Blue and gold seek to extend 12-game streak
By Kerry Smith
Assistant Sports Editor
Three weeks ago the Irish traveled to Georgetown and handed the Hoyas a convincing 82-60 defeat.
The Irish were then ranked eighth in the nation; the Hoyas were in the midst of a four-game losing slide.
But a lot can change in a few weeks.
When the Hoyas come to town Saturday night to try to avenge their early season loss to the Irish, the rivalry will be bigger and the stakes will be higher.
The Irish, who are enjoying a 12-game winning streak, have moved up to the NCAA's fifth spot. They will look to remain undefeated in the Big East conference and wrack up their 17th consecutive home-court win.
Notre Dame shares the top conference spot with Connecticut and both teams are just waiting for the other to fall to claim full rights to the No. 1 conference ranking.
"It's taken us a while to accept that we're the team to beat because we weren't in that position a couple of years ago,' said forward Meaghan Leahy, who scored a career-high nine points in the squad's last meeting with the Hoyas. "We need to take every team seriously because a win over us could make their season.'
For the Hoyas, a team that has recently gotten its season back on track, a win over Notre Dame could be just what they need.
The Hoyas plan to put a different team on the court than the one the Irish saw at Georgetown. The Hoyas have won their last four games and are playing their best ball of the season with an 11-6 overall and 4-3 conference record.
If Georgetown can come out on top at the Joyce Center, it would boost the Hoya's No. 4 conference ranking and shock the Irish, who have not lost on home turf since the beginning of the 1998 season.
"[The Hoyas] never gave up when we played them a few weeks ago,' said Leahy. "Even in the last few minutes when we had pulled ahead they were still playing hard and fighting for every ball. They're going to be playing tough on Saturday.'
The Hoyas have never beaten the Irish at Notre Dame —the only conference rival who has is Connecticut.
Center Ruth Riley and guard Niele Ivey have paced the Irish all season. Riley has dominated her opponents in the paint and leads the squad in scoring and rebounding with an average of more than 15 points and seven rebounds per game. Riley's prowess under the net has made her the go-to player on the court. In Notre Dame's games against St. John's her performance on offense helped keep the Irish on top.
"We played in spurts — it was a real streaky game,' said Leahy. "But once we started getting it to Ruth we were able to score and go ahead.'
Ivey is one of four Irish players whose scoring average is in double digits. She also leads the team in assists, averaging seven per game. Ivey's basketball skills have earned her a nomination for St. Louis College Sportswoman of the Year in her home state of Missouri.
Irish guard Danielle Green has also stepped up and played a pivotal role for the Irish recently. With seven starts this season, the fifth-year senior has been the high scorer for the Irish in the last two games. Her season-high 22 points helped the Irish down the Hurricanes in Miami before she and Riley scored 16 apiece against St. John's.
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 28, 2000
