Feb. 28, 2002
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – With a retooled squad featuring six freshmen, second-seeded Notre Dame will open BIG EAST Championship competition Sunday at 6 p.m. (EST) in the quarterfinal round against either No. 7 seed Syracuse or 10th-seeded West Virginia. When they take the floor at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J., the Irish will be seeking to obtain a prize which has eluded their grasp during their seven-year membership in the BIG EAST – a tournament championship.
Notre Dame (19-8, 13-3 BIG EAST) ended the regular season on a sour note, falling to Villanova, 48-45 last Tuesday night at the Joyce Center. The loss not only snapped a nine-game Irish winning streak, but it also was the first home loss for Notre Dame in more than four seasons, spanning a school-record 51 games. In addition, it was the first conference loss for the Irish at the Joyce Center in the last 32 games.
Junior guard Alicia Ratay led Notre Dame once again with a game-high 22 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 free throws. The Lake Zurich, Ill., product has been red-hot from the line of late, hitting at a 93.1 percent clip (27-29) and will carry a streak of 21 consecutive made free throws into Sunday’s quarterfinal.
Senior guard/forward Ericka Haney added seven points for the Irish, who were limited to their second-lowest point total this season, thanks in large measure to Villanova’s controlled offensive scheme. Still, Notre Dame had an opportunity to tie the score in the waning moments, but a three-point try fell off the rim.
Heading into postseason play, Ratay leads the Irish in scoring at 15.2 ppg., third-best in the BIG EAST. She also leads the league in free throw percentage (.882), and she is second on the club in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and three-point percentage (.415).
Freshman forward Jacqueline Batteast, a six-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, is expected to return to the Notre Dame lineup on Sunday following a four-game absence with a knee injury. Batteast is sixth in the conference in scoring (14.8 ppg.), second in rebounding (8.5 rpg.), third in blocks (1.52 bpg.) and second in double-doubles (11).
Notre Dame defeated both of its potential quarterfinal opponents during the regular season, downing Syracuse (71-46) on Jan. 29, and subduing West Virginia (72-63) on Feb. 19.
– ND –