-4,whileearningitsthirdwininfourtriesatLouisville…the18-pointmarginisthelargestbyeitherteamintheseries(previous:69-54NDwinatLouisvilleonFeb.21,1994),withthefourpriorBIGEASTmatchupsalldecidedby10pointsorfewer…NotreDameimprovesto24-10(.706)ontheroadduringthepasttwo-plusseasons(sincethestartofthe2007-08campaign), includinga4-1recordthisyear…theFightingIrishforcedatleast20opponentturnoversforthe14thtimein17gamesthisseason…NotreDametrailedby12pointsin thefirsthalf (33-21)beforecomingback for thevictory, theseconddouble-digitrallyfortheFightingIrishthisseason(trailedby10atPurdueonJan.4beforewinning79-75)…NotreDameshoots50percentorbetterfromthefieldforthesixthtimethisyear…theFightingIrishpostedatleastfourdouble-figurescorersinagamefortheninthtimethisseason(9-0record)…freshmanguardSkylarDigginsregistershersecond20-pointgameoftheyear,havingtossedinacareer-high21pointsagainst#23/24SanDiegoStateonNov.26at theParadiseJam in theU.S.VirginIslands(ironically,thatwasthedayMcGrawearnedher500thwinatNotreDame)…fifth-yearseniorguardLindsaySchraderlogsherfourthdouble-doubleoftheseason,and15thofhercareer…SchradermovesintoatieforninthplaceontheNotreDamecareer rebounds list with 730 boards, matching Krissi Davis’outputfrom1987-91…juniorforwardBeccaBruszewskidishedoutacareer-highsevenassists,twomorethanherpreviousbestsetonDec.8vs.IPFW…Bruszewskialsoearnedherfirstcareer“5-5-5”gamewithfivepoints,sixreboundsandsevenassists…BruszewskiistheseventhdifferentFightingIrishplayertoleadtheteaminassistsinagamethisseason…seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowtakesoversolepossessionof14thplaceonNotreDame’scareerscoringlistwith1,308points,passingMeganDuffy(1,290from2002-06).
FGPct:West Virginia 42.4,NotreDame 45.5.3-PT FGPct:WestVirginia60.0,NotreDame25.0.FTPct:WestVirginia58.3,NotreDame72.4.Turnovers:WestVirginia20,NotreDame17.BlockedShots:WestVirginia2,NotreDame2.Steals:WestVirginia13(Bussie5),NotreDame10(Diggins,Barlow4).At-tendance:9,149(capacity).
NOTES:NotreDameandWestVirginiacameintothegameastwoofonlyseventeamsinthecountrywithonelossorfewer…forthesecondconsecutiveseason,theFightingIrishhaveregisteredfivewinsoverrankedopponents,theirhighesttotalsincethe2004-05season,whentheyhadsevenTop25victories…WVUisthehighestAP-rankedopponent(#16)NotreDamehasdefeatedsinceMarch25,2008,whentheFightingIrishdowned#14Oklahoma,79-75 inovertime in thesecondroundof theNCAAChampionshipinWestLafayette,Ind.…theMountaineersarethehighestESPN/USA Today-rankedopponent(#11)NotreDamehasdefeatedsinceDec.6,2006,whentheFightingIrishtoppledninth-rankedPurdue,67-58atPurcellPavilion…NotreDameimprovesto17-2all-timeagainstWestVirginia,includinga10-0recordatPurcellPavilion…thepastsixseriesgamesallhavebeendecidedby12pointsorfewer,withthepastthreedecidedbysingledigits…theFightingIrishtrailedathalftimeforonlythethirdtimeallseason(alsoatPurdueandConnecticut)…forthesecondconsecutivegame(andthirdtimethisyear),NotreDameralliedfromadouble-digitdeficittopostavictory,comingbackfromaseason-high13-pointdeficittowinoverWVU;theotherdouble-digitcomebackswereatPurdue(10points)andatLouisville(12points)…NotreDameforced20+turnoversforthe15thtimein18gamesthisseason…theFightingIrishrecordeddouble-digitstealsforthe12thtimethisyear…NotreDameis10-0thisseasonwhenfieldingatleastfourdouble-figurescorers…theFightingIrishregisteredaseason-highfive“old-fashioned”three-pointplaysinsixopportunities…LindsaySchradernotchedhersecondconsecutivedouble-double,thirdinfourgames,fifthoftheseasonand16thofhercareer…SchraderalsojumpedintoatieforeighthplaceonNotreDame’scareerreboundinglistwith742boards,shartingthatspotwithShariMatvey(1979-83)…AshleyBarlowdishedoutacareer-highsevenassists,onemorethanherpreviousbest,setonsixoccasions(mostrecentlyonFeb.24,2009vs.Syracuse)…Barlowalsomovedinto13thplaceontheNotreDameall-timescoringlistwith1,318careerpoints,passingMargaretNowlin,whoscored1,312pointsfrom1988-92…Barlowpostedher70thcareerdouble-digitscoringgame, tyingher for 10thplace in school historywithMatveyandSheilaMcMillen(1995-99)…MelissaLechlitnercelebratedher22ndbirthdaybyscoringindoublefiguresforthesixthtimeinsevengames…NotreDamewelcomed its secondselloutcrowdoftheseason(alsoVanderbiltonDec.31)andeighthintheprogram’shistory…alltheproceeds(gatereceiptsandnetconcessionsrevenue) fromthegame,aswellasthepreviousday’shomemen’sbasketballcontestvs.DePaul,weredonatedbytheNotreDameathleticsdepartmenttoassistwithHaitianearthquakerelief(theNotreDameSAACalsocollecteddonationsinthestandsduringbothgames,withtheoverallfinaldonationtotalfortheweekendbeingmorethan$250,000).
NOTES:NotreDame registers its20thvictoryof theseason,marking the program’s 16th 20-win campaign in the past 17seasonsand20thinthe23-yearMuffetMcGrawera(1987-88topresent)…theFightingIrishearntheir20thwinintheir21stgame,withonlythe2000-01clubgettingtothatmilestonefaster(thatcrew,whichincludedcurrentassistantcoachNieleIvey,diditin20games,aswellasonecalendardayearlieronJan.31,2001,witha64-44homewinoverProvidence)…NotreDamesnapsafive-gameserieslosingstreakvs.Rutgers,collectingitsfirstwinovertheScarletKnightssinceJan.23,2005(a63-47triumphatPurcellPavilion)…theFightingIrishalsobreakafour-gameskidattheLouisBrownAthleticCenter,earningtheirfirstvictoryoverRutgersinPiscatawaysinceFeb.16,2002(a57-52win)…the12-pointmarginofvictoryisNotreDame’slargestinitsfourserieswinsatRutgers,withtheotherthreevictoriesallcomingbysingledigits…NotreDame’s75pointsarethemostithasscoredagainsttheScarletKnightssinceFeb.19,2000,whenitloggeda78-74overtimewininPiscataway(agamebestrememberedfor then-freshmanguardAliciaRatay’s7-for-7effort from thethree-pointline,includingtwotriplesinthefinal16secondsofregulationthatforcedtheOTperiod)…thismarksthefourthtimethisseasonNotreDamehasplayedtwiceinathree-dayspan,withtheFightingIrishimprovingto4-0onthebackhalfofthesetightturnarounds(and8-1insuchcontestsduringthepasttwoseasons)…sincethestartofthe2007-08season,NotreDameis26-10(.722)ontheroad,witha6-1recordthisseason…theFightingIrishopenthemonthofFebruarywithawin,continuingatrendthathasseenthemgo82-23(.781)inFebruarygamessincejoiningtheBIGEASTin1995-96,and130-38(.774)inthemonthofFebruaryduringtheMcGrawera…NotreDameforcesatleast20opponentturnoversforthe18thtimethisseason,whilenotchingdouble-digitstealsforthe15thtime…theFightingIrishhavefivedouble-figurescorersforthefourthtimethisseason,andsecondinthreegames…fifth-yearseniorguard/tri-captainLindsaySchradermoves into 15thplace on theNotreDamecareerscoringlistwith1,293points,passingMeganDuffy(1,290pointsfrom2002-06)…juniorforwardDevereauxPeterstalliesherseconddouble-figurescoringgameoftheyear,addingtoher12-pointeffortattop-rankedConnecticutonJan.16…juniorforwardBeccaBruszewskipostshereightdouble-digitscoringnightof theseason,andsecond in threegames…freshmanguardSkylarDigginsnotchesagame-highfoursteals,givingherateam-high51theftsfortheseasonandmakinghertheseventhNotreDamefreshmaninhistorytorecord50stealsinherrookiecampaign(currentFightingIrishseniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowwasthemostrecentplayertoaccomplishthatfeatwith63stealsin2006-07).
