Feb. 2, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five-time BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week Jacqueline Batteast notched her ninth double-double of the season with game highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds to pace Notre Dame to a 65-60 victory over a scrappy Seton Hall squad Saturday afternoon at Walsh Gym in South Orange, N.J. The win was the third in a row and 11th in the last 14 games for the Irish, and represented the 499th triumph in the 25-year history of the Notre Dame women’s basketball program.
Junior guard Alicia Ratay added 10 points and freshman forward Katy Flecky matched her career high with nine points for the Irish (13-7, 7-2 BIG EAST), who remain only one-half game behind Boston College for second place in the conference standings. Notre Dame also received another solid performance from its freshman class, as the Irish kiddie corps accounted for 44 points and 26 rebounds in the victory.
Seton Hall (11-10, 3-7) dropped its 11th consecutive game to the Irish despite a team-high 19 points from Cecilia Lindqvist. Susan Murray tallied 12 points and Melissa Langelier chipped in with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Pirates. SHU held Notre Dame to its lowest shooting percentage of the season (.321), but suffered in the rebounding column, coming out on the short end of a 46-29 count on the glass.
The Irish fielded their sixth different starting lineup this season when curfew violations resulted in four of the regular Notre Dame starters losing their game-opening assignments. In their places, Flecky and classmate Kelsey Wicks, along with junior Karen Swanson all earned their first starting nods for the Irish.
The makeshift lineup caused Notre Dame to struggle in the first half, as the Irish could not find their offensive rhythm. Seton Hall took full advantage of Notre Dame’s early troubles, building a pair of 10-point leads, the last on a Simona Burgess free throw which resulted in a 21-11 Pirate edge at the 8:24 mark.
However, the Irish rallied back with an 11-2 run, tying the game at 23-23 on a three-pointer by Wicks from the right corner with 1:21 remaining in the period. After trading a pair of free throws, Seton Hall regained the lead at the half when Lindqvist drained a trey with one second left for a 28-25 advantage.
Notre Dame stormed from the gate in the second half, going on a 13-5 run to take a 38-33 lead when Ratay buried a three-pointer at the 13:53 junction. The Pirates fought back to tie the score three times in the next two minutes before Langelier rang up a triple to put the hosts back in front, 46-43 with 10:39 to go.
A pair of free throws by junior center Amanda Barksdale and a layup by senior guard/forward Ericka Haney briefly gave the Irish a one-point lead, but Murray knocked down two charities for a 48-47 SHU edge with 8:31 to play. However, Notre Dame was able to finally wrestle away the lead for good when Ratay canned two free throws and Batteast followed with a clutch three-point basket to put the Irish on top, 52-48 with just over five minutes remaining.
Seton Hall made one last charge, cutting a seven-point deficit to three when Burgess hit a driving layup and was fouled with 12.3 seconds left. However, she could not complete the old-fashioned three-point play and Batteast drilled two free throws to ice the win after she was fouled on the rebound. Notre Dame wound up doing much of its damage at the free throw line, making a season-high 26 charity tosses on 34 attempts (.765), including eight of 10 tries in the final 85 seconds.
Notre Dame will look to become the 50th school in NCAA history, and fourth BIG EAST institution to log 500 career wins when it travels to Pittsburgh Tuesday for a 7 p.m. (EST) matchup with the Panthers at historic Fitzgerald Field House.
– ND –