Feb. 2, 2008
CINCINNATI (AP) – Charel Allen scored 16 points Saturday and led a pivotal run that swept No. 20 Notre Dame to 73-41 victory over Cincinnati.
Freshman Devereaux Peters scored 12 points as a reserve, and Tulyah Gaines and Ashley Barlow each added 11 to help Notre Dame (17-5, 5-3 BIG EAST) get back-to-back wins after consecutive losses.
Jill Stephens scored 14 points, and Kahla Roudebush had 11 for Cincinnati (10-11, 1-8), which has lost seven in a row and eight of its last nine.
Allen scored on a pull-up jumper, then stole the ball and fed Gaines for a layup to spark a 21-0 run that started late in the first half and continued after halftime, stretching a total of 12 minutes and 17 seconds. The run put Notre Dame in control at 38-26.
Roudebush scored four points on a pair of pull-up jumpers during a 9-0 Cincinnati run that gave the Bearcats their biggest lead, 26-17. Gaines scored four points in a 9-0 Notre Dame spurt that closed the half and tied it at 26.
Cincinnati missed its first five shots of the second half and committed eight turnovers while Notre Dame completed its decisive run. Cincinnati didn’t score in the first seven minutes of the second half.
— ND —
POST GAME NOTES: Notre Dame collects its ninth 30-point win of the season, one short of the school record set during the 2000-01 national championship season … the Irish hold an opponent to less than 60 points for the 15th time this season (14-1 record), and held the opposition to 50 points or fewer for the eighth time (8-0 record) … UC’s 41 points were the fewest allowed by Notre Dame in BIG EAST play since March 1, 2005, when the Irish took a 41-35 win at Seton Hall … the 32-point winning margin is the largest for Notre Dame over a BIG EAST opponent since Feb. 25, 2004, when the Irish downed #21/19 Miami (Fla.), 93-58 at the Joyce Center … it’s also the largest winning margin for Notre Dame in a BIG EAST road game since Jan. 9, 2001, when the Irish took an 84-49 victory at St. John’s … the 21-0 run by the Irish was their longest stretch of unanswered points since Dec. 13, 2003, when they opened the game on a 26-0 run vs. Dayton en route to a 78-41 win at the Joyce Center … Notre Dame’s bench has outscored all 22 opponents’ reserve units this season; in fact, the Irish bench actually outscored the entire Cincinnati team in the second half, 16-15 … Notre Dame moves to 4-0 all-time against Cincinnati, posting the largest winning margin in the series (none of the previous three games were decided by more than 11 points) … the Irish improve to 15-2 all-time in the city of Cincinnati, and haven’t lost in the Queen City since March 28, 1997, when #10/11 Tennessee defeated #15/14 Notre Dame, 80-66 in the NCAA Women’s Final Four at Riverfront Coliseum … the Irish had only 10 turnovers, tying their second-lowest giveaway total of the season (three at #3 Maryland on Nov. 16; 10 vs. #rv/25 DePaul on Jan. 22) … Notre Dame had at least four double-figure scorers for the 13th time this season (12-1 record) … Notre Dame has shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line in all eight BIG EAST games this season, including five games at 75 percent or better from the charity stripe … senior guard Charel Allen posted her 71st career double-figure scoring game, breaking a tie for ninth place in school history with Shari Matvey (1979-83) and Sheila McMillen (1995-99) … senior guard Tulyah Gaines continued her career-long habit of bedeviling Cincinnati; in three career outings, she is averaging 17.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists with a .556 field goal percentage (15-of-27) and .880 free throw percentage (22-of-25) against the Bearcats … sophomore center Erica Williamson’s eight rebounds were one off her season high (nine in the season opener vs. Miami-Ohio on Nov. 9) … former Notre Dame point guard Mollie Peirick (1994-98) and forward Letitia Bowen (1991-95) were among a sizeable contingent of Irish fans who attended Saturday’s game.