NOTRE DAME-VILLANOVA CONNECTIONS

IF NOTRE DAME WINS ...

IRISH INJURY REPORT (as of March 8)
Junior G Jeneka Joyce - leg injuries, out indefinitely

IRISH AT THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
Notre Dame is participating in its eighth BIG EAST Championship this weekend and has compiled an 12-7 (.632) record to date. The Irish have reached at least the semifinals in six of the last seven years and made the title game four times (1996, '97, '99 and 2001), falling to Connecticut in each of those finals. Notre Dame won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship five times in its seven years in the league, with the last Irish conference tournament title coming in 1994. A complete listing of Notre Dame's appearances in the BIG EAST Championship may be found in the sidebar on page 6.

RATAY RIGHT AT HOME AT "THE RAC"
In a career filled with memorable moments, senior guard Alicia Ratay has saved some of her best games for Rutgers' Louis Brown Athletic Center (formerly known as "the RAC"). In five career outings at the venerable facility (including Saturday night's BIG EAST Championship opener vs. Pittsburgh), the Lake Zurich, Ill., sharpshooter is averaging 20.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting a blistering 55.4 percent from the floor and 54.8 percent from the three-point line. She has scored 25-or-more points in three of those games and twice hit a career-high seven three-point field goals in a game at the arena.

One of those games stands out above the rest -- in her first visit to the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Feb. 19, 2000 vs. Rutgers, Ratay pumped in 26 points and nailed all seven of her three-point attempts, including two treys in the final 16 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where the Irish prevailed, 78-74.

TRIO OF IRISH PLAYERS HONORED AT BIG EAST AWARDS BANQUET
Three Notre Dame women's basketball players were honored Friday night at the BIG EAST Conference Championship awards banquet, which was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, N.J.

Sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast was named a second-team all-BIG EAST selection for the second consecutive season. The South Bend native has averaged a team-high 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, along with eight double-doubles and five 20-point games. She ranks among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, steals (2.18 spg.), blocked shots (1.5 bpg.) and double- doubles, while scoring in double figures in 25 of 28 games.

Senior guard Alicia Ratay was an honorable mention all-conference selection, earning a spot on an all-BIG EAST team for the third consecutive season (third team - 2001, first team - 2002). She ranks third on the team at 12.1 points per game, and is second with a .464 three-point percentage. Ratay holds the Notre Dame records for career three-point field goals (256) and three-point percentage (.478), as well as career free throw percentage (.872) -- the latter marks ranks in the top 10 in NCAA history. In addition, Ratay closed out her BIG EAST career tied for the league's all-time best free throw percentage, hitting on 87.3 percent of her foul shots. She has scored in double figures 18 times this season, including five 20-point games.

Besides winning all-conference honors, Ratay was lauded as the Aeropostale/ BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She is a three-time Dean's List honoree and four-time conference Academic All-Star Team member. With her start vs. Pittsburgh in Saturday night's BIG EAST Championship opener, Ratay broke Ruth Riley's school record for career starts, cracking the lineup for the 125th time. Ratay holds a 3.5 grade-point average with a double major in psychology and education, and she ranks fourth in school history with 1,715 career points. Ratay is the second Notre Dame player in three years to be named the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year -- Riley was accorded the honor in 2001. Ratay will receive a $2,000 scholarship which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.

Freshman forward Courtney LaVere rounded out the trio of Irish award winners on Friday, earning a spot on the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. LaVere ranks second on the team in field goal percentage (.511), scoring (12.5 ppg.) and rebounding (5.7 rpg.), placing among the top 20 in the BIG EAST in the latter two categories. She also posted five double-doubles, five 20-point games and scored in double figures 18 times this season. LaVere is the third Irish freshman in the last four seasons to be selected to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team -- Ratay made the squad in 2000, and Batteast was a unanimous pick in 2002 en route to winning the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year award.

POWER POINTS
Despite its earlier struggles this season, Notre Dame remains firmly in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. According to the March 6 Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings compiled by Richie Summerville and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Irish are 25th in the nation, while their schedule strength is rated No. 26 in the land. In addition, Notre Dame is one of six BIG EAST Conference schools ranked in the top 30 of the WBCA/ Summerville RPI (#2 Connecticut, #6 Villanova, #11 Rutgers, #14 Boston College and #26 Virginia Tech are the others). The Irish already have a road win to their credit over Villanova (58-56 on Jan. 25).

As a league, the BIG EAST ranks fifth in the country, trailing only the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-10, and leading the Big 12. In addition, the BIG EAST posted a 114-38 (.750) record against non-conference opponents this season, the best mark in league history. That includes an 8-2 record against the Pac-10 and a 7-3 record against the ACC.

FEELING TRENDY?
Here are some of the more interesting trends to note regarding the Irish in 2002- 03 (a complete listing of other Irish tendencies may be found in the page 11 sidebar):

TAKING THE IRISH TO BLOCK
Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks 16th nationally with 5.07 blocked shots per game this season. The Irish are led by a trio of players who are averaging nearly one block per game - sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast at 1.5 bpg., sophomore center Teresa Borton at 1.29 bpg. and freshman forward Courtney LaVere at 0.93 bpg.. Batteast also averaged a team-high 1.63 rejections in BIG EAST games this season.

