Irish beat No.1 Huskies for first time
By TIM CASEY
Assistant Sports Editor
She had a dream.
It did not stem from hundreds of years of racial inequality, a denial of basic Constitutional rights or living in a hypocritical America.
Rather, Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw's aspiration arose from over a decade of Connecticut-induced distress.
No need to wonder "what if" anymore.
Because on Monday, for the first time in school history, the No. 3 Irish beat the No. 1 Huskies 92-76 before a raucous, sold-out home crowd. With the victory, Notre Dame (17-0) remains the only undefeated team in the country and will most likely ascend to their first-ever top ranking when the Associated Press and USA TODAY/ESPN polls are released Monday.
"To come out and see the Joyce Center full has been my dream forever since I've been here," McGraw said. "It's one of those moments in my life that I'll always remember."
So will the 11,418 spectators.
For one afternoon, promotional gimmicks like Anthony Travel's "Ants in Your Pants" and "Beach Day" were not required to provide entertainment. Instead of watching the usual domination of an inferior opponent, the first sold-out crowd in Irish history witnessed a Ruth Riley-led squad upstage the nation's premier program in nearly all facets of the game.
The Irish led the entire game, shot 61.5 percent (29-of-51) from the floor, and all five starters scored in double figures. Svetlana Abrosimova's 3-pointer got the Huskies to within three points early in the second half. But they never again sustained a period of offensive consistency, as the Irish avenged 11 previous losses to the defending national champions.
"It would be different if we played as hard as we could, as good as we could and they still beat us the way they did," Connecticut guard Sue Bird said. "It wasn't Connecticut basketball. I can tell you that."
Here's another obvious observation: Forget Bird, Abrosimova, and Shea Ralph. Riley outplayed all three preseason All-Americans and proved she may be the best player in the conference, if not the country.
Whereas the Irish center fouled out with seven minutes left in last year's 77-59 loss to the Huskies, Riley logged 39 minutes and 41 seconds on Monday before leaving the court amid a chorus of cheers. Although she suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Saturday's win over Virginia Tech, Riley played through the pain against Connecticut. She scored 29 points on 8-of-11 from the field and 13-of-13 from the line, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked five shots and dished out four assists in front of several WNBA scouts.
"I don't think I've ever seen anybody dominate a game from start to finish at both ends of the floor like that," McGraw said. "That's an All-American, Player of the Year kind of line."
In years past, Connecticut (13-1 on the season) was able to faze Riley by continually attacking her on both ends of the floor. The Huskies also would implement a full-court pressure defense, which resulted in easy baskets when the Irish succumbed and committed turnovers.
Not on Monday.
"Before, you could get into [Riley's] head a little bit, get physical with her and she would get frustrated," Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma said. "She plays with a lot more confidence now."
Riley's improved aggressiveness and mental toughness forced the Huskies to rely on their outside shooting. For all but a few possessions, the Irish played a 2-3 zone, a defensive strategy that yielded pro-Notre Dame results. Connecticut made only 11 of 33 three-pointers and connected on 29-of-79 total field goals.
And Niele Ivey handled the pressure with relative ease. The 5-foot-8 point guard controlled the tempo and made smart decisions in transition. In addition to her 10 assists, Ivey also scored 14 points —including a perfect three for three from behind the three-point arc.
"They've gotten better [against the pressure]," Auriemma said. "And our pressure's not as good as it used to be. It's not anywhere near where it used to be."
Another reason that Connecticut's trapping, full-court defense proved less effective was because of their opponents' 3-point shooting. Ivey, Alicia Ratay (2-for-4 on threes for 10 points) and Jeneka Joyce (2-for-4 on threes for 8 points) helped the Irish shoot 75 percent from on 3-pointers. Joyce, the first woman off the bench, played 16 minutes. She was the only non-starter to play more than 20 seconds.
When asked if Notre Dame deserves the top ranking, Auriemma offered a quick response.
"I think so," he said. "Absolutely, absolutely. There's no question about that."
The Huskies cut the lead to 68-56 on a Diana Taurasi three-pointer with just under eight minutes left. On the ensuing possession, Taurasi fouled Kelley Siemon, who missed both free throws. But as she had just a minute before, Riley rebounded Siemon's miss and scored on a lay-up. Notre Dame led by at least nine the rest of the way.
About the only negative for the Irish came from free throw woes. They shot 54.8 percent (26-46) from the line, with Siemon connecting on just 3 of 16. But even when Siemon missed ten straight free throws during the final eight minutes, Riley grabbed three offensive rebounds to maintain possession.
To make the day complete, senior guard Imani Dunbar, who entered the game for the first time with 19.5 seconds left, nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"From the opening tip, Notre Dame was better," Auriemma said. "I thought they were better in absolutely every single area."
And he shared that with his coaching counterpart. Around 5:15 on Monday afternoon, just over an hour after the game, Auriemma embraced McGraw as she headed out the exit next to the men's basketball office.
"You guys were great," Auriemma told McGraw. "You guys were great tonight."
No one could disagree.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, January 17, 2001
