Riley plays key role in victory over Vanderbilt
Tim Casey
Assistant Sports Editor
DENVER
We saw her dominate, dictate, create and celebrate.
We saw her score 32 points, grab six rebounds, block three shots and make the Vanderbilt frontcourt look like a bunch of third-graders.
We saw her with scissors in hand, climbing the ladder, snipping a piece of the net and waving to no one in particular.
Guess what we didn't see?
Ruth Riley's insides.
"I didn't really feel that well [during the game]," Riley said after Notre Dame's 72-64 win over Vanderbilt. "It's been a couple of days. They said it might have been something I ate. I'm feeling a little better now."
No big surprise there.
Add another chapter to the Ruth Riley Story.
National Player of the Year, Academic Player of the Year, Big East Player of the Year, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Midwest Regional Most Valuable Player.
Now a trip to the Final Four.
"This has been a storybook season," head coach Muffet McGraw said. "This is my proudest moment as a coach."
Prouder than 1997, when McGraw and the Irish advanced to the school's first Final Four. Maybe this is why: the first time, Notre Dame was the underdog.
The Irish were seeded sixth and upset third-seeded Texas in the second round.
From there, they beat second-seeded Alabama and fifth-seeded George Washington before losing to Tennessee.
This time, since the Connecticut win on Jan. 15, a national semifinal berth was expected.
And with the expectations comes daunting pressure.
At least that's what the cliche says.
But on Monday night, the Irish remained calm, a characteristic they struggled with last season. They suffered their 11th straight defeat to Connecticut in late February 2000, lost to Rutgers in the Big East semifinals after leading by nine with four minutes left and squandered a 17-0 lead to Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen.
In this year's Elite Eight contest, they received big nights from Alicia Ratay (17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 15 in the first half) and Kelley Siemon (16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists).
And although she shot just three times and scored only three points, Niele Ivey dished out nine assists and did her usual solid job at the point, leading and directing the Irish to St. Louis.
Which happens to be Ivey's hometown.
Watch out for the countless Ivey-St. Louis connection stories this week.
"It will hit me more when I walk into the airport back home and there will be so many people there," Ivey said of the. "I know my phone is ringing off the hook right now."
So is Riley's.
In the match-up between the best two centers in the country, Riley got the better of a foul-plagued Chantelle Anderson.
With 6:22 left, Anderson tried to block Riley's shot but was instead whistled for her fifth foul.
Ander-son just stood there, a look of disbelief on her face, a look of relief on the Irish players' faces.
"A few years from now," head coach Jim Foster said, "and she [Anderson] might be the best post player who ever walked on the court."
Easy with the hyperbole. I know this is the time of year where legends are made and goats emerge, and where Dicky V's hype reigns supreme.
While Anderson sat on the bench, Riley scored Notre Dame's next 11 points.
In the final 12:13, Riley scored 18 of the 22 Irish points.
But it was her poise, her intangibles that made Foster wish he could trade centers for the night.
"I watched film and she [Riley] had a shot blocked," Foster said. "The girl tried to stare her down. Ruth just sort of looked at the player and laughed at her. Not in a menacing sort of way, in a `that's not going to work' sort of way. It was the kind of thing you might see on the playground."
Or the front yard of a small Indiana town, perhaps Macy.
But never mind how good Ruth is. It is the supporting cast, the Iveys and Ratays and Siemons and Haneys and Joyces and Barksdales that makes this team better than the 1997 squad and a team capable of winning the national title.
The 1997 team featured two star players (Beth Morgan and Katryna Gaither) but little else.
The 2001 team features two star players (Riley and Ivey) plus much more.
In 1997, a trip to the Final Four was an improbable journey.
In 2001, anything less than a Final Four berth would have been seen as a failure.
"Last time we were so thrilled to be there," McGraw said. "We took a thousand pictures. This team is definitely focused, they have a more business like approach.
"The first thing they said when we got into the locker room (on Monday night) was two more games. They are obviously very happy but they're not as happy as I am. They're ready to get back to work."
But for a few moments on Monday night, the players had a chance to mix some pleasure with business.
When Niele Ivey cut the last strand of the net, she stepped down the ladder and gathered with her teammates near center court.
They put their arms around each other, smiled, danced and sang a tune.
Its name?
"Who Runnin'?"
"We were runnin' tonight," guard Imani Dunbar said.
All the way to St. Louis.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the columnist and not necessarily those of the Observer.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 27, 2001