WE DO WINDOWS
Rebounding has been a key to Notre Dame's success this season. The Irish are 15-2 when they outrebound their opponent, with their only losses coming on the road at Virginia Tech and Connecticut. The latter contest was significant because, even in defeat, Notre Dame became just the third team all season to beat the Huskies on the boards (the others are Tennessee and Virginia Tech). For the season, the Irish are averaging 38.0 rebounds per game, good for fifth in the BIG EAST Conference, and own a +3.0 rpg. margin, sixth-best in the league.

Individually, sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 8.3 rebounds per game, including 11.4 rpg. in her last five outings. She also pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds on Feb. 23 at No. 1 Connecticut, logging the most boards by an Irish player since Ruth Riley had 18 vs. Duke on Nov. 21, 1998. It was the highest rebounding total by any individual in a BIG EAST game this season. Freshman forward Courtney LaVere is the other Notre Dame player currently ranked among the top 20 in the BIG EAST in rebounding - she is 19th with 5.7 caroms per contest.

A WELL-BALANCED DIET
Notre Dame has benefited this season from a well-balanced offense, one that has seen at least three players score in double figures in 22 of 28 games (and 17 of 19 wins). In addition, the Irish have had four players reach double digits in 11 games this season (Cleveland State, USC, Valparaiso, Arizona State, Temple, Miami, Georgetown, St. John's, Connecticut and Pittsburgh (twice)) and had five double-figure scorers on six occasions (Cleveland State, USC, Temple, Miami, Georgetown and Pittsburgh). The last time Notre Dame had five double-figure scorers six times in the same season was 1998-99, when the Irish turned the trick seven times (vs. UCLA, San Francisco, Toledo, South Florida, Seton Hall, St. John's and Syracuse).

As you might expect, Notre Dame has three players averaging in double figures for the season. Sophomore forward and All-America candidate Jacqueline Batteast has been the pacesetter at 14.9 ppg., followed by freshman forward Courtney LaVere, who averages 12.5 points per game. Last year's leading scorer, senior guard Alicia Ratay is third at 12.1 ppg. this season.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Taking their offensive balance to another level, the Irish have had six different players score at least 20 points in a game this season - Jacqueline Batteast (five times), Courtney LaVere (four times), Alicia Ratay (three times), Le'Tania Severe (twice), Teresa Borton (once) and Katy Flecky (once). No other team in the BIG EAST Conference can make that claim, and only one other school in the nation has done so this year - No. 21/22 Wisconsin-Green Bay.

CHARITY STRIPERS
The free throw line has been a very friendly place for Notre Dame this season. The Irish rank second in the BIG EAST Conference and 37th in the nation with a .743 free throw percentage, a far cry from their .673 mark last season (ND's lowest in 15 years). Notre Dame has shot 75 percent or better at the charity stripe 11 times this season, highlighted by its 95-percent efficiency rate (19- 20) Jan. 14 at St. John's. That was the highest free throw percentage by an Irish squad since Dec. 1, 1993, when Notre Dame connected at a school-record .960 clip (24-25) in a win over Marquette.

Leading the Irish assault from the line has been senior guard Alicia Ratay, who leads the BIG EAST and ranks 11th in the nation with an .884 free throw percentage. That should come as no surprise, because Ratay ranks sixth in NCAA history with an .872 career free throw ratio (375-430). However, Ratay is only one of four Notre Dame players who are shooting 70 percent or better at the stripe this year - junior guard Le'Tania Severe is second at .821 (5th in the BIG EAST), followed by freshman guard Megan Duffy (.714) and sophomore center Teresa Borton (.702).

The free throw percentages for Borton and Severe have been among the most pleasant developments for the Irish. Borton has improved her free throw efficiency by almost 23 percent over last year's mark (.474), and has been especially strong of late, making 23 of her last 27 charity tosses dating back to the Providence game (Feb. 16). Meanwhile, Severe came into this season with a .651 career free throw ratio and has raised that mark by more than 17 percent this year. Duffy has been a study in contrasts at the line, starting the year below 60 percent (16-27), but lifting that mark considerably in the last six weeks by connecting at an .864 clip (19-22) from the stripe.

Freshman forward Courtney LaVere added to Notre Dame's free throw resurgence on Jan. 25 with her 12-for-16 performance from the foul line at Villanova. Her 12 made free throws were an Irish freshman record and tied for the fifth-highest total in school history. In addition, her 16 free throw attempts matched the fourth-highest single-game mark in the Notre Dame record book.

ROAD WARRIORS
In a surprising reversal of fortune this season, Notre Dame has had nearly as much success on the road as it has at home. The Irish are 10-5 this year on hostile ground (9-4 road, 1-1 neutral), compared to a 9-4 record at the Joyce Center. That's a far cry from last season's road woes when Notre Dame lost its first five games outside the Joyce Center and finished with a 7-9 record in road/ neutral site games. Conversely, the Irish went 13-1 at home last year, winning their first 13 games at the Joyce Center before a season-ending three-point loss to Villanova.

