All-American Riley leads netters Irish to Sweet Sixteen
By TIM CASEY
Assistant Sports Editor
Self-promotion is not a main character trait of Ruth Riley. The first-team All-American and two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year would rather discuss almost anything than her individual accomplishments.
"I worked a lot on my game over the summer [of 1999] so I was anxious to see how it would all work out," said the humble Riley. "I had a pretty good year, I guess."
But when it comes to talking about her teammates and the Irish's 1999-2000 season, Riley doesn't mince words.
"We were more consistent this year," Riley said of her team, which finished 27-5. "And since our team was so talented and deep, it allowed for certain players to have an off night."
It was a winter to remember for Notre Dame basketball. Men's coach Matt Doherty and sophomore Troy Murphy brought their team to national prominence with students and fans disgusted with the state of the football program.
But the women's team grabbed its share of fans and attention as well.
Before the season even started, even before the first official practice, optimism was in abundance in the women's inner circle. One reason for the positive outlook was the emergence of Alicia Ratay, a freshman whose talents were obvious from the time she stepped on the floor in pickup games with her teammates.
"She was such a great shooter," Riley. "It was tough to hide."
Ratay's shooting skills gave the already experienced Irish more balance. They returned five players taller than six feet, including 6'3" senior Julie Henderson and juniors Riley (6'5") and Kelley Siemon (6'3"). And Niele Ivey and Danielle Green retured as guards for the Irish. Add in Ratay, and Notre Dame was a serious contender for a Final Four berth in head coach Muffet McGraw's hometown of Philadelphia.
At the beginning of the season, the eager Irish had their ups and downs. A pair of victories over North Carolina and Liberty for the title in the Wachovia Women's Invitational Tournament in Richmond, Virg., were sandwiched between defeats at the hands of Illinois and Purdue.
Following the 71-61 loss to Purdue came a stretch of games that established the Irish as contenders. From Dec. 11 until Feb. 22, the Irish won 20 straight games, a school record.
"Looking back you didn't really realize that we won so many in a row," Riley said. "We were just taking it one game at a time."
Maybe even more important than the victories, the Irish won a new loyal fan base during their torrid stretch. And for good reason.
Following each game the players would stand in line for a half-hour, sometimes an hour, signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans. They realized the importance of giving back to the community, of showing the fans they appreciate their support.
"Every year there's more fan support," Riley said. "We got a lot more attention."
The attention was deserved. Every night there seemed to be a new name in the headlines and this balanced attack proved crucial to their success. They had Ivey at the point, who could dominate a game without scoring, Green, a quick penetrator, at two-guard, a shooter at small forward in Ratay and a pair of aggressive defenders and rebounders at power forward in Siemon and Henderson.
Then there was Riley and her consistency in the middle. Each night McGraw could depend on her center scoring at least 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds while also altering opposing team's offensive game plans.
The most satisfying victory for the Irish was a 78-74 win over Rutgers on Feb. 19. Down six points with 17.3 seconds remaining, it looked like the streak would end. But no one told that to Ratay, and the freshman sank two three-pointers in the final seconds to force overtime. She finished with 26 points on seven of seven three-pointers and a perfect five for five from the line.
Connecticut, who would go on to win the national championship, put an end to the Irish's 20 game win streak a week later. The Huskies used a balanced attack from perhaps the most talented collection of women ever on a college team to defeat the Irish 77-59.
It was the beginning of a tough month for Notre Dame.
They lost to Rutgers in the Big East semifinals after leading for most of the game. A week later, they hosted the first and second round of the NCAAs at the Joyce Center and beat San Diego and George Washington to advance to the Sweet 16.
The season ended unexpectedly against Texas Tech at the regional semifinals in Memphis, Tenn., the following weekend. The Irish raced out to a 17-0 lead and looked like they were on their way to a date with Tennessee.
But Texas Tech came back, scoring the next 17 points and playing even with the Irish for the remainder of the game. After Riley fouled out with less than two minutes remaining the Irish could not fight back. Rutgers won 69-65, denying Notre Dame a chance for the Final Four.
"Losing in the Sweet 16 was real disappointing," Riley said. "We felt we could have done a lot better."
Riley has one more shot at fulfilling her team goals. Only Henderson and Green graduate from this year's team so the 2000-2001 squad has high expectations.
"We're going to be better next year," Riley said. "For a lot of us it's our last year. I know everyone's going to have a little more sense of urgency."
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 19, 2000
