No. 2 Irish use total team effort to knock off the Hurricanes
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Assistant Sports Editor
At halftime Tuesday night, they brought out a 360-pound pig to help promote diabetes awareness. The promotion was called "Kiss the pig."
After the game, other things were being kissed — this time on the part of Miami head coach Ferne Labati.
Responding to her team's 81-43 loss to the now No. 2 Irish, Labati offered praise and even apologies.
"It was just an outstanding performance by Notre Dame and I apologize that we didn't have a better game to challenge them a little bit," Labati said.
The opposing coach's response sang a far cry from the view taken by other opponents lately.
In recent weeks, the Irish gave a glimmer of hope to such sub-par teams as Pittsburgh, Providence and Syracuse. Coaches reflected on how they nearly missed an opportunity to dethrone the then-No. 1 team in the country.
Tuesday, Miami's Labati had no such reflections and was ripe with praise.
"Notre Dame is a Final Four team because they have the ability to rebound, the ability to penetrate," Labati said, explaining why her young team was out-rebounded 47-33.
"You get into the NCAA Tournament [other teams] will start shutting down your transition game," Labati continued, explaining how good teams can do what her 13-12 team cannot. "But they're going to have a hard time with Notre Dame if you give them 19 rebounds on the offensive glass and they really play well as a team in the full-court."
Quite simply, what Labati saw was the team that opened the season with a 23-game winning streak.
She saw a team that cuts through ranked opponents like an Oregon State running back cutting through the Notre Dame defense.
She saw the team that toppled powerhouse Connecticut.
This was not the team that suffered a humiliating 1-point loss to Rutgers only three nights earlier.
Against the Scarlet Knights, only five Irish players scored. Tuesday, all 12 players on the Irish roster put the ball in the basket.
To put this teamwork in perspective, never before in this "dream season" have as many as 11 players scored in a single game for Notre Dame.
"They haven't been given a lot of opportunity in the last three games," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. "They were just ready to come out and they were ready to play."
Freshman Jeneka Joyce, often mistaken for a team manager as she sat out with a fractured foot in December and January, scored a career-high 13, ran the offense through most of the second half. She also hit two key 3-pointers.
Center Amanda Barksdale, known more for her shot blocking than her offense hit a pretty turn-around jumper at the end of the game.
Even Karen Swanson, the only player on the Irish roster who has to worry about paying back loans following graduation, got into the act.
After a loyal fan contingent cheered her onto the court, the 5 foot-7 Swanson did her best Ruth Riley impersonation — heading full-speed into the lane to draw two fouls. She hit three of her four free-throw attempts.
These players have spent more time standing and listening to the national anthem than standing on the court with the clock ticking down lately.
But they will be essential in the Big East Tournament. With games on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the Irish cannot expect to compete with deeper teams such as Rutgers and Connecticut if each of their starters have to play 35 minutes in the first two games.
The bench will not be expected to extend a lead, but it needs to be able to maintain a large lead as the clock winds down. They could not do so against Pittsburgh or Providence. They extended the lead against the Hurricanes Tuesday.
The Irish also blew the Hurricanes over with another impressive crowd of 6,533 fans. Labati praised that, too.
"Look what Notre Dame has done this past year," Labati said. "They went out and hired a full-time marketing person. You guys pack the place now. It shows a tremendous effort from a media and a marketing standpoint."
Thanks Ferne, don't forget to kiss the pig on the way out.
The views expressed in this column are those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 21, 2001