The Irish have won 15 of their last 22 regular-season games outside the Joyce Center, including 13 of their last 18. Of those last 18 regular-season games in hostile territory, the only blemishes on that record came earlier this year against teams that currently are ranked or receiving votes in one or both of the major national polls - DePaul, No. 3/3 Tennessee (neutral site), No. 24/23 Boston College, Virginia Tech and No. 1/1 Connecticut.

THE BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST
Notre Dame is 112-24 (.824) in regular-season competition against the rest of BIG EAST Conference, owning the best conference winning percentage of any current member of the BIG EAST since joining the circuit for the 1995-96 campaign. The Irish also have won 67 of their last 81 regular-season conference games, and claimed a share of their first-ever BIG EAST regular-season championship in 2001. When including postseason competition (BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments), Notre Dame is 125-31 (.801) against league opponents - when factoring in these 19 postseason tilts, the Irish are 61-7 (.897) at home, 51-20 (.718) on the road and 13-7 (.650) at neutral sites all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.

TAKING THAT FIRST STEP
With its win at Providence on Feb. 16, Notre Dame clinched a winning record for the 2002-03 season, marking the 23rd time in the 26-year history of the program that the Irish have finished at or above .500 for the season. The success has been even more impressive under current head coach Muffet McGraw - Notre Dame has had just one losing season during her 16-year tenure (14-17 in 1991-92), and still advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season after winning the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament.

RETURN OF THE RALLY MONKEY
Three times this season, Notre Dame has rallied from a double-digit deficit to record a victory. The Irish posted their largest comeback in more than a year when they rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to knock off previously unbeaten West Virginia, 66-59, on Jan. 8 in Morgantown. The WVU win was the biggest comeback for Notre Dame since it set a NCAA Final Four record by erasing a 16-point deficit in a 90-75 win over Connecticut on March 30, 2001 in St. Louis.

The Irish then pulled another rabbit out of their collective hat on Feb. 16 at Providence, wiping out a 10-point first-half blemish to notch a 67-61 victory over the Friars. And, as if that weren't enough, Notre Dame climbed out of a pair of 12-point first-half holes to defeat Seton Hall, 62-60, on March 1. The victory over SHU marked the sixth time in the last three years the Irish have won after trailing by double digits. In addition to the aforementioned games, Notre Dame rallied from 12 points down to defeat Purdue in the 2001 NCAA championship game, and came back from a pair of 10-point deficits to win at Seton Hall on Feb. 2, 2002.

CLOSE SHAVES
Six times this season, Notre Dame has been involved in games decided by five points or less, with the Irish posting a superb 4-2 record in these contests. Notre Dame pulled out narrow victories over Colorado State (46-45), Villanova (58-56), West Virginia (69-64) and Seton Hall (62-60), but came up just short against Rutgers (64-61) and Virginia Tech (53-50). However, a close game shouldn't come as any surprise to Irish fans. Over the last three seasons, their club has played 17 games that were decided by five points or less, going 9-8 in those contests. The Colorado State nail-biter was the first one-point win for Notre Dame since a 63-62 squeaker over Villanova on Dec. 12, 1998 at the Joyce Center.

During the 16-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw, the Irish have posted a 34-40 (.459) record in games decided by five points or less, including a 16-14 (.533) mark since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995-96.

In a related note, Notre Dame has played 14 games this season which were decided by 10 points or less. The Irish are a stellar 11-3 in those games, including wins in each of their last four games (vs. Pittsburgh, 77-69; vs. Seton Hall, 62-60; at Syracuse, 62-54; vs. Pittsburgh, 73-65).

THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLENNIUM
Notre Dame played the 750th game in the program's history on Jan. 29 at Boston College. The Irish have an all-time record of 525-235 (.691) in 26 seasons of varsity competition. Included in that record are 17 20-win seasons (13 under current head coach Muffet McGraw), nine NCAA Tournament appearances, four trips to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, two Final Four berths and the 2001 NCAA championship. However, what may be most impressive about Notre Dame's women's basketball program is the fact that the Irish have had exactly three losing seasons (1980- 81, 1986-87 and 1991-92) in their 26 years of existence.

DIGGER AND ME
With a 75-68 Irish win at Marquette on New Year's Eve, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw joined Digger Phelps as the only Irish basketball coaches (men's or women's) to collect 350 victories at the school. McGraw is 361-136 (.726) in 16 seasons at Notre Dame, while Phelps posted a 393-197 (.666) mark in 20 years at the helm of the Irish men's basketball program.

In addition, McGraw has the third-highest winning percentage of any basketball coach at Notre Dame (men's or women's) with at least five years of service, and her .726 ratio is the best by any coach in the last 60 years. Only men's coaches Bertram G. Maris (.794 from 1907-12) and George Keogan (.771 from 1923-43) have had more success at Notre Dame over an extended period than McGraw.