NOTES:NotreDameimprovesto6-0all-timeagainstCincinnati,withtheBearcatsandProvidence(18-0)remainingthetwoBIGEASTConferenceteamstheFightingIrishhaveneverlostto;inastrangetwist,thefinalscorewasthesameaslastyear’sresultatPurcellPavilion…NotreDameisnow71-16(.816)againstOhioschools,stretchingitscurrentwinningstreakagainsttheBuckeyeStateto16games(datingbacktoMarch1993)whilegoingto31-7(,816)ontheroadagainstthestateofOhio,and16-2(.889)all-timeinthecityofCincinnati…theFightingIrishriseto3-0inthemonthofFebruaryand84-23(.785)inFebruarygamessincejoining theBIGEAST in 1995-96 (132-38, .776 in the 23-yearMuffetMcGrawera)…NotreDameforcedatleast20opponentturnoversforthe19thtimein23gamesthisseason…theFightingIrishloggeddouble-digitstealsforthe16thtimethisseason…NotreDamenowis27-10(.730)ontheroadsincethestartofthe2007-08campaign…Cincinnati’sfiveassistswerethesecond-fewestbyaNotreDameopponentthisyear,withCharlottehavingfourhandoutsina90-31FightingIrishwinonDec.20atPurcellPavilion…NotreDameposteditssecond-bestdefensiveoutingoftheBIGEASTseason,allowingonly50points(ityieldedjust46pointstoVillanovainthe81-46conferenceopeneronJan.9atPurcellPavilion)…Cincinnati’s18first-halfpointswerethefew-estallowedbyNotreDameintheopening20minutessincethatDec.20winoverCharlotte,whentheFightingIrishgaveupjust14first-halfpointstothe49ers…fifth-yearseniorguardLindsaySchraderjumpeduponespotonboththeschool’sscoringandreboundingcharts—shenowis14thall-timewith1,327points(passingMargaretNowlin,whohad1,312pointsfrom1988-92)andseventhall-timewith776rebounds(passingSandyBotham,whograbbed774boardsfrom1984-88)…Schraderalsomadeher114thcareerstart,tyingcurrentFightingIrishassistantcoachNieleIveyforseventhinschoolhistory(Iveymade114startsfrom1996-2001)…juniorguardBrittanyMallorysnaredacareer-higheightrebounds,onemorethanherpreviousbestthatshehadsetthreetimespreviously(thelastcomingonNov.28,2009,vs.#20/17OklahomaattheParadiseJamintheU.S.VirginIslands)…theweather-depletedcrowdof472(affectedbyasignificantsnowstormintheCincinnatiarea)wasthesmallesttoseeaNotreDamegame(home,awayorneutral)thisseason—thepreviouslowhadbeen506fortheThanksgivingDay(Nov.26)84-79winover#23/24SanDiegoStateintheParadiseJam,markingMcGraw’s500thcoachingvictoryatNotreDame.
NOTES:NotreDameearnsitsfourthconsecutivewinoverDe-Paul,extendingitsseries-longwinningstreakagainsttheBlueDemons(theFightingIrishhadwonthreeinarowvs.DePaulfrom1985-86)…DePaulstillleadstheall-timeserieswithNotreDame, 18-15, although theFighting Irish have a 9-6 edgeatPurcellPavilion…NotreDame’s90pointsare themost theyhavescoredagainsttheBlueDemons inthe33-gameseries,toppingtheoldmarkof87pointssetonJan.16,1995,ina96-87DePaulvictoryinChicago…in12ofthepast14seriesgames,thewinningteamhasscoredatleast75points…NotreDamematchesthe2000-01teamforthebest24-gamestartinschoolhistory(thatclubopenedat23-0beforelosingits24thgame,54-53atRutgers)…NotreDameforcesatleast20opponentturnoversforthe20thtimein24gamesthisseason,tallyingatleast25takeawaysforthe10thtimeoverall(andeighthtimein13homegames)…theFightingIrishlogdouble-digitstealsforthe17thtimethisseason,toppingthe15-stealthresholdfortheninthtime…NotreDameharassedanopposingplayer(DePaul’sSamQuigley)intodouble-digitturnoversforthefirsttimesinceFeb.22,2004,when#21/19Miami(Fla.)hadtwoplayerswithatleast10giveaways—ChaniviaBroussard(13)andYalondaMcCormick(10)…BeccaBruszewskipostednewcareerhighsinscoring,fieldgoalsmadeandfieldgoalsattempted…BruszewskiisthefourthFightingIrishplayertoscore20pointsinagamethisseason,joiningSkylarDiggins,MelissaLechlitnerandBrittanyMallory…AshleyBarlowdishedoutacareer-higheightassists…BarlowandMallorybothregistered“5-5-5”games;it’sthesecondtimethisseasontwoNotreDameplayershavehad“5-5-5”outingsinthesamegame,withDigginsandMallorypullingoffthatfeatintheseasonopeneronNov.15vs.Arkansas-PineBluff…itwasBarlow’sthird“5-5-5”outingoftheseason(andthefirst“5-5-5-5”byaNotreDameplayerthisyear),whileMallorytiesDigginsforteam-highhonorswithherfourth“5-5-5”perfor-mance…BarlowalsomovedupanotherrungontheFightingIrishall-timescoringlist,risingto12thplacewith1,381points,supplantingShariMatvey(1,373pointsfrom1979-83)…NotreDameattracteditsschool-recordfourthselloutoftheseason,aswellasthe10thcapacitycrowdinprogramhistory…NotreDameplayedonValentine’sDayfortheseventhtime,improvingto6-1onFeb.14(firstValentine’sgamesince2004,an81-51homewinoverProvidence)…theFightingIrishdesignatedthegameasits“PinkZone”contest,withtheplayerssportingspecialwhiteandpinkuniformsforthegame,whichwastailoredtoraisemoneyandawarenessforbreastcancerresearch—NotreDameraisedmorethan$40,000inadvanceofthegame,thenaddedanother$30,000indonationsongameday.
