No. 6 Irish struggle in quarterfinal victory over Hurricanes
By KERRY SMITH
Assistant Sports Editor
STORRS, Conn.
They say the third time's a charm, but don't tell that to the Miami Hurricanes.
Earning their third win against Miami this season, the Irish knocked the Hurricanes out of the Big East tournament Sunday at Gampel Pavilion at the University of Connecticut with a 67-52 quarterfinals win.
But the Hurricanes didn't go out without a fight. With nothing to lose against the sixth-ranked team in the nation and the second seed in the tournament, the Hurricanes pulled out all the stops and made the Irish earn their spot in the semifinals.
And any Irish player will tell you it wasn't easy.
"We don't want anyone to out-hustle us," said Hurricanes guard Shiela James. "Because we knew we were the underdog we had nothing to lose tonight. We left everything on the floor."
That was an aggressive mentality that the Irish weren't ready for when they stepped on the court.
The old standbys were there — center Ruth Riley scored 18 and looked like an All-American in the second half, point guard Niele Ivey scored 13 and made three steals while directing the squad on the floor and guards Danielle Green and Ericka Haney hit some big buckets when it counted.
But the Irish made more mental mistakes than they had planned on.
The Irish didn't play their trademark basketball. There were no scoring runs, no big defensive stands and no huge lead.
The Irish played well enough to win, but not well enough to show big teams like UConn and Rutgers that they are in it for the long haul.
"I wanted to see us up big early and clear the bench but I knew that wasn't going to happen," said Irish head coach Muffet McGraw. "We needed to get our timing back."
With 14 turnovers in the first half and 23 on the night, the Irish gave the ball up too many times and let the Hurricanes hang closer than they should have.
And that was just what the Hurricanes wanted. Trailing by less than 10 points for most of the game, the Hurricanes believed they had a shot to pull off a huge upset and that mentality turned up their intensity. And it showed — when Miami stepped on the court after every break, they looked like they wanted it more.
"They're aggressive and never give up," said Ivey. "They always give a 110 percent effort when they play us."
While the Irish stepped up when it counted, it was the smaller points of their game that needed attention.
Sluggish passes around the perimeter and careless dribbling that cost the Irish the ball are mental mistakes the Irish can't afford to make at this point in the season — every time Notre Dame steps on the court from here on out is a must-win situation.
Green's turnover when she kicked the ball off her dribble with no defender pressing her that turn into a Miami field goal and forward Kelley Siemon's airball foul shot in the second half typify the mental mistakes that could cost Notre Dame the Big East championship or a berth in the NCAA Final Four later this month.
The Irish, playing like a top-10 team against Rutgers in the regular season, came out on top only with a clutch basket from behind the arc by guard Alicia Ratay to send the game into overtime. If the Scarlet Knights can take the game down to the wire when the Irish aren't on top of their game, then the Knights could easily advance past a clumsy Notre Dame squad.
But the Irish have a lot of basketball left to play and under different circumstances. They aren't coming into tonight's game with eight days off and in a foreign arena. They have one game under their belt and are comfortable with the setting. And that's something the Irish know.
The Irish had their ups and downs during the regular season, but they didn't earn a 25-3 record with sloppy play. They have at times played to the level of their lesser competition, but have always stepped up for big games against ranked teams. After the game, the Irish made it known that they are focused on the task at hand and plan on stepping on the court tonight with a different mindset.
And that's what counts.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Monday, March 6, 2000
