Dec. 14, 2002
Recap?|? Box Score?|? Photo Gallery
* Notre Dame continued to field the same starting lineup it has used in all but one game this season — sophomore forwards Jacqueline Batteast and Katy Flecky, joined by sophomore center Teresa Borton on the front line. Junior Le’Tania Severe and senior Alicia Ratay comprised the Irish backcourt. Notre Dame is 4-1 this season when it starts this lineup combination.
* Ratay made the 103rd start of her career, breaking a tie with current Notre Dame assistant coach Letitia Bowen for seventh place on the Irish career games started list. Next up is Mary Gavin, who started 105 games in her career from 1984-88.
* Ratay scored a game-high 17 points this afternoon, moving her past Sheila McMillen and into seventh place on Notre Dame career scoring list with 1,452 points. McMillen scored 1,439 points from 1995-99. Next up for Ratay is Sandy Botham, who tallied 1,460 points from 1984-88.
* Notre Dame registered its 31st consecutive non-conference home victory today, extending a streak that dates back more than six years. The last non-conference opponent to win at the Joyce Center was No. 19 Wisconsin, which logged an 81-69 win over the Irish on Dec. 9, 1996.
* The Irish now have won 78 of their last 81 games at the Joyce Center, and improves to 241-66 (.785) all-time at the venerable facility.
* For the third time in six games this season, Notre Dame had five players score in double figures. The Irish also turned that trick in the first two games of the season against Cleveland State and USC. Today’s game also marked the fifth time in six outings that Notre Dame had four or more players crack double digits — the Irish are 5-0 in those games.
* Since joining the BIG EAST Conference for the 1995-96 season, Notre Dame is 84-3 (.966) when scoring at least 80 points in a game. The Irish have topped the 80-point mark three times this season (vs. Cleveland State, Arizona State and Temple).
* Notre Dame improves to 54-17 (.761) all-time against current Atlantic 10 Conference members, including a 24-7 (.774) mark at the Joyce Center.
* Freshman forward Courtney LaVere scored 16 points, two off her season high (18 vs. Cleveland State), and pulled down a season-best nine rebounds (previous high was seven vs. CSU).
* Sophomore guard Kelsey Wicks tallied a season-high 12 points, marking the third double-digit game of her career and her best-ever performance at the Joyce Center. Last season, Wicks scored 16 points at Connecticut and 10 points at Tennessee.
* Junior guard Le’Tania Severe tied her career high with five steals, the third time she has achieved that total, and the first since Jan. 29, 2002 vs. Syracuse.
* Sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast matched her career best with five steals, a mark she previously set against USC on Dec. 9, 2001.
* Freshman guard Megan Duffy scored a season-high five points in a season-best 27 minutes.