NOTES: Notre Dame has its six-game series winning streaksnapped,fallingto23-3all-timeagainstGeorgetown(19-2sincejoiningtheBIGEASTConferencein1995-96and17-2intheregularseason)…bothFightingIrishlossestoGeorgetowninBIGEASTplayhavecomeatMcDonoughArena,whereNotreDamenowis9-2all-time(otherlosswas76-73onJan.7,2004)…Georgetowntoppedthe70-pointmarkagainstNotreDameforonlythefourthtimein26seriesgames,andsecondinBIGEASTaction—theHoyasare3-1againsttheFightingIrishwhenscoringatleast70points…allthreeofNotreDame’slossesthisseasonhavecomeontheroadatrankedopponents…thiswastheeighthrankedopponentfortheFightingIrishthisseason(5-3record),withsixofthosecontestscomingawayfromhome(fourontheroad,twoatneutralsites)…nineofthepast10FightingIrishroadlosseshavecomeby12pointsorfewer(8.2ppg.marginofdefeat inthoseninegames)…NotreDamehadbeen13-0thisseasonwhenshooting45percentorbetterfromthefield,and18-0whenithadabettershootingpercentagethanitsopponent…theFightingIrishcontinuedtheirrecentupswingatthefreethrowline(.867,13-15)…forjustthethirdtimeallseason,NotreDamecommittedmoreturnoversthanitforced…seniorguard/tri-captainAshleyBarlowtoppedthe1,400-pointmarkforhercareer(1,412)andbecamethefifthNotreDameplayerthisseasontorecord20pointsinagame(Barlow’s21pointswereaseasonhigh)…Barlowalsoconnectedonacareer-highfivethree-pointers,themostbyaFightingIrishplayerthisseason,andthemostbyaNotreDameplayerontheroadsinceFeb.22,2006,whenMeganDuffymadefivetreysatWestVirginia…thegamedrewaMcDonoughArena-record(andcapacity)crowdof2,417,markingthesixthtimethisseasontheFighting Irishhaveplayedbeforeasold-outcrowd (fourhomesellouts,plusJan.16selloutatConnecticut).
Head Coach Muffet McGraw23rd season at ND (519-200, .722) • 28th season overall (607-241, .716)
“Ifwesearchedforanentireyear,Idon’tthinkwewouldfindanyone better suited for our program.”
With those words, former Notre Dame athletics director Gene Corrigan announced the hiring of Muffet McGraw as the third head coach of the Irish women’s basketball program on May 18, 1987. Corrigan may not have realized it at the time, but he also ushered in an era of unparalleled success in women’s basketball at Notre Dame, brought to life on the shoulders of a 5-foot-6 dy-namo who accepts nothing less than the very best from herself, her players and her program. Ask anyone familiar with women’s basketball about McGraw and her Notre Dame program and inevitably, you’ll hear the same two words — consistency and excellence. And it’s no wonder, when you consider what McGraw and the Irish have achieved in the past 22-plus years:
• The2001NCAAChampionship,defeatingPurdueinthetitlegame, 68-66. McGraw is one of only eight active Division I coaches to guide her team to a national title.
• TwotripstotheNCAAFinalFour(1997and2001).McGrawis one of just 14 active Division I coaches to lead her team to multipleFinalFourappearances.
• SevenNCAASweet16trips,allinthepast13seasons(1997-2009).TheIrishareoneofonly11programsinthenationthatcan make that claim.
• 11 top-four finishes in the BIGEASTConference duringNotreDame’sfirst14yearsinthatleague(1995-96through2008-09).TheIrishalsowonashareofthe2001BIGEASTregular-season title.
• 14consecutivetop-20recruitingclasses,datingtotheincomingclass of 1997. Notre Dame is one of just three programs in the nation that owns an active streak of that length.
• Oneofonlyfourcoachesinthe123-yearhistoryofFightingIrishathleticstowin500gamesatNotreDame,joiningfenc-ing’s Michael DeCicco and Yves Auriol, and baseball’s Jake Kline.
• Thewinningestbasketballcoach(men’sorwomen’s)inschoolhistory, with noted men’s skipper Richard “Digger” Phelps secondonthatlist(393wins).
• Aperfect100-percentgraduationrateforallplayersenteringthe program since 1987 who have completed their athletic and academiceligibilityatNotreDame(aspotless58-for-58suc-cess rate, including current senior center Erica Williamson, whoofficiallyearnedherdiplomaafullsemesterearlyonJan.3,2010).
McGrawalsoranksamongthetop20activeNCAADivisionIcoacheswith607careerwins(reachingthe600-winmilestoneonJan.19,2010,atLouisvilleinher839thgame,tyingfor10th-fastestinDivisionIhistory)anda.716all-timewinningpercentage. Still,withallofthoseaccomplishmentsinhand,McGrawhasshownnosignsofslowingdownanytimesoon.InJuly2008,theveteran head coach signed a contract extension that will keep her patrollingtheIrishsidelinesthroughthe2014-15campaign. “Formore than20 years,Muffet has ledour programwithintegrity and passion, and, of course, to much success,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “As we lookforwardtomanymoreyearstogether,Iamconfidentthattheexcellence she has achieved on and off the court will continue.”
UnderMcGraw’sguidance,thepast14-plusseasons(1995-96to2009-10)havebeenthemostsuccessfulinNotreDame’shistory.The Irishhavecompiledan impressive360-120 (.750)record,includingasparkling186-59(.759)regular-seasonmarkinBIGEASTplay,thesecond-bestwinningpercentageinleaguehistory. Notre Dame also has averaged better than 24 victories peryearduringthatspan,withtwo30-winseasonsandsix25-wincampaigns to its credit. SuccessforMcGrawalsohasmeantcoachinggreatplayers.During her illustrious career, the Notre Dame skipper has coached nineAll-Americans,including2001consensusNationalPlayerofthe Year Ruth Riley.ShealsohasworkedwithfiveplayerswhohavebeenselectedforUSABasketballNationalTeams,withthoseplayersgoingontowinatotalofninemedals(highlightedbyRiley’sgoldwiththe’04U.S.OlympicTeam).Inaddition,McGrawhascoached 21 players who have earned all-conference recognition atotalof45times,including15first-teampickswhohavebeenchosen a total of 26 times, and has helped shape several other nationalawardwinners,namelytwoFrancesPomeroyNaismithawardrecipients(Niele Iveyin2001,Megan Duffyin2006)and2002UnitedStatesBasketballWritersAssociation (USBWA)NationalFreshmanoftheYearJacqueline Batteast. Another sign of McGraw’s success has been her ability to prepare her players for the next level. No less than 18 Notre Damecagershavegoneontoplayprofessionally(domesticallyoroverseas),includingninewhoeitherhavebeendraftedorsignedasfreeagentswithWNBAteams.ThepastnineyearshaveseenthegreatestinfluxofIrishtalentintotheWNBA,withsevenNotreDame players having been selected in the league’s annual draft since2001.Fourofthoseplayers—Riley,Ivey,Kelley Siemon and Ericka Haney—werestartersonthe’01IrishNCAAcham-pionshipteam,andfiveoftherecentIrishWNBAdraftees(Riley,Ivey,Batteast,DuffyandCharel Allen)earnedAll-Americastatusduring their careers at Notre Dame. Dedicated to helping grow and further the sport in any way possible, McGraw has groomed 12 of her former players and/or assistant coaches who currently are serving as coaches at either thehighschoolorcollegelevel.Ofthosedozenproteges,sevenpresently are Division I head coaches — 1988 Notre Dame gradu-ate Sandy Botham (Wisconsin-Milwaukee),1997NotreDamegraduate and the school’s all-time leading scorer Beth (Morgan) Cunningham (VirginiaCommonwealth),Bill Fennelly (IowaState),Kevin McGuff(Xavier),Carol Owens(NorthernIllinois),1991 Notre Dame graduate Coquese Washington(PennState)and most recently, 1994 Notre Dame graduate Kristin (Knapp) Cole (NewHampshire).McGuff,OwensandWashingtoncom-prisedMcGraw’sassistantcoachingstaffonthe2001IrishNCAAnationalchampionshipsquad,whileMcGuffandOwensalsowereonstaffforNotreDame’sruntothe1997NCAAFinalFour. AnativeofWestChester,Pa.,McGrawreceivedherbach-elor’sdegree insociology fromSaintJoseph’sUniversity (Pa.)in1977.Followinggraduation,shecoachedfortwoseasonsatPhiladelphia’sArchbishopCarrollHighSchoolwheresheguidedherteamstoa50-3record.McGrawthenplayedpointguardforone year with the California Dreams, a team in the since-folded Women’sProfessionalBasketballLeague(WBL).Shereturnedtoheralmamaterin1980,servingasanassistantcoachunderJim Foster(nowtheheadcoachatOhioState).Twoyearslater,McGrawwasnamedheadcoachatLehighUniversity,herteamsfinishing88-41(.683)duringherfive-yeartenure. In1986,shewasinductedintotheSJUWomen’sBasketballHallofFame,followedbyherenshrinementintothePhiladelphiaBigFiveWomen’sHall of Fame in 1989. InNovember 2002,McGraw’s alma mater came calling once again, inducting her into theSJUAthleticsHallofFame.McGrawalsowasnamedan honorary alumna by the Notre Dame Alumni Association in 1997 and received an honorary monogram from the Notre Dame Monogram Club that same year. McGraw and her husband, Matt,celebratedtheir32ndwed-dinganniversaryin2009andmaketheirhomeinGranger,Ind.Theyaretheproudparentsof19-year-oldsonMurphy, who is a sophomore at Indiana University.
