Feb. 5, 2002
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Junior guard Alicia Ratay scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the second half as Notre Dame recorded the 500th win in school history with a 68-56 triumph over BIG EAST Conference foe Pittsburgh Tuesday night at historic Fitzgerald Field House. The Irish become the 50th team in NCAA history and the fourth BIG EAST school to reach that milestone.
It also was the fourth consecutive victory and 12th in the last 15 games for Notre Dame, which moved into a tie with Boston College for second place in the BIG EAST standings. The Irish and Eagles will square off Sunday at 1 p.m. (EST) at the Joyce Center.
Freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast notched her 10th double-double of the season (and third in as many games) with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Irish. Freshman center Teresa Borton also picked up a double-double, the second of her career, with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. It marks the second time this season in which two Notre Dame players have logged double-dips in the same game.
Laine Selwyn had a double-double for Pittsburgh with 16 points and 10 rebounds. No other player scored in double figures for the Panthers, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field and came out on the short end of a 50-32 rebounding margin.
Notre Dame (14-7, 8-2 BIG EAST) never trailed in the game, although it never led by more than six points in the first seven minutes of play. Pittsburgh pulled even twice in the early going, the last on a layup by Allisha Morris that forged a 19-19 draw.
The Irish offense then erupted, firing off a 21-6 run that featured eight points from Ratay and seven from Batteast. A pair of free throws by Ratay gave Notre Dame its largest lead of the night at 40-25 with 3:49 remaining in the first half. However, the visitors would then go scoreless the rest of the period, while the Panthers sliced the deficit to 40-31 at halftime. Still, the Irish shot a solid 48.5 percent in the opening 20 minutes to take the lead at the break for the 13th time in 21 games this season.
As hot as Notre Dame was from the field in the first half, it went cold in the second stanza, misfiring on 11 of its first 14 shots. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh (6-15, 1-9) continued to doggedly stick with the Irish and eventually pulled within 50-46 when Bettina Love converted a fast break layup 8:04 to play. Yet, that would be as close as the Panthers would get in the contest.
Following a quick 30-second timeout, Notre Dame went to work, going on a 15-4 run to finally put an end to Pittsburgh’s upset hopes. Ratay tallied nine points in the spurt that opened up a 65-50 lead and sealed the 11th consecutive victory for the Irish over the Panthers. Ratay also moved into 14th place on Notre Dame’s career scoring list with 1,196 points, passing Krissi Davis (1,194 points from 1987-91).
– ND –