QUEEN OF THE LONG BALL
With three three-pointers in her final home game against Seton Hall on March 1, senior guard Alicia Ratay broke Sheila McMillen's school record for career treys (249 from 1995-99). Ratay's record-breaking three-pointer came from the right wing with 18:42 remaining in the game and was part of a game-high 20-point performance for the Lake Zurich, Ill., native. Ratay now has 256 career three- pointers and owns the top two three-point records in school history - she already holds the Notre Dame record for career three-point percentage (.478), a mark which also would qualify as the best ratio in NCAA history.

THE BATTEAST 500
Sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast scored the 500th point of her career on Dec. 31 at Marquette. She now has 775 points in only 54 career games (14.4 ppg.), making her the fourth-fastest player to reach the 500-point mark in school history. A total of 13 players have scored their 500th point in less than two seasons at Notre Dame, although only five have done so in less than 40 career games (including Batteast and senior guard Alicia Ratay, who did it in 35 games).

CATCH HER IF YOU CAN
Junior guard Le'Tania Severe has evolved into a major contributor at both ends of the floor for Notre Dame this season. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., product ranks among the leaders in the BIG EAST Conference in assists (11th, 3.89 apg.), steals (6th, 2.18 spg.) and free throw percentage (5th, .821). However, she also has displayed a nose for the basket, ranking sixth on the team with 7.5 points per game, easily exceeding her career scoring average of 4.6 ppg. entering this season. In addition, Severe has scored in double figures 10 times this year (including a career-high 21 points at West Virginia), after reaching double digits seven times in her first two seasons at Notre Dame.

At the same time, Severe's prowess on the defensive end of the court was evident against Georgetown, as she racked up a career-high eight steals. That tied for the second-most thefts ever by an Irish player in a single game, and it was the most since current Notre Dame assistant coach Coquese Washington also had eight steals against Stanford on Nov. 24, 1991.

However, Severe's main objective has been distributing the ball to her teammates, a job she has done quite well this season. She has logged five-or-more handouts in 11 games this year, including four of her last six games. Severe charted a season-high eight assists in the regular-season finale at Syracuse, and she now is averaging 6.0 apg. in her last four contests. In addition, she owns a team-best 1.11 assist/turnover ratio.

WISH THEY ALL COULD BE CALIFORNIA GIRLS
Despite having to adjust to the faster college game, not to mention the unfamiliar winter weather of South Bend, freshman forward Courtney LaVere has made a significant impact in her first season at Notre Dame. The Ventura, Calif., native ranks second on the team in field goal percentage (.511), scoring (12.5 ppg.) and rebounding (5.7 rpg.), ranking 19th in the BIG EAST Conference in the latter two categories. In addition, she has five double-doubles to her credit, with three of her double-dips coming against ranked opponents (No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Purdue and No. 20 Villanova).

LaVere began the season in fine fashion, coming off the bench to score 18 points in Notre Dame's 107-65 rout of Cleveland State. That was the highest- scoring debut for an Irish freshman since current senior guard Alicia Ratay tallied 18 points at Toledo in 1999. As it turned out, that would be just the beginning for LaVere, who has scored in double figures 16 times, earned game-high scoring honors five times and has a team-high five 20-point games this season. She tallied a season-high 23 points twice this year (vs. Purdue and Rutgers) and chalked up a season-best 12 rebounds at Villanova.

LaVere also was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on March 3 after carding 17 points and 4.5 rebounds in wins over Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. In the latter game, she scored a game-high 20 points, including the tying layup with 7.8 seconds to play. LaVere has been stellar down the stretch, averaging 15 points with a .577 field goal percentage in her last five games.

RATAY ERUPTS FROM THE LAND OF PLENTY
Senior guard Alicia Ratay was virtually unstoppable from the perimeter on Feb. 16 at Providence, connecting on 7-of-9 three-point tries and finishing with a season-high 30 points in a 67-61 Irish victory. Ratay was 9-of-12 overall from the field, and her seven treys marked the fourth time in her career she rolled a lucky seven from beyond the arc. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native had a chance to break Sheila McMillen's school record of eight triples (vs. St. John's, 2/28/98), but one three-pointer was wiped out by a three-second violation and she had a toe on the line when she nailed another. The BIG EAST Conference record for three- pointers in a game is nine, held by Christine Lambert of West Virginia.

COOL AS ICE
Twice this season, senior guard Alicia Ratay has added chapters to her ever- growing legend at Notre Dame. On Dec. 23, she buried two free throws with 9.3 seconds left to defeat Colorado State, 46-45. It wasn't the first time the Lake Zurich, Ill., product had stepped up in the clutch. Then, just over a month later on Jan. 25 at No. 20 Villanova, she canned a jumper in the lane with 48 seconds remaining to break a 53-53 tie and propel the Irish to the victory.

Late-game heroics have been nothing new for Ratay, who has been tough in the clutch ever since her freshman season. As a rookie playing at No. 8 Rutgers in 2000, Ratay set a BIG EAST Conference record by going 7-for-7 from three-point range, including two treys in the final 16 seconds of the contest with the Irish trailing by six. She went on to finish with 26 points and 10 rebounds as Notre Dame pulled out a 78-74 overtime win.