Consensus National Coach of the Year, 2001Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005Conference Coach of the Year, 1983, 1988, 1991, 2001NCAA National Champion, 2001NCAA Final Four 1997, 2001NCAA Tournament 1992, 1994, 1996-2009NIT 1989, 1991, 1995
NOTE: McGraw’s complete bio, including year-by-year records/results can be found on 72-77 of this year’s Notre Dame wom-en’s basketball media guide.
#1 Erica SolomonForward • 6-2 • So.-1V • Charleston, W.Va. (Detroit (Mich.) Country Day School)
Career HighsPoints15atBostonCollege(11/23/08)
Rebounds10atVillanova(1/24/09)
Assists2,seventimes(MR:vs.Villanova,1/9/10)
Field Goals6atPittsburgh(2/3/09)
Field Goal Attempts11atPittsburgh(2/3/09)
3-Point Field GoalsNone
3-Point Field Goal Attempts1vs.Charlotte(12/20/09)
Free Throws6,twice(MR:atEMU,12/2/08)
Free Throw Attempts10atEasternMichigan(12/2/08)
Steals3atValparaiso(12/13/08)
Blocked Shots4atEasternMichigan(12/2/08)
Minutes Played24,twice(MR:atUSF,2/17/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles ......................0Double-figurescoringgames ...720-pointgames .......................0Double-figurereboundgames ....15-block games ........................05-steal games .........................0
Did You Know?u Nickname is “Rock” after her middle name
(Raquel).u Graduated from same high school that produced
NBAstandoutsChrisWebberandShaneBattier,as well as former Irish All-America women’s soccer player/currentU.S.NationalTeammemberKate(Sobrero)Markgraf,amongothers.
u Oneofseven Irishbasketballplayerswhoalsocompeted in another sport in high school — was a successful high jumper, setting school record in theevent(5ft.,6in.).
u Ranksninth inschoolhistorywith1.071careerblocks average.
2009-10 Highlightsu Collected four points, career-high-tying two as-
sistsandtwostealsinBIGEASTopeneragainstVillanova.
u Playedseason-high16minutesagainstCharlotte,dropping in eight points.
u TurnedinsolidweekendatParadiseJam,averag-ing7.3ppg.and4.0rpg.inthree-gameset.
u Tiedcareerbestwith twoassists, inaddition tosevenpoints,vs.#20/17OklahomaatParadiseJam.
u Scored season-high nine points againstSouthCarolinaatParadiseJam.
u Grabbed four rebounds in each of three games at ParadiseJam.
u Madeseasondebutat#21MichiganStateaftermissingUAPBgamewithsprainedanklesufferedin practice.
Solomon Game-by-Game2009-10 ...................MP FG 3FG FT O-R A T B S PtsArk.-PineBluff ............... Didnotplay(injured)atMichiganSt. ..........10 1-3 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 2Iona.............................9 0-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0vs.SanDiegoSt. ......12 1-7 0-0 4-7 3-4 1 0 1 1 6vs.SouthCarolina ....15 2-2 0-0 5-6 2-4 1 0 1 1 9vs.Oklahoma............15 3-6 0-0 1-1 1-4 2 1 1 2 7EasternMichigan ........6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 0 0IPFW ............................. Did not playValparaiso ..................... Did not playCharlotte ...................16 3-6 0-1 2-2 0-0 1 3 0 0 8atCentralFlorida ........5 0-1 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1Vanderbilt ....................4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0atPurdue ....................5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 0 0Villanova ...................10 2-4 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 1 0 2 4SouthFlorida ................ Did not playat Connecticut............... Did not playatLouisville ................... Did not playWestVirginia ................ Did not playProvidence.................... Did not playatSyracuse................... Did not playatRutgers ..................... Did not playPittsburgh ..................... Did not playat Cincinnati .................. Did not playDePaul .......................... Did not playatSt.John’s .................. Did not playat Georgetown .............. Did not playMarquetteatSetonHallConnecticut* - game started
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles ......................1Double-figurescoringgames .1920-pointgames .......................5Double-figurereboundgames ....15-assist games .......................45-steal games .........................1
(2.8apg.),steals(2.3spg.),andthirdinfreethrowpercent-age (.777) and three-point percentage (.363); also hasteam-high four “5-5-5” games … started past 22 games after comingoffbenchinfirstfour.
u Scored18of team-high20points(career-high10-12FT)insecondhalfat#22/23St.John’safterbeingsidelinedforfinal12minutesoffirsthalfwithfoultrouble.
u Turnedinbestall-aroundeffortofseasonvs.Pittsburghwithseasonhighsof23points,10reboundsandsixassists(noturnovers)…firstcareerdouble-doubleandfourth“5-5-5”game.
u Hadteam-high14pointsandfourstealsinwinatRutgers,includingpairofbucketsin12-3runlateinsecondhalfafterRUhasclosedtowithintwopoints.
u AnotherstatsheetstufferatSyracusewithgame-high21points(4-93FG),sixassists,sixreboundsandgame-highfour steals, notching third “5-5-5” game of season … scored 13of21pointsinfirst11minutes,hittingfourtreys.
u Hadwell-roundednightvs.Providencewith10points(4-7FG),fourassistsandgame-highthreesteals.
u Scored 15 points and nabbed team-high four steals vs.#16/11WestVirginia,tallyingeightofteam’sfirst11points,thensevenina2:06spanduringsecond-halfrally.
