ND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Irish look to cage Wildcats
By KATIE McVOY
Associate Sports Editor
The last time Notre Dame and Villanova faced off, Villanova guard Mimi Riley hit a last-second turn-around jumper to give the Wildcats a win on their home court. But tonight, the Irish have home-court advantage, and this time they hope to be the ones with the win.
"I think it's nice to have the opportunity to play them again to see how we've improved," said Irish head coach Muffet McGraw. "It will be a measuring stick."
The Wildcats (17-9, 11-4) are the only Big East opponent the Irish face twice in the regular season. With the Big East tournament on the horizon, playing a team that could end up in the NCAA tournament will be beneficial for the Irish.
"They're a very good team," McGraw said of the fourth-ranked team in the Big East. "We haven't really played an NCAA tournament team since Boston College, so this will be good for us to get back and play against a really good team."
Junior guard Trish Juhline is leading the Wildcats, who are riding a five-game winning streak. Their most recent win was against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday. Juhline leads the team with 14 points, but Riley, who hit the game-winning shot against the Irish in early January adds another 12 points per game.
The Wildcats are on a hot streak from the 3-point line. They've hit 118 3-pointers in their last 11 games, including 10 or more during seven games.
"They're shooting a ton [of 3s] and they're playing really well right now," McGraw said. "I think they're in great shape for an NCAA bid. They've really come on strong at the end."
Defensively, Notre Dame had a solid showing against Villanova, but they fell short when it came to scoring baskets. Despite junior Alicia Ratay's game-high 22 points, the Irish just couldn't find the basket as much as they wanted to.
"We didn't play that badly when we played them," McGraw said. "Offensively, we struggled and that was a problem. So hopefully we'll shoot better."
The Irish veterans have found the basket of late, however. Ratay has scored 25, 31 and 24 points in the last three games and senior Ericka Haney is hoping to close out her final regular season by hoping to score in double-figures for the sixth game in a row.
If she can do that it, McGraw thinks it will be a good farewell for Haney to the Joyce Center. After a slow start to the season, the last games the Irish have played since January have been a boost for the lone senior and as she takes the floor before the game to participate in senior recognition, the emotion of a hard-fought season may surface.
"I think there will be a lot of emotion for Ericka," McGraw said. "Hopefully she won't have to much emotion, but it's always an emotional night."
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Joyce Center.
Notes:
* Sophomore guard Jeneka Joyce is probable for play tonight. After sitting out the last several weeks due to an Achilles' injury, Joyce practiced on Monday and should play.
* Freshman post-player Jackie Batteast is still out with a torn posterior cruciate ligament. She should be ready to play in the Big East tournament when the Irish tip-off on Sunday. McGraw did say Batteast may not be ready to play a 40 minute game during the three-day tournament.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 26, 2002
