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screen," McGraw said. "There's a lot of new stuff for them. "Some people benefitted from it, but I was disappointed we didn't have more people step up. [Senior wing] Madison Cable did a phenomenal job as a starter. … We went to the four- guard look for a while and I thought that was effective for us. I would have liked to have seen the posts step up a little bit more. "Jewell took on a little bit more and that's not what we wanted. We wanted to spread that around to other people. For Madison it was good, for [sopho- more point guard] Lindsay Allen it was good, [freshman forward] Kath- ryn [Westbeld] had one good game in there too [13 points and eight re- bounds in the win versus Michigan], but overall I expected more from the rest of the team in Bri's absence." McGraw outlined three areas that would be emphasized entering confer- ence play, which began Jan. 2 versus Florida State. "We want to be tougher mentally, that's No. 1," she said, "and we've got to be a great rebounding team. We want to be the best rebounding team in the country. We want to be really strong in transition." The senior Cable, Loyd and Allen have received high marks from Mc- Graw for their mental and physical fortitude. Even freshman backup point guard Mychal Johnson has received high marks with her defensive tenac- ity and shooting confidence, although she has played less on the road. The next step is to enhance the physical- ity and mental edge along the youth- laden front line with Turner, Reimer and Westbeld. Seniors such as Becca "Bruiser" Bruszewski in 2011 or Nata- lie Achonwa last year provided such an asset as they developed. "The DePaul game was a lesson in toughness," McGraw said. "I think the resilience there was the most positive thing we took out of that game. We just never quit and I thought that was huge for us to make that step. "I think we can get tougher. … We'd like the posts to step up and get a little tougher." ✦ THREE-POINT PLAY 1. Making Her Point(s). On a veteran and star‑studded team last year, freshman starting point guard Lindsay Allen's job description was to run the offense and distribute the ball. Yet she proved to be a quality shooter while converting 49.7 percent of her shots. This year, Allen has helped pick up the scoring slack in the backcourt minus the graduated Kayla McBride. She was averaging 10.6 points per contest while making 61.8 percent of her shots (55 of 89) through 13 games, an extraordinary figure for anyone but especially a guard. At UCLA Dec. 28, Allen's 17 first‑half points already equaled her career high and she finished with 22 points on 8‑of‑10 shooting from the floor, including a 4‑of‑5 effort from three‑point range. She is genu‑ inely becoming a consistent double‑figure scoring threat to complement junior guard Jewell Loyd and freshman forward Brianna Turner, although head coach Muffet McGraw believes the Irish should routinely have four players tallying double figures. 2. Into The Deep End. Notre Dame will not be wading into its league schedule. In the 18 days from Jan. 2‑19, the Irish will play six games, beginning with 12‑1 Florida State (ranked No. 26 in the coaches