u Poweredsecond-halfsurgeforIrishatLouisville,scoring15ofteam-high20points(on6-7FG)infinal20minutes.
u Hadcareer-highfivestealsat#1Connecticut.u Registered14pointsandfourreboundsinwinoverUSF.u HadsharpBIGEASTdebutvs.Villanovawithgame-high
… had six points, steal and assist in 12-2 run bridging half-timetohelpIrishwipeoutearly10-pointdeficit.
u Collected15points, seven rebounds (fiveoffensive)andfourassistsagainst#18/16Vanderbilt.
u Tallied12pointsandfourreboundsinwinatUCF.
u Packed stat sheet vs.Charlottewith nine points, six re-bounds,fiveassistsand threesteals,hersecond “5-5-5”game of season.
u Sharedteam-highscoringhonorsvs.EasternMichiganwith15points,includinggo-aheadthree-pointplaywith11:09leftandfourkeypointsin8-0runafterfinalsecond-halfmediatimeout.
u NamedMVPofParadiseJamIslandDivisionafteraveraging16.3ppg.,4.7rpg.,3.0apg.,with.538FG%(21-39)and.5453FG%(6-11)andleadingIrishtothreewinsandtournamenttitle.
u Scored14ofteam-high16pointsvs.#20/17Oklahomainfirsthalf,connectingonallfourthree-pointattemptsintheperiod(finished4-6on3FG).
u Madefirstcareerstartvs.SouthCarolinaatParadiseJam,tallying 12 points and four steals.
u Droppedin21pointsandaddedpersonalbestsofnineFGand threeblocks inwin over #23/24SanDiegoStateatParadiseJam.
u Scored17points(season-high8-10FT)inwinoverIona.u Madecollegedebutvs.Arkansas-PineBluffwith14points
(10 in thefirsthalf),eightrebounds,fiveassistsandfoursteals(herfirst“5-5-5”game).
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................0Double-figurescoringgames ....120-pointgames ........................0Double-figureassistgames.........05-assist games ........................05-steal games ..........................1
Did You Know?u Firstnameispronounced“fruh-DARE-uh-kuh”…
nicknameis“Fred”.u Among team’s most improved players this sea-
son, having already met or exceeded last year’s production in nearly all categories.
u Shotteam-high.636(7-11)fromfloorandstartedtwiceonNotreDame’s2009Europeantour,whilealsofinishingthirdonsquadinsteals(2.7spg.).
u Also strong in the classroom, earning dean’s list honorsinspring2009with3.667semesterGPA(sheisenrolledinNotreDame’sMendozaCollegeofBusinessbuthasnotyetdeclaredamajor).
u Oneofseven Irishbasketballplayerswhoalsocompeted in another sport in high school — ran track& field, competingprimarily in sprints(100m/200m/400m).
meniscus injury in left knee - currently rehabilitat-ing from surgery.
u Hadtwopoints(firsttwoFTofseason)andtwostealsinBIGEASTopenervs.Villanova.
u DrovebaselineforprettyreverselayupduringfiveminutesofactionatPurdue.
u Hadsteal,assistandforcedshotclockviolationinloneminutelateinfirsthalfofwinover#18/16Vanderbilt.
u Nabbedcareer-highfivestealsvs.Valparaiso,add-ing four points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.
u Madethemostofher16minutesvs.IPFWwithsix points, six rebounds, two steals, and career-high-tying two assists and one block.
u Collectedfourreboundsandfirstcareerblockedshotvs.SouthCarolinaatParadiseJam.
u Providedsparkoffbenchvs.Ionawithtwopointsand three steals in 11 minutes.
u Enjoyedfinestnightofhercareerinseasonopenervs.Arkansas-PineBluff, loggingpersonal bestsin points (11), rebounds (7), field goalsmade-attempted(5-8),freethrowsmade(1)andminutesplayed(20)…alsowasherfirstcareerdouble-digitscoringnight(scored17pointsalloflastyear).
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................1Double-figurescoringgames ..1720-pointgames ........................0Double-figurereboundgames ...25-block games .........................25-steal games ..........................1
u Peters’almamater,FenwickHighSchoolinOakPark,Ill.,holds a special place in Notre Dame athletics history, having produced numerous Irish greats in several sports — the most notableis1953HeismanTrophyJohnLattner.
u OneoftwoIrishplayerswhohadanuncleplayprofessionalfootball—Peters’uncle,TomSeabron,playedlinebackeratMichigan andwas a fifth-round draft pick of theSanFrancisco49ersin1979;AshleyBarlow’suncle,Ron,wasafullbackatKansasStateandwasselectedbytheNewYorkJetsinthe1965AmericanFootballLeagueredshirtdraft.
u Hasregisteredthreecareer“5-5-5”games, includingonethisseason(St.John’s).
u Ranksthirdinschoolhistorywith1.69careerblocksaver-age.
nine points, and career highs/game bests of 14 rebounds andsixblocksinseason-high-tying28minutes…wasfirst“5-5-5”gameofseason(thirdofcareer).
u Fueledsecond-halfsurgevs.DePaulwithsixofeightpointsandallsevenreboundsinfinal20minutes.
u Turned inefficient10minutesagainstPittsburghwithsixpointsandfiverebounds.
u Scored11pointsandgrabbedfive reboundsatRutgers;sevenpoints(season-high5-6FT)andfourreboundscameinfinalfiveminutesafterRUcamewithintwopoints.
u Playedseason-high28minutesatSyracuse,finishingwithfivepoints,team-highsevenreboundsandseason-bestfoursteals.
u Offeredboostoffbenchvs.Providencewitheightpoints(4-7FG)andfourrebounds.
u Tallied sixpoints, five reboundsand twosteals inwinatLouisville.
u Hadbestgamesince return fromknee injuryat#1Con-necticut,scoringteam-high12points(6-11FG)andgrabbingeight rebounds.
u PlayedfirstBIGEASTgame in23monthsvs.Villanova,finishingwithsixpoints,fourreboundsandthreesteals.
u Packed stat sheet atPurduewith six points, game-higheight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals …also had defensive play of night, blockingSamanthaWoods’ game-tying three-point attempt in right corner with four seconds left.
u Continued return from knee surgery with seven points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 14 minutes against #18/16 Vanderbilt.
u Made first appearance in 13months atUCF, playing10minutes(twopoints,tworebounds,twoblockedshots).
u Missedfirst10gamesofseasonwhilerehabilitatingfromtwo-partsurgery(February/May2009)torepairtornACLinleftkneesufferedonNov.23,2008atBostonCollege.
