Nov. 11, 1998
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Freshman Ericka Haney (Toledo, Ohio) had game-highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds and led four other Irish players in double figures as the 17th-ranked Notre Dame women’s basketball team beat Estonia 88-37 in its final exhibition tuneup before its season opener on Saturday, November 14 against sixth-ranked UCLA.
Haney, who came off the bench and played 30 minutes in the contest, hit nine-of-19 shots from the field. Sheila McMillen (Rochester, Ind.), who had 27 points in Notre Dame’s first exhibition game against Visby-Sweden a week ago, finished with 18 points.
Junior guard Niele Ivey (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded a double-double for the second straight game as she netted 14 points and dished off 11 assists.
Danielle Green (Chicago, Ill.) and Ruth Riley (Macy, Ind.) each came close to a double-double as Green finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Riley added 13 points and nine boards.
Notre Dame dominated the Estonia team from start to finish as the Irish opened up the contest outscoring the visitors 19-2. The Irish held a 60-26 advantage on the boards, forced 19 turnovers and limited Estonia to just 26.3 percent shooting from the field.
Estonia was led by Janne Rits who was the only player in double figures as she finished with 11 points.
Notre Dame, coming off a second consecutive NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 1998-99, will open up the season at home against the sixth-ranked Bruins on Saturday, November 14 at 1:00 p.m. The Irish play four ranked teams in its first seven outings with all four of those contests at home.
Notre Dame is ranked in the preseason for just the second time in its program’s 22-year history. The Irish begin the season 17th in the Associated Press Poll and 19th in the USA Today/ESPN rankings. Both are the highest preseason rankings ever for the Irish.