Haney leads Notre Dame to 72-47 victory
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Assistant Sports Editor
Playing without injured forward Kelley Siemon — who was sitting out while her injured hand heals — forward Ericka Haney stepped up her play to lead the Irish past Seton Hall 72-47 on Sunday in South Orange, N.J.
The junior forward led the Irish with 17 points and seven rebounds as the Irish (18-0, 7-0 in the Big East) won their first contest since upsetting No. 1 Connecticut on Monday.
With Siemon missing Sunday's game as well as Wednesday's game at West Virginia, Haney absorbed some of the offensive load normally carried by her fellow forward.
"Me and [Siemon] kind of have the same role as far as going to the basket," Haney said. "I think I did a pretty good job today picking up some of the moves she has when she's in the post."
Haney started out early, scoring the team's first seven points as the Irish built an 11-0 lead to start the game. The Pirates did not score until Charlene Thomas hit two free throws 11:15 remaining in the opening half.
"The first 10 minutes weren't much fun,'' Seton Hall coach Phyllis Mangina said to the Associated Press following the game. "We felt like the Minnesota Vikings. We just didn't play very well offensively."
Irish head coach Muffet McGraw credits her team's 2-3 zone defense with the early domination.
"Our zone looked good early. It was pretty good the whole game," said McGraw. "I felt we did a nice job of containing the ball and keeping them off the perimeter."
Notre Dame focused on making Seton Hall attempt three-point shots, a strategy that proved successful.
"We really wanted them to shoot more threes," said McGraw. "They ended up one for 13 so I thought that that was good."
All-American center Ruth Riley added 13 points for Notre Dame, and contributed to Haney's successful night by drawing double-teams throughout the game.
"They were double-teaming me every time the ball came into the post, so I knew someone must be open so I just looked to kick the ball out to an open teammate," Riley told the Associated Press after the game.
Alicia Ratay added 11 points, hitting three shots from behind the 3-point arc. Also contributing for the Irish was guard Monique Hernandez, who scored a season high 10 points while playing 25 minutes off the bench.
"She played a great game. Just played with a lot of poise," McGraw said of her sophomore guard. "She didn't make a lot of mistakes and just really contributed offensively."
The game was played in front of 1,273 fans in the Walsh Gymnasium at Seton Hall, which seats only 2,600 fans — a far cry from the packed Joyce Center the Irish played in front of against Connecticut.
"You come out of the Connecticut game with the great crowd, the enthusiasm and the excitement," said McGraw. "Now you go to play a team that you know you're supposed to beat. It's a different mental approach to the game now."
The Irish travel to take on the Mountaineers in Morgantown Wednesday night. The team then has a week off before hosting Providence on Wed., Jan. 31.
All Sports Stories for Monday, January 22, 2001