Last season, Ratay nearly topped herself in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals vs. Syracuse. With the Irish trailing by 16 points and only 3:52 left, Ratay scored 17 of the next 19 Notre Dame points, including nine in a span of 18 seconds, to single-handedly spark a 19-5 run that pulled her team within 81-79 with 18 seconds remaining. However, Syracuse finally forced a Ratay miss and hit three free throws to save the victory.

Muffet McGraw can pick up her 450th career victory in her 21st season as a collegiate mentor.

RATAY'S MILESTONE WATCH
Senior guard Alicia Ratay is on the threshold of several other career milestones in 2002-03. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native reached her first landmark at Valparaiso, becoming the fifth player in school history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in her career. She also is the second Irish player in three seasons to attain that feat, following Kelley Siemon, who completed the hat trick when she scored her 1,000th point in Notre Dame's NCAA championship game win over Purdue in 2001. The others in this elite group are Beth Morgan (1993-97), current Irish assistant coach Letitia Bowen (1991-95) and Trena Keys (1982-86). Ratay currently has 1,715 points, 641 rebounds and 235 assists, becoming the sixth Irish player to score 1,500 points with 14 points at West Virginia Jan. 8.

Ratay conquered another landmark on March 1 vs. Seton Hall, setting a new Notre Dame record for career three-point field goals with 256, surpassing the standard previously held by Sheila McMillen (249 from 1995-99). Ratay needs five treys to move into the top 35 on the NCAA career three-point list.

Some other milestones also are within Ratay's reach. She ranks fourth on the Irish all-time scoring list with 1,715 points, having passed Karen Robinson (1987-91) for the No. 4 spot with four points at Virginia Tech. In addition, Ratay has been one of the most durable players in school history, appearing in all 126 Irish games in her career and starting all but one (2001 Senior Night vs. Georgetown). She broke the Notre Dame record for career starts when she debuted vs. Pittsburgh in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship, and she can attain the games played record with another seven appearances this year.

Ratay already holds the Irish career marks for free throw (.872) and three- point field goal (.478) percentages, records which would rank among the top 10 in NCAA history. In fact, if her career ended today, Ratay's three-point percentage would stand as the best in women's college basketball history, and her free throw ratio would be sixth in NCAA annals. For a complete rundown of Ratay's place in the Notre Dame and national record books, please see the charts in the page 9 sidebar.

RATAY SELECTED TO VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SECOND TEAM
For the second consecutive season, senior guard Alicia Ratay has been selected to the Verizon Academic All-District V University Division Second Team, it was announced Feb. 20. She holds a 3.483 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) with a double major in psychology and education.

With Ratay's back-to-back selections, the Irish now have had three women's basketball student-athletes earn district academic recognition in the last three seasons. Ruth Riley was a first-team all-district choice in 2001, paving the way for her eventual selection as the Verizon Academic All-America® Women's Basketball Team Member of the Year, as well as the overall Verizon Academic All- America® Team Member of the Year.

NOTRE DAME HAD REASON TO BE THANKFUL AFTER FALL SEASONS
Irish teams turned in exceptional performances during the 2002 fall sports season. All six of Notre Dame's fall sports (football, volleyball, men's/women's soccer, men's/women's cross country) qualified for postseason play, headlined by a third-place finish for the women's cross country squad at the NCAA Championships, an NCAA quarterfinal finish for the women's soccer team, and a Gator Bowl berth and No. 9 BCS ranking for the football team. In fact, Notre Dame was the only school in the nation to have all six of those fall sports qualify for the postseason.

Thanks to its successful finishes in the fall, Notre Dame moved into third place in the latest NACDA Directors' Cup standings (see sidebar on page 16).

HALF AND HALF
Over the last three seasons, Notre Dame has been nearly unbeatable when it has the lead at halftime. The Irish are 61-4 (.938) since the start of the 2000-01 campaign (14-3 this season) when they go into the dressing room with the lead.

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE ...
Over the last eight seasons, Notre Dame has discovered that a solid defensive effort can almost certainly guarantee a victory. In fact, since the beginning of the 1995-96 season (Notre Dame's first in the BIG EAST Conference), the Irish have an amazing 112-3 (.974) record when they hold their opponents to less than 60 points in a game. The only times that notion didn't come to pass were on Feb. 17, 2001 (Rutgers 54-53), Feb. 26, 2002 (Villanova 48-45) and Feb. 9, 2003 (Virginia Tech 53-50). Notre Dame has added 10 wins to that count this season with victories over USC, Arizona State, IPFW, Colorado State, West Virginia, St. John's (twice), Villanova, Georgetown and Syracuse.

... BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCORE IF YOU WANT TO WIN
Not resting solely on its defensive laurels, Notre Dame also seemingly has found the magic mark when it comes to outscoring its opponents. Over the last eight seasons (1995-96 to present), the Irish are 85-3 (.966) when they score at least 80 points in a game. The only blemishes on that record are a pair of overtime losses to Texas A&M (88-84) and Michigan State (87-83) in 1995 and a 106-81 loss to Connecticut in 1998. Notre Dame has added four wins to that total this year with its victories over Cleveland State, Arizona State, Temple and IPFW.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Notre Dame has two captains this season - senior guard Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and junior guard Le'Tania Severe (Pembroke Pines, Fla.).They are the 34th and 35th different players to serve as captains for the Irish in the 26-year history of the program (not including the 1986-87 season, when captains were chosen on a game-by-game basis).

IRISH HAIL FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA
The 11 players on this year's Notre Dame roster hail from nine different states, including two each from Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Other states represented on the Irish roster include California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana and Washington. The all-time Notre Dame roster features players from 34 different states, including 23 during the Muffet McGraw era. Ironically, the most common home state on the Irish all-time roster - Michigan (14) - is not represented for the second year in a row, although assistant coaches (and former Notre Dame players) Coquese Washington and Letitia Bowen both are Michigan natives.

FUN WITH NUMBERS
This season, Notre Dame fans are seeing a pair of jersey numbers on the floor that are a bit uncommon in Irish colors. Freshman guard Megan Duffy has chosen to wear No. 13, becoming only the second Notre Dame player since 1986 to wear those digits. Danielle Green was the last to sport No. 13, doing so during her freshman season (1995-96). Prior to Green, no Irish player had worn that number since Trena Keys (1982-86).

In addition, freshman forward Courtney LaVere is wearing No. 41 this season, a number which has been modeled just once before by an Irish player. Imani Dunbar had that jersey number throughout her Notre Dame career from 1997-2001.

NOW THAT'S A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
One of the hallmarks of Notre Dame's success has been its stellar play at home. In fact, the Irish have been virtually untouchable at home in recent years, winning 85 of their last 92 games at the 11,418-seat Joyce Center, including a school-record 51-game winning streak from 1998-2002. Notre Dame also has a 61-7 (.897) record in BIG EAST Conference play at the Joyce Center, sporting a 31-game winning streak at home before it was snapped with a 48-45 loss to Villanova in the 2002 home finale.

Notre Dame also owned a 33-game non-conference winning streak at the Joyce Center (dating back more than six years) before No. 7 Purdue broke it on Jan. 4, 2003. That streak included victories over a trio of sixth-ranked teams (UCLA and Duke in 1998-99 and Purdue in 2000-01), as well as No. 19 Illinois in '98-99. Prior to the Purdue loss, Notre Dame's last non-conference defeat at home came way back on Dec. 9, 1996, when 19th-ranked Wisconsin toppled the Irish, 81-69.

Since its inaugural season in 1977-78, Notre Dame has played all of its games at the Joyce Center. The Irish own a 248-70 (.780) record at the venerable facility. In both the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, the Irish were a perfect 15- 0 at home, setting a school record for home wins in a season. Also, since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96, Notre Dame is 98-9 (.916) at the Joyce Center.

JAMMIN' THE JOYCE
For the third consecutive season, Notre Dame is ranked among the top 10 in the nation in attendance, according to the latest unofficial rankings compiled by the University of Wisconsin Sports Information Office. The Irish have averaged 7,132 fans for 13 home games this season, placing them ninth in the country (through games of March 2). Notre Dame also drew the fifth-largest crowd in school history on Jan. 4 for its nationally-televised game with Purdue, attracting 9,483 fans to the Joyce Center.

Notre Dame averaged a school-record 7,825 fans for their 14 home games last season, good for eighth in the final NCAA attendance rankings. The 2001-02 season also saw Notre Dame register 13 of the top 20 crowds in school history, including a gathering of 9,676 fans, the third-largest in school annals, for a 60-44 win over 16th-ranked Boston College.

Furthermore, all of the top 20 crowds in the Irish record book have occurred during the 16-year tenure of head coach Muffet McGraw (1987-present). And, as more evidence of Notre Dame's rapid elevation to "hot ticket" status in South Bend, 19 of the top 20 crowds in school history have been recorded in the last four seasons.

NOTRE DAME FACING ONE TOUGH SLATE
Historically, Notre Dame has always played a difficult schedule and 2002-03 is no exception. This year's Irish docket is ranked as the 26th-hardest slate in the country, according to the March 6 edition of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) RPI rankings, produced by Richie Summerville.

Upon closer examination, six Notre Dame opponents currently are ranked in one or both of the latest Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls (No. 1/1 Connecticut, No. 3/3 Tennessee, No. 12/12 Purdue, No. 18/20 Rutgers, No. 20/ 18 Villanova and No. 24/23 Boston College). Two others - DePaul and Virginia Tech - presently are receiving votes in one or both of the major polls.

Furthermore, of Notre Dame's 27 regular-season games, 15 were against teams that appear in the top 100 of the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings, including 10 in the top 50.

Looking back, the Irish are playing no less than 14 teams that qualified for postseason play in 2001-02, including nine NCAA Tournament teams (highlighted by defending national champion Connecticut and Final Four participant Tennessee). In addition, six opponents (Arizona State, Connecticut, Purdue, Temple, Tennessee and Valparaiso) won the regular-season or tournament title in their respective conferences last season. What's more, 17 of the 24 Irish opponents finished with records of .500 or better last season, including 10 squads that posted 20-win campaigns.