3-Point Field Goals1,twice(MR:vs.Charlotte,12/20/09)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts3,twice(MR:vs.Villanova,1/9/10)
Free Throws2,twice(MR:vs.Charlotte,12/20/09)
Free Throw Attempts4vs.Charlotte(12/20/09)
Steals5vs.Charlotte(12/20/09)
Blocked ShotsNone
Minutes Played14,twice(MR:vs.Charlotte,12/20/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles ......................0Double-figurescoringgames ...120-pointgames .......................0Double-figurereboundgames ....05-assist games .......................05-steal games .........................1
Did You Know?u From the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” files,
Turner’shighschoolteamadvancedtotheIllinoisClassAAsemifinalsduringherjunioryear(2007-08), only to bedefeatedbyeventual championFenwickHighSchool,whichwasledbyhernewNotre Dame teammate, junior forward Devereaux Peters(Turner’steamcamebacktowinthestatethird-placegame).
ankle suffered in practice earlier in week.u Notchedassistinfinalminutesvs.Providence.u HitjumperlateingameatConnecticut.u TiedcareerhighwithfourreboundsinBIGEAST
Field Goal Attempts18,twice(MR:vs.Louisville,2/11/09)
3-Point Field Goals5atGeorgetown(2/20/10)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts12atSyracuse(1/30/10)
Free Throws13vs.PrairieView(12/28/06)
Free Throw Attempts13vs.PrairieView(12/28/06)
Steals8vs.Cincinnati(1/31/09)
Blocked Shots2,twice(MR:atGeorgetown,2/20/10)
Minutes Played39atVillanova(1/24/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................4Double-figurescoringgames ..7520-pointgames ........................8Double-figurereboundgames ...65-assist games ........................95-steal games ........................11
u JoinsformerAll-AmericateammateCharelAllen(2004-08)asonlyNotreDameplayersever toamass1,000points,500rebounds,200assistsand200stealsintheircareers.
u Ranks among top 10 in school history for career three-pointers(127-7th),three-pointattempts(368-6th),freethrows(341-6th),freethrowattempts(424-7th),freethrowpercentage(.804-6th),steals(266-4th),stealspergame(2.2-4th)anddouble-figurescoringgames(75-10th)…ranks 12th all-time at Notre Dame with 1,412 points.
u Hasposted11career“5-5-5”games,includingteam-highfourthisseason(Iona,SouthFlorida,DePaul,St.John’s).
u Hasmissedonlytwogamesincollegecareer(Dec.2&7,2008vs.EasternMichigan/Purdueduetoconcussion).
2009-10 Highlightsu Leads team in steals (2.5 spg.), second in scoring (11.7
u Notchedteamhighsof21points(career-high5-93FG)andeight rebounds with career-high-tying two blocks at #14/12 Georgetown.
u Turnedinsecondconsecutive“5-5-5”gamewith10points,sixreboundsandcareer-highsixsteals(withcareer-besttwoblocks)inseason-high37minutesat#22/23St.John’s.
u Didlittlebitofeverythingvs.DePaulwithninepoints,career-higheightassists,sixreboundsandfivesteals.
u Buriedclutchtreywith3:10leftatRutgers,thedaggerina12-3second-halfrunafterRUgotwithintwopoints.
u Tied season highwith 19 points at Syracuse, includinggame-winningthree-pointerwith34.2secondsleft(career-high-tyingfourthtreyofgame).
u Collected10points,sevenassistsandteam-highfourstealsinwinover#16/11WestVirginia;alsoscoredfivepointsin10-1game-clinchingrunduringfinal2:21.
u Amassed18pointsandsevenreboundsatLouisville.u StuffedstatsheetagainstSouthFloridawithninepoints,
14 points and team bests of six rebounds and four assists (noturnovers)…alsocollectedmilestone500threbound(seenoteinprevioussection)in100thcareergame.
u Hadsevenpoints,team-highsevenreboundsandteam-bestthreestealsvs.#23/24SanDiegoStateatParadiseJambefore being sidelined with 6:19 left after cut over right eye (requiredsevenstitches)causedbyerrantSDSUelbow.
u Postedninthcareerfive-stealgamevs.Ionaonthewaytoeighthcareer“5-5-5”game(firstofseason).
u Team-high18pointsat#21MichiganState,includingtrioofthree-pointersinopeningfiveminutes.
u Efficientnightinseasonopenervs.Arkansas-PineBluffwith15 points in 16 minutes.
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................0Double-figurescoringgames ..1420-pointgames ........................0Double-figurereboundgames ...05-assist games ........................35-steal games ..........................2
Did You Know?u OneofmostimprovedplayersonIrishroster,withhighly-
productive off-season including a sharper three-point shot and increased athleticism.
u Her45stealslastseasonwereeighth-mostbyIrishfresh-man, and marked third consecutive season a Notre Dame rookiehad40+steals(Barlow63/Lechlitner40in2006-07;Mallory42in2007-08).
u Rankedthirdonteaminscoring(11.3ppg.)duringMay2009Europeantour,whilealsoleadingteaminsteals(3.3spg.)andadding5.0rpg.
u Hastwinbrother,Nathan,whoisasophomoreonthemen’sbasketballteamatDivisionIIIUniversityofRochester(N.Y.);older sister,Shannon, completed career atUniversity ofEvansvillein2009.
2009-10 Highlightsu Fourth on team in steals (1.46 spg.)…started first four
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................0Double-figurescoringgames ..1620-pointgames ........................1Double-figurereboundgames ...05-assist games ........................45-steal games ..........................3
Did You Know?u Nickname is “Chip”, which she gained during summer school
prior to her freshman year — its origin is a bit fuzzy and depends on which of her teammates you’re talking to.
u EarnedcertificateofmeritforparticipationinNotreDame’sRosenthalLeadershipInstitutein2007-08academicyear.
u OneoftwoNDplayers(alongwithDevereauxPeters)com-ingofftornACLsintheirleftkneessufferedinfirstmonthof2008-09season.
u OneofsevenIrishbasketballplayerswhoalsocompetedin another sport in high school — was a two-time honorable mentionAll-America lacrossemidfielder andwasnamedtothe2006highschoolAll-TewaaratonTeam;infact,shewas actively recruited by several Division I schools to play lacrosse, but chose to focus on basketball at Notre Dame.
u Startedat#14/12Georgetown,loggingninepointsandtwosteals in 29 minutes.
u Earnedfirst startof seasonat#22/23St. John’sand re-spondedwith17pointsandfive rebounds incareer-high36minutes.
u Contributedinalmosteverywaypossiblevs.DePaulwithsixpoints,sevenrebounds,fivestealsandfourassists.
u Grabbedcareer-higheightrebounds(allinthefirsthalf)atCincinnati.
u Returnedtodoublefigureswith11pointsandfourassistsatSyracuse, includingclutch three-pointer (5:59 left)andthreefreethrows(fouledon3FGattemptwith3:36togo).
u Talliedfivepointsandfourreboundsinwinover#16/11WestVirginia,hittingpairofFTwith8:51lefttogiveIrishleadandcap13-pointsecond-halfcomeback.
u Registeredsevenpoints,fourassistsandgame-highthreestealsagainstSouthFlorida.
u PlayedfirstBIGEASTgamein22monthsagainstVillanova,collectingeightpointsandgamehighsofthreeassists(noturnovers)andthreesteals.
u Hadsevenpoints,fourrebounds(threeoffensive)andthreeassistsatPurdue.
u Goodall-aroundeffortvs.#18/16Vanderbiltwitheightpoints,fivereboundsandteam-highfiveassists…hittwo3FGin10secondsmidwaythroughfirsthalftoeraseearlyeight-pointdeficit.
u LedIrishwith16points,fourreboundsandfivestealsin18minutesatUCF.
u Packedstatsheetvs.Charlottewitheightpoints,career-highseven assists, four rebounds and four steals.
u Eruptedforcareer-high22points(7-13FG,3-53FG)in20minutesvs.Valparaiso,alsonotchingherfirstcareer“point-a-minute” game.
u AnotherbalancedeffortinwinoverIPFWwithninepoints,four rebounds and four steals in season-high 28 minutes.
u CouldmakesolidargumentforherinclusiononParadiseJamIslandDivisionAll-TournamentTeamafteraveraging10.7ppg.,4.0rpg.,with.500FG%(11-22).
u Played26minutesoffbenchvs.#20/17OklahomaatPara-diseJamandrespondedwith15points,sevenrebounds,andfiveassists.
u Tallied15points(4-5FG,1-23FG,career-high6-8FT)vs.#23/24SanDiegoStateatParadiseJam…made5-6FTinfinal43secondstosecurevictory.
u Piledupninepoints,fourrebounds(threeoffensive),threeassists and two steals vs. Iona.
u SawfirstofficialactionsinceDecember2008 injury (tornACL-leftknee)with19minutesoffbenchinseasonopenervs.Arkansas-PineBluff,stuffingstatsheetwith10points,six rebounds and career-high six steals.
