Notre Dame faces tough late season contest at Rutgers
By KERRY SMITH
Sports Editor
The last time Rutgers and Notre Dame met, Scarlet Knights' coach Vivian Stringer thought her team played like it was intimidated.
Suffering a 21-point loss to the Irish at the Joyce Center Jan. 6, the Scarlet Knights could not hit their shots and were not tight enough on defense.
But a lot has happened in a month.
Still undefeated, Notre Dame has jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 in the polls while Rutgers has fallen from No. 9 to the 11th spot. And after a devastating 70-45 loss to No. 3 Connecticut on Wednesday, the Scarlet Knights are heading for another demotion in the rankings unless they can pull off an upset Saturday which no other team has been able to — a win against the Irish.
"I think they'll come out and play a lot harder than they did last time," Ericka Haney said. "It would be good for them to have a win over a top ranked team."
The Irish, as usual, are up for the challenge.
After a week-long rest, the Irish hit the court again Wednesday with a solid 75-61 win against unranked Syracuse.
Using a balanced attack, four starters scored in double figures, with Riley leading the pack netting 24 points.
Despite the team effort, the Irish need to stay steady as they round out the remainder of the regular season. As the team to beat across the country, the Irish need to stay motivated and not fall into a complacent routine.
"We just need to stay focused," Haney said. "We need to go in there and play hard."
The Scarlet Knights will have to pay special attention to their defensive strategy if they hope to stifle the Irish offense.
Rutgers failed to shut down Connecticut's 3-point shooting in their last outing, allowing the Huskies to bury 8-11 attempts in the second half and put away the game. Behind-the-arc shooting is also a strength of the Irish. Gaurds Alicia Ratay, with a 56 percent shooting average from behind the arc, and Niele Ivey at an even 50 percent pose big threats for the Rutgers defense.
The Scarlet Knights also had trouble shutting down Notre Dame's offensive power under the basket in the teams' last meeting. Center Ruth Riley and forward Kelley Siemon combined for half of Notre Dame's 67 points.
Shutting down the offense will be the focus for both teams.
"It all depends on who comes ready to play," Haney said. "They're going to hit their shots Ñ probably better than last time Ñ we just need to be ready."
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 16, 2001
