Team falls to Arizona, Colorado State over break
By KATIE McVOY
Associate Sports Editor
The Irish women's basketball team had a learning experience over Thanksgiving break. The young team took its first road trip of the 2001-2002 season and came home 0-2 on the road, with some valuable lessons.
"There was some improvement and we did some good things," head coach Muffet McGraw said. "So it's been a learning experience, and I think that's good, if we will improve and get better."
A 72-70 loss to Arizona on Saturday taught the Irish that although one play can end hopes of a victory, there isn't one thing that causes a defeat.
In the final seconds of the game, freshman post-player Jackie Batteast inbounded the ball with the hopes of getting it to junior Alicia Ratay and scoring a basket that would break the 70-70 tie.
"Tie game, we have the ball, we're going to win," McGraw said. "Alicia's going to make a shot because she's playing really well; they can't guard her. We're going to win. It's just a matter of what play we're going to run, and then we turned it over."
Batteast's pass was deflected by Wildcat freshman Dee-Dee Wheeler, who had 18 points in the game, and Elizabeth Pickney wrapped up a career-high 27-point game by nailing a two-point shot that sealed the Arizona victory.
Although that final mistake ended the game, there was no one thing that could be pinpointed as the cause of the Irish loss.
"We really gave that game away," McGraw said. "I don't think that one play loses a game for us. We had a series of things where we lost our concentration, and so we had a lot of things you could point to that you could say, `This is where you lost the game.'"
Arizona's perfect shooting from the free-throw line didn't help Notre Dame. The Wildcats were 20-20 from the line, compared to the Irish's 19-24 performance from the line.
But turnovers and free-throw shooting weren't all that played a part in the loss. The young Irish team is still adjusting and its players are trying to find their positions. And without the defensive leadership of Amanda Barksdale, it's not surprising that the Irish can't always quite find their footing.
"And the same thing with Arizona — just a couple of plays where we just gave them easy shots and if we can just take away those, you know one each, they kind of take turns being in the wrong spot and with that many freshmen they're going to be in the wrong spot," McGraw said. "I think what we need is a steady influence in the back and that's what Mandy will bring us, leadership, but also someone who knows what she's doing who can direct from the back line. I think that's what we're missing on defense."
Saturday's loss came close on the heels of a 72-66 loss to the Rams of Colorado State that taught McGraw and her team that there can be satisfaction in a loss. The team's first road game landed Notre Dame in a hostile arena that houses a ranked team.
"That was a great game for us because [Colorado's] a ranked team," McGraw said. "They had 7,000 or 8,000 people. It was a great crowd, pretty hostile environment, loud, very loud."
Nearing the end of the first half, the Irish were trailing by nine, but a 10-point run put the Irish on top 33-32 with a minute left in the opening half.
But the Rams were not to be defeated on home court. In 54 seconds they posted seven points to gain a 39-33 lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Despite the score, McGraw was more than satisfied with her team's performance, an unusual feeling from a coach who likes to win.
"I was really pleased and you know that was one of the first times I think in a long time that I've been really pleased after a loss," McGraw said. "So that was a big step forward. We just improved so much."
Following the low-scoring Valaparaiso game, the 66 points the Irish scored were a big improvement. Ratay, who scored 19 points against Arizona, led the scoring with 16. Le'Tania Severe was the No. 2 scorer for the Irish, adding a career-high 15 points.
"I think if she gets 10 points, I'm really happy, so for her to get 12 or 15, that was her career high," McGraw said. " I don't think we're going to expect her to score a lot of points. It's a bonus, I think, if she scores."
Freshman Katie Flecky returned home to Colorado with eight points and six rebounds and Batteast wrapped up Irish scoring with 13 points.
"I thought Katie Flecky had a great week," McGraw said. "She played well against both teams, rebounded well. So that's a big improvement for us, having Katie step up."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, November 27, 2001