NOTRE DAME ON THE AIRWAVES
Once again this season, every Irish women's basketball game will air on WDND-AM (ESPN Radio 1620) and WNDV-AM (1490) in South Bend. Veteran broadcaster and WDND sports director Sean Stires is now in his third season handling the play-by-play for Notre Dame. The Irish also can be heard on the Internet at Notre Dame's official athletics website (www.und.com) by subscribing to Fighting Irish Pass, which gives listeners full access to a variety of Irish events on radio for only $6.95 per month.

IRISH ON THE SMALL SCREEN
Notre Dame is getting a good deal of face time in 2002-03, playing on television at least eight times, including nationally-televised contests against Arizona State (Dec. 7 on Fox Sports Net), Purdue (Jan. 4 on CBS) and Connecticut (Jan. 20 on ESPN2, Feb. 23 on College Sports TV). In addition, Notre Dame appeared three times as part of the BIG EAST regular-season television package, playing host to Miami (Jan. 11, noon ET) and traveling to Villanova (Jan. 25, noon ET) and Virginia Tech (Feb. 9, 2 p.m. ET). WHME-TV in South Bend also aired the Irish game at DePaul (Dec. 11) live from Chicago.

Besides the regular-season conference television deal, the BIG EAST Championship semifinals on March 10 also will be aired on BIG EAST TV, while the conference title game on March 11 will air live on ESPN2.

The Irish are 2-6 on TV this year, defeating Arizona State and Villanova, but falling to DePaul, Purdue, Miami, Connecticut (twice) and Virginia Tech.

THE MUFFET McGRAW SHOW
Muffet McGraw's half-hour, weekly television show is produced by LeSea Broadcasting and hosted by Bob Nagle. The show, now in its fifth season, is carried by WHME-TV (Channel 46) in South Bend and will air at 6:30 p.m. (EST) on Saturdays through the completion of the 2002-03 season. The show also is available via satellite (Galaxy 6, Transponder 15) each Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (EST), and may be seen on LeSea Broadcasting stations in Denver, Honolulu, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Tulsa (check local listings for time and availability).

ANNE WEESE ADDED TO NOTRE DAME ROSTER
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw announced Jan. 7 the addition of 5-10 junior non-scholarship guard Anne Weese (first name pronounced Annie) to the 2002-03 Irish roster.

Weese spent the last two seasons at Seward County (Kan.) Community College, helping the Saints to a combined record of 71-1 and the 2002 NJCAA national championship. She averaged 4.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during her two-year junior college career. Weese also was a starter on the Saints' 38-0 national championship squad.

KELSEY WICKS LEAVES IRISH WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw announced Feb. 3 that sophomore guard Kelsey Wicks (Gillette, Wyo./Campbell County H.S.) elected to leave the Irish women's basketball program for personal reasons. Wicks had played in 16 games this season, starting once, while averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 12 points on Dec. 14 against Temple.

Wicks appeared in 45 games during her Notre Dame career, starting twice. She averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while logging 14.8 minutes per game. In addition, Wicks had three career double-digit scoring games, including a career- best 16 points at Connecticut on Jan. 21, 2002.

NOTRE DAME INKS PAIR OF TOP 20 PREP STANDOUTS IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
University of Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw announced Nov. 14 that two of the nation's top high school student-athletes have chosen to continue their careers with the Irish, signing national letters of intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2003. Crystal Erwin, a 6-2 forward from St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and Susie Powers, a 5-11 guard from Highlands Ranch High School in Denver, Colo., will join the Irish for the 2003-04 campaign.

Erwin has averaged 22.6 points and 14.5 rebounds per game during her three- year prep career at St. Paul. She holds the school records for career points (2,084) and rebounds (1,324), as well as single-season points (869) with one year still to play for the Swordsmen. Ranked as high as third in the nation by All- Star Girls Report, Erwin was named to the 2002-03 USA Today Preseason Super 25 Team, and she is a two-time Street & Smith's All-America pick, earning third-team honors last season. She also has been named to all-star teams at the adidas Top Ten Camp each of the last two years and she was a member of the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival West Team this past summer. Erwin is the second California native in as many seasons to commit to the Irish, following current Notre Dame freshman Courtney LaVere.

Powers averaged 11.5 points and 6.8 assists per game last season for perennial national power Highlands Ranch High School, which won its third consecutive Colorado Class 5A title last season and was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the campaign according to the USA Today Super 25 poll. Powers was ranked as high as 12th in the nation by the Greg Swaim Basketball Report, and she is a two-time Street & Smith's honorable mention All-America selection. She also was Erwin's teammate on the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival West Team in the summer of 2002. In addition to Erwin, Powers will have some familiarity with another Irish player - she played with sophomore forward Katy Flecky at Highlands Ranch in 2000, helping lead the Falcons to the first of their three straight state championships.

