Jan 11, 2003
By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Tamara James scored 27 points, and Chanivia Broussard had 16 points and eight rebounds as Miami beat No. 16 Notre Dame 80-70 Saturday for its eighth straight victory.
The Hurricanes (11-3, 3-0 Big East) outrebounded the bigger Irish 47-39, including 24 offensive rebounds, and forced 28 turnovers.
Miami beat the Irish (9-4, 1-1) for just the third time in 15 tries and for the first time in South Bend since 1987.
The Irish, who lost 71-54 to Purdue a week ago, dropped two straight home games for the first time since the start of the 1994-95 season. That was also the last time the Irish lost two home games in a season.
The score was tied at 44 at halftime, but Meaghan Saake hit a 3-pointer to start the second half, and the Hurricanes never trailed again. The Irish were down just 57-56 after Jacqueline Batteast scored on a layup with 8:43 left, but Notre Dame didn’t score another basket from the floor until Alicia Ratay hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to cut the lead to 75-66.
Melissa Knight started the decisive 15-5 run by the Hurricanes by hitting a 3-pointer. James hit a pair of 3-pointers as Miami continued to pull away.
Shaquana Wilkins added 10 points for Miami, and Yalonda McCormick had nine assists, seven in the first 13 minutes. She also had four of Miami’s 14 steals.
Teresa Borton led the Irish with 13 points, and Batteast had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Le’Tania Severe scored 12 points, but she also turned the ball over 11 times.
The Hurricanes’ winning streak is their longest since they had a 10-game run during the 1992-93 season.