#23 Melissa LechlitnerGuard • 5-7 • Sr.-3V • Mishawaka, Ind. (South Bend St. Joseph’s HS)
Career HighsPoints22atPurdue(1/4/10)
Rebounds8vs.Cincinnati(1/31/09)
Assists9vs.St.John’s(1/16/07)
Field Goals8atPurdue(1/4/10)
Field Goal Attempts19atMarquette(1/13/09)
3-Point Field Goals4atPurdue(1/4/10)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts7,twice(MR:atPurdue,1/4/10)
Free Throws8atProvidence(2/17/07)
Free Throw Attempts9atProvidence(2/17/07)
Steals4,threetimes(MR:atUCF,12/29/09)
Blocked Shots2vs.Marquette(2/13/08)
Minutes Played40,twice(MR:vs.St.John’s,1/17/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................0Double-figurescoringgames ..4120-pointgames ........................1Double-figurereboundgames ...05-assist games ......................245-steal games ..........................0
Awards/Honorsu ParadiseJamIslandDivisionAll-TournamentTeamu ESPN The MagazineAcademicAll-DistrictSecondTeamu BIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Jan.11)
Did You Know?u OneofthreereturningteamcaptainsthisyearwithAshley
second half, including huge three-pointer with 2:21 left and Irishuptwo,followedbystealthatledtoAshleyBarlow’sthree-pointplay30secondslater.
u Returnedtodoublefiguresforfifthtimeinsixgameswith14points(6-9FG)atLouisville;scoredninepointsin16-4runtoclosefirsthalfthaterasedearly12-pointdeficit.
u Extendeddouble-digitscoringstreaktofourgames(tyingcareerlong)with11pointsandfourassistsvs.USF.
u Posted third consecutive double-figure scoring daywith11points (5-10FG)andgame-high threeassistsvs.Vil-lanova.
u SetthepaceatPurduewithcareer-high22points(includingpersonal-best8-16FGand4-73FG),andcannedtreywith6:23leftthatputIrishaheadforgood.
u Showedexpert leadership inwin over #18/16Vanderbiltwith 14 points, three assists and two steals … also hit three-
pointerathalftimehorntohighlight12-0runthatcrossedover the break and gave Irish lead for good.
u Matched seasonhighwith six assists againstValparaisoandatUCF.
u Earnedfirstcareerall-tournamenthonoratParadiseJamwith9.3ppg.and3.7apg.atevent.
u Steadyhanddownstretchinwinover#20/17OklahomaatParadiseJam,playingturnover-freeballinsecondhalf.
u Chalkedup15points(6-12FG,2-43FG)inwinoverSouthCarolinaatParadiseJam.
u Playedin100thcareergameinwinover#23/24SanDiegoStateatParadiseJam, loggingeightpointsandseason-high-tying six assists.
u Scored sevenpoints andadded four assists inwin overIona.
u Turnover-free34minutestogoalongwithsevenpointsat#21MichiganState.
u Managed game well in season-opening start vs. Arkansas-PineBluff, dishingout game-high sixassistsandaddingthree steals.
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .....................16Double-figurescoringgames ..7220-pointgames ........................6Double-figurereboundgames ...205-assist games ........................75-steal games ..........................0
u Futurecareerplansincludeeitherbecomingacollegeathlet-icsdirector(currentlyaninternwithNDathleticscomplianceoffice)oropeningarestaurantwithhersister,Kristina.
u Only12thplayerinprogramhistorytostart100gamesinhercareer;hasmissedonlytwogamesincareer(Feb.16&20,2010vs.St.John’s/Georgetownduetosprainedankle).
u Ranksamongtop10inschoolhistoryforcareerrebounds(776-7th),fieldgoalattempts(1,164-9th),minutesplayed(3,384-10th),minutespergame(28.4-8th),gamesstarted(115-tied/6th)anddouble-doublesbyaguard(16-1st)…also14thatNotreDamewith1,329careerpoints.
second infieldgoalpercentage (career-high .563/.588 inBIGEAST)andthirdinscoring(11.2ppg.)…alsohasfivedouble-doublesthisseason(threevs.rankedopponents).
u Didnotplayat#22/23St.John’sand#14/2Georgetown,endingstreakof119gamesplayedand73consecutivestarts(latterissixth-longeststreakinschoolhistory).
u Limitedtosixminutesvs.DePaulwithsprainedleftankle.u Scored14ofherteam-high16pointsatCincinnatiinsecond
half(on6-7FG),whileaddinggame-bestthreesteals.u Matched season highs with 18 points and four assists, along
ing up with team highs of 14 points and nine rebounds.u Rolledupfifthdouble-doubleofyear(secondinarowand
thirdinfourgames)withgamehighsof16points(6-8FG)and12 rebounds vs. #16/11WestVirginia; 13of her 16points(andalleightFGattempts)cameinsecondhalf.
u Postedfourthdouble-doubleofseasonwith12points(5-6FG)andgame-high10reboundsatLouisville.
u Made fiveof first six shots againstUSFonway to thirddouble-doubleofseasonwithgamehighsof18points(9-14FG)and13rebounds.
u Shrugged off scoreless first half (due to foul trouble) at
Purdue,scoringall15ofherpoints(6-8FG)afterbreak,while adding four assists and season-high three steals … also came up with clutch offensive rebound from missed freethrowwith10.8secondsleftandIrishupbytwo(wasfouled,made1-2FT).
u Ledthewayinwinover#18/16Vanderbiltwithseasonhighsof 18 points and 14 rebounds, as well as two game-clinching freethrowswith7.3secondsremaining.
u Efficienteffort inwinatUCFwith11points(5-6FG)andsevenreboundsin20minutes.
u Made100thcareerstartvs.Valparaiso,tallyinggame-higheight rebounds.
u Chippedin14pointsandgame-highreboundsvs.IPFW.u Tiedforteam-highscoringhonorsvs.EasternMichiganwith
15 points while also adding seven rebounds.u Slammedthedooroncomebacktryby#20/17Oklahomaat
ParadiseJamwithall11ofherpointsandfiveofsixreboundsin second half.
u Posted season-high 16 points and team-best seven re-bounds inwinover #23/24SanDiegoStateatParadiseJam.
u Postedfirstdouble-doubleofseasonat#21MichiganStatewith 12 points and 14 rebounds.
u Tossedin11points(5-7FG)inopeningnightvictoryoverArkansas-PineBluff.