With the addition of Erwin and Powers, Notre Dame has its seventh consecutive top 20 recruiting class, according to Blue Star Basketball, which rated the newest Irish signees 16th in the nation.

McGRAW INDUCTED INTO SAINT JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
University of Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw was one of seven people inducted into the Saint Joseph's (Pa.) University Athletics Hall of Fame Nov. 16 in Philadelphia. McGraw was a standout point guard for Saint Joseph's during its first four years of varsity competition, serving as team captain during her final two seasons (1975-76 and 1976-77). She helped lead the Hawks to an 18-3 record as a junior and a third-place finish in the AIAW Eastern Regional Tournament. A year later, she guided SJU to a 23-5 record, a sixth-place finish at the AIAW National Tournament, and a No. 3 national ranking in the Associated Press poll, the highest year-end poll finish in school history. She also set the Saint Joseph's single-season record for steals with 102 during the 1976-77 campaign.

McGraw graduated from SJU in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She played one season for the California Dreams in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) before beginning her college coaching career as an assistant coach at her alma mater from 1980-82. Following five successful seasons at Lehigh (1983-87), McGraw was named the head coach at Notre Dame, a position she has held ever since.

Now in her 16th year with the Irish, McGraw has posted a stellar 361-136 (.726) record (449-177, .717 overall in 21 years), guiding Notre Dame to 13 20- win seasons, nine postseason appearances, seven NCAA Tournament berths, four Sweet Sixteen visits, two Final Fours and the 2001 NCAA title. The 2001 Naismith and AP National Coach of the Year, McGraw also is a member of the SJU Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame.

IRISH ASSISTANT COACH FEATURED ON WNBA.COM
When she's not diligently working with the Notre Dame women's basketball team, assistant coach Coquese Washington spends the offseason playing in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A six-year veteran point guard, Washington guided the Indiana Fever to their first-ever playoff berth this past summer, following her midseason trade from the Houston Comets.

During the course of the 2002-03 college basketball season, WNBA.com will feature regular interviews and chat sessions with Washington. Readers will get an inside look at how she successfully handles the challenges of being a collegiate assistant, while also remaining prepared for the next professional basketball season.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2003 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BANQUET
Tickets are now on sale for the 2003 Notre Dame Women's Basketball Awards Banquet, which will be held Sunday, April 13 at the Joyce Center. The festivities will get underway at 12:15 p.m. (EST) with a player autograph session on the concourse at the Joyce Center. The banquet will begin at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on the arena floor, and will include award presentations, video highlights from the 2002-03 season and remarks by Notre Dame President Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., director of athletics Kevin White, head coach Muffet McGraw and senior honorees.

Tickets are $25 each and tables of eight are available. Proceeds from ticket sales go to benefit the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made payable to the University of Notre Dame and may be mailed to the Athletics Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Telephone reservations will not be accepted.

Reservation forms are available at the Joyce Center second-floor ticket windows. The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 4. For more information, call (574) 631-5420.

IRISH ENJOY SUCCESSFUL SUMMER TRIP TO EUROPE
Last May, the Irish embarked on a 12-day tour of Italy and France, going 3-1 in a four-game series against Italian professional teams. Among the Notre Dame victories was an 82-76 conquest of 14-time Italian First Division champion Pool Comense 1872, which had won its latest league title only two weeks prior to playing the Irish.

Sophomore forward Jacqueline Batteast and sophomore guard Kelsey Wicks shared team-high scoring honors on the tour, averaging 14.8 points per game during the series. Batteast, the reigning United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Freshman of the Year, also registered two double- doubles and carded 11.3 rebounds per game while in Europe.

Sophomore center Teresa Borton collected team-high rebounding laurels, averaging 12.3 boards per contest. She also posted double-figure rebounding totals in three of four games, finishing with nine caroms in her other outing. Like Batteast, she averaged a double-double, adding 10 points per night.

All told, five Irish players scored in double figures while in Europe - the aforementioned trio, along with junior guard Le'Tania Severe (13.5 ppg.) and sophomore forward Katy Flecky (10.0 ppg.). As a team, Notre Dame averaged 79.5 points and 51.3 rebounds per game during the trip.

UP NEXT: BIG EAST SEMIFINALS
With a win over Villanova, Notre Dame would advance to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship for the seventh time in eight years. The Irish would face the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal matchup between second-seeded Rutgers and No. 7 seed Miami at 7:30 p.m. (EST) Monday. That semifinal contest would be televised live as part of the BIG EAST television package.

Notre Dame lost games with both Rutgers and Miami this season. On Jan. 18, the Irish led RU by 15 points with 12 minutes remaining, but watched the Scarlet Knights rally to claim a 64-61 victory at the Joyce Center. A week earlier on Jan. 11, Miami pulled away from a 44-all halftime tie and forced 28 Notre Dame turnovers in upending the Irish, 80-70 at the Joyce Center.

Rutgers leads the all-time series with Notre Dame, 9-8, including a 5-3 mark at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Conversely, the Irish lead their series with Miami, 12-3, with a 1-0 record at neutral sites.