Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"That's something I struggled with a lit‑ tle bit last year … but I feel a lot better." Her Final Four experience has put her in more of an attack mode, and now Reimer can also play in the high post or go low. "She's a really difficult matchup be‑ cause she's strong, she's big and she can play on the perimeter," McGraw said. "It's very difficult to find someone who can match her strength and her quickness. She's in phenomenal shape, so she is really going to be a nightmare for every team we play." Turner had her own double‑double in 20 minutes with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with two blocked shots, an assist and a steal. "I feel like if I'm double‑teamed then Taya is open, and if she's double‑ teamed then I have an open spot too," Turner said. "We work together like that." "I think we're going to be a great re‑ bounding team," said McGraw, who noted the team began to slowly show some signs of jelling by the third week of practice and has come a long way. "Defensively we've got some things we've got to work on. Offensively I think it is going to be different every night. We've got a great inside‑outside look." The Irish women, who were tabbed as the nation's No. 3 team in Sports Il- lustrated's season preview, likely will be standing tall again, in more ways than one. ✦ Irish Romp In Exhibition During its 92‑32 exhibition game rout of Division II Ferris State Nov. 5, junior guard Jewell Loyd filled her role. "Jewell Loyd was pretty much unstoppable, which is what we hope her to be most of the year," head coach Muffet McGraw said. The No. 3‑ranked Irish began with an All‑McDonald's All‑American lineup featuring sophomore forward Taya Reimer, freshman forward Brianna Turner, Loyd, junior wing and sharp shooter Michaela Mabrey (4 of 8 from three‑point range) and sophomore point guard Lindsay Allen. The second unit was led by senior wing Madison Cable, with 6‑2 freshman Kathryn Westbeld (five steals and three assists in 19 minutes), another McDonald's All‑American, establishing her‑ self among the top seven. Freshman point guard Mychal Johnson, senior post Markisha Wright and junior guard Hannah Huffman rounded out a second unit that could vie for a top‑25 spot on its own. Senior point Whitney Holloway and sophomore center Diamond Thompson also were in‑ serted, while sophomore forward Kristina Nelson will likely be redshirted after shoulder surgery. Gradually emerging is Johnson, whose 24 minutes were the most in the game. She scored 15 points, shot 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, recorded three steals, blocked a shot, and had an assist and no turnovers. "We're still looking for 8 or 9 … I thought Mychal Johnson made a good case for herself to‑ night," McGraw said. The opener is Nov. 14 versus UMass‑Lowell. — Lou Somogyi