Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"It's also just having more trust in my teammates, getting to know them a little more and figuring out how to talk to them and push them." To Ivey, Allen always has been "the quiet assassin" because of how she re- mains under the radar yet thrives when most needed. In guard Loyd, Notre Dame has what espnW unanimously voted as its Mid- season Player of the Year, while 6-3 freshman Brianna Turner was one of four nominated as Midseason Fresh- man of the Year. The duo forms one of the nation's elite outside-inside forces, but the need to find the third consistent scorer — like last year with Loyd and the graduated tandem of McBride and Achonwa — was a gradual undertaking the first two months. Allen has been the answer, starting with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor (4 of 5 from three-point range) at UCLA Dec. 28, followed by 18 points and eight assists in a hard fought 74-68 win over Florida State. When Loyd was ailing with an illness and managed only eight points at na- tionally ranked North Carolina Jan. 15, Allen picked up the slack in the 89-79 win with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting while also dishing out a game high nine assists. Four days later in an 88-77 victory against perennial power Tennessee, Al- len had 15 points and six assists. She still averages only seven shots per game, but converts at a remarkable 58.6-percent clip and also leads the team in free throw percentage (.847, with a minimum 50 attempts). "I'm still pretty selective with my shots, and I haven't had to force any- thing," Allen said. "I can just pick and choose when to get my shots and pick and choose when to pass it to the post or when to find Jewell. Our offense is really working right now. "When I'm more aggressive, the de- fense has to shift more, and it creates more opportunities for us." Her penetration off the dribble drive in particular, which she seldom did last year, has helped open up an offense that was fourth na- tionally in points per game (84.9) during the 23-2 start enter- ing the game against Duke Feb. 16. Allen still has to run the offense and is a vital component with her on-ball de- fensive pressure. The coaching staff was initially concerned about putting too much on the sophomore by hoping she could regularly score in double figures after averaging 6.9 points per game last season. That is no longer the case. "She shoots from three well, is one of the best one-on-one going to the rim, she is great in transition, she knows when to pull up, she knows when to dish," Ivey summarized. "It's been a nice surprise to be as consistent as she has been." Her impact on a potential fifth straight trip to a Final Four has been coming across loud and clear, even if it's been done quietly in the background. ✦ "WE PREPARED HER FOR THAT THIS SUMMER, AND SHE HAS TAKEN IT IN STRIDE. SHE KNEW SHE NEEDED TO BE THAT VOCAL LEADER WE WERE MISSING THIS YEAR." IRISH ASSISTANT COACH NIELE IVEY ON ALLEN