Feb. 16, 2000
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) – Ruth Riley had 14 points to lead four players in double figures and fifth-ranked Notre Dame had a big second half on its way to a 70-52 victory over Villanova Wednesday night.
The Irish held Villanova to just four field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half and had runs of 8-0 and 9-2 to open a 26-point advantage.
Danielle Green scored 13 points, Alicia Ratay 12 and Ericka Haney 10 for Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0 Big East), which has won 18 league games in a row.
Jen Skeeters scored 17 points and Trish Juhline added 13, including three 3-pointers, for Villanova (14-9, 7-5). The Wildcats are 2-3 against ranked opponents.
The Irish led 33-23 at halftime. Riley had six points during an 8-0 run that put Notre Dame ahead 46-29. Green gave Notre Dame its largest lead of the game at 65-39 with a fast-break layup after a steal with 3:57 left.
Although Villanova stayed close for the first 18 minutes of the first half, Notre Dame scored the last eight points of the half to take a 10-point advantage into the break. Riley had seven points in the half for the Irish, who made 50 percent of their shots.
Skeeters had 15 points and Juhline eight to account for all of Villanova’s first-half scoring. Villanova connected on only 17-of-58 shots (29 percent) in the game.