3-Point Field Goals2,seventimes(MR:vs.Iona,11/22/09)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts6vs.Minnesota(3/22/09)
Free Throws8atSouthFlorida(2/17/09)
Free Throw Attempts12vs.Syracuse(2/24/09)
Steals4,twice(MR:vs.IPFW,12/8/09)
Blocked Shots3atPittsburgh(2/3/09)
Minutes Played37atProvidence(2/28/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................2Double-figurescoringgames ..3420-pointgames ........................3Double-figurereboundgames ...25-assist games ........................25-steal games ..........................0
Awards/Honorsu BIGEASTWeeklyHonorRoll(Feb.15)
Did You Know?u Lastnameispronounced“broo-SHEFF-skee”…nickname
is“Bruiser”,duetoherfearless,physicalstyleofplayandher penchant for leaving teammates and opponents black and blue after a practice or game.
u OneofsevenIrishbasketballplayerswhoalsocompetedin another sport in high school — was a three-time all-state volleyball middle blocker, who still holds school records forcareerkills(2,042)andblocks(452),aswellassingle-seasonkills(657)andblocks(139).
u FirstNotreDamewomen’sbasketballplayerfromnorthwestIndiana, hailing from same area of state as Irish men’s basketballAll-AmericapowerforwardLukeHarangody.
u Piledupeightpoints,fourreboundsandfourassistsinwinoverSouthFlorida.
u Returned tostarting lineup forBIGEASTopenervs.Vil-lanova, scoring seven points.
u DidnotplayatPurdue(illness),snappingstringof43con-secutive starts and 48 consecutive games played … third missed gameof her career (outwith surgically-repairedbrokenfinger-Feb.27&March1,2008vs.SouthFloridaandSetonHall).
u Chalked up 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in winoverValparaiso.
u LedthewayforIrishinwinoverIPFWwith18points,fiveassistsandcareer-high-tyingfourstealsin23minutes.
u Playedonly22minutesvs.EasternMichigandue to foultrouble,butstillscored14points(6-8FG)andgrabbedsixrebounds.
u Snaredgame-highsevenreboundsalongwithsevenpointsinParadiseJamvictoryover#20/17Oklahoma.
u Postedfirstcareer“point-a-minute”gamevs.SouthCarolinawith 11 points in 11 minutes.
u Got Irish off and running in win over Iona, scoring 11 of her 14pointsinfirsthalf.
u Led theway in season opener vs.Arkansas-PineBluff,recordingsecondcareerdouble-double(19p/10r)injust22minutes…alsoscored500thcareerpointincontest.
3-Point Field Goals1,twice(MR:vs.Charlotte,12/20/09)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts2vs.IPFW(12/8/09)
Free Throws2,twice(MR:vs.Charlotte,12/20/09)
Free Throw Attempts4vs.Loyola-Chicago(12/20/08)
Steals2,twice(MR:atUCF,12/29/09)
Blocked ShotsNone
Minutes Played6,twice(MR:atUCF,12/29/09)
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................0Double-figurescoringgames ....020-pointgames ........................0Double-figurereboundgames .....05-assist games ........................05-steal games ..........................0
Did You Know?u Walk-on who was added to roster midway through
last season and has become a favorite of team-mates and fans alike from theminute she firstsuited up for the Irish … latest in tradition of Notre Dame walk-on success stories that also has in-cludedKarenSwanson(1999-2003),AnneWeese(2002-04)andAmandaTsipis(2004-08).
u Outstandingstudent-athletewitha3.508cumula-tiveGPAasamarketingmajorinNotreDame’sMendozaCollege of Business; also named todean’s list in spring 2009with 3.75 semesterGPA.
u SpentfirsttwoyearsasmemberofIrishwomen’sbasketballteam’sSixthManTeam(practicesquadthatismostlycomprisedofmaleplayers).
u CompetedinNotreDame’sworld-famousBook-storeBasketball tournament in2007and2008,leadingteam(nicknamed“SupremeCourt”)to’07semifinalsand’08titlegame(losinginlatteryearto “AnthonyTravel” team that included currentIrishassistant coachAngiePotthoff-Barberandassociate athletics director/women’s basketball administrator Jill Bodensteiner); earnedSports-manshipAwardafter2008tournament.
u ExtensivefamilylegacyatNotreDameandsisterschoolSaintMary’sCollege,withninedifferentrelatives having graduated from one of the two schools.
u RelatedtoDeBartolofamily,whichhasownednu-merous professional sports franchises, including NFL’sSanFrancisco49ersandNHL’sPittsburghPenguins…cousinisJedYork,currently49ersteampresident,whilegodfatherisEdwardJ.De-Bartolo,Jr.,former49ersowner.
2-2FT),finishingwithcareerhighsoffivepointsand two steals.
u Playedcareer-highsixminutesagainstValparaiso,gathering one rebound.
u TiedcareerbestsagainstIPFWwithonereboundand one steal, while setting new personal highs withtwofieldgoal/three-pointattempts.
u SawactioninfinalthreeminutesofwinoverSouthCarolinaatParadiseJam.
u Madeseasondebutvs.Iona,connectingonfirstfieldgoalofhercareer,athree-pointerfromthedeep leftcorner in frontof the Irishbench(andovera6-3postplayer)infinalseconds.
Christiansen Game-by-Game2009-10 ...................MP FG 3FG FT O-R A T B S PtsArk.-PineBluff ............... Didnotplay(injured)atMichiganSt. .............. Did not playIona.............................5 1-1 1-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 0 3vs.SanDiegoSt. .......... Did not playvs.SouthCarolina ......3 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0vs.Oklahoma................ Did not playEasternMichigan .......... Did not playIPFW ...........................5 0-2 0-2 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 1 0Valparaiso ...................6 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0Charlotte .....................5 1-1 1-1 2-2 0-1 0 0 0 2 5atCentralFlorida ........6 1-3 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 2 2Vanderbilt ...................... Did not playatPurdue ...................... Did not playVillanova .....................5 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 1 0 0 2SouthFlorida ..............1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0at Connecticut............... Did not playatLouisville ...............0+ 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0WestVirginia ................ Did not playProvidence..................2 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0atSyracuse................... Did not playatRutgers ..................... Did not playPittsburgh ..................... Did not playat Cincinnati ................1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0DePaul ........................1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0atSt.John’s .................. Did not playat Georgetown .............. Did not playMarquetteatSetonHallConnecticut* - game started
MiscellaneousDouble-doubles .......................4Double-figurescoringgames ..2120-pointgames ........................2Double-figurereboundgames .....65-block games .........................2
Did You Know?u Nicknameis“E”.u PresidentofNotreDame’sStudent-AthleteAdvisoryCouncil
(SAAC)for2009-10afterservingasteam’sSAACrepresen-tative last year.
u Aiming for a career in sports broadcasting, and got started in that direction this past summer as intern in sports depart-mentatWSBT-TV(CBSaffiliate)inSouthBend.
u Also one of two “interns” forWBCA’s nationalwomen’sbasketballpodcast“ShootaroundwithBeth&Debbie,”of-feringregularinsightson2009-10seasonfromaplayer’sperspective.
u AcademicAll-Americanominee(3.33cumulativeGPA)whograduatedJan.3(onesemesterearly)withbachelor’sde-greeinfilm,television&theaterfromNotreDame’sCollegeofArtsandLetters(shepostedperfect4.0GPAsinthefallandsummer2009terms,ontheheelsofa3.533GPAinthespringof2009);hasstartedgraduateworkthisspring.
u Onlymissedtwogamesincollegecareer(Nov.19,2006vs.WesternMichigan-kneeinjury;Dec.2,2009vs.EasternMichigan-coaches’decision).
u Tied foreighth in schoolhistorywith124careerblockedshotsand10thwith1.03careerblocksaverage.
