Feb. 14, 2001
By JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Ruth Riley had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Ericka Haney had 16 points and eight rebounds as top-ranked Notre Dame beat Syracuse 75-61 Wednesday night.
It was the 12th straight road victory for the Irish (23-0, 12-0 Big East), the last remaining unbeaten team in the nation, and the third straight loss for the Orangewomen (10-12, 4-8).
The Irish have become accustomed to jumping out to early leads, and this game followed the pattern, thanks in part to the absence of two key Syracuse players. Center Leigh Aziz, Syracuse’s leading rebounder, sat out with a broken finger, and guard Jakia Ervin, who leads the Orangewomen in assists, was sidelined by an injured knee.
That made it easier for the Irish, who outrebounded Syracuse 40-26, 15-9 on the offensive glass.
Beth Record led Syracuse with 25 points, Leaf Newman had 10, and Paula Moore, Julie McBride and Jaime James each had eight. Kelley Siemon had 12 points and Alicia Ratay 10 for Notre Dame.
After James hit a 3-pointer for Syracuse to tie the game at 6, the Irish began to steadily pull away. Riley scored six points and Ratay hit a baseline jumper to give Notre Dame a 14-6 lead just six minutes into the game.
The Orangewomen stayed in the game with 3-pointers – they were 5-for-16 in the first half – instead of trying to penetrate inside against the 6-foot-5 Riley and the tough Irish zone.
But after Riley’s three-point play put Notre Dame ahead 22-11 with 11:10 left, Syracuse finally found success inside. Layups by Chineze Nwagbo, Record and Newman moved the Orangewomen within 30-24 with 5:59 to go.
Syracuse then suddenly went cold, missing five straight shots, and Notre Dame took a 37-24 lead on Haney’s driving layup with 50 seconds left. James’ 3-pointer moved Syracuse within 37-27 at halftime.
Down but not out, Syracuse kept it close at the start of the second half behind Record, who scored 18 points in the period. Record hit twice in the first minute, fed Moore for a pretty layup and converted a follow shot to move Syracuse to 43-37 with 16:18 remaining.
But Riley’s third three-point play of the game got the Irish going again. Moore’s layup at 13:25 moved Syracuse back to 50-41, but the Orangewomen never got closer the remainder of the game.