Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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So far, that's been the area that has gratified McGraw the most prior to opening with an exhibition against Wayne State Nov. 7. "We talk about the things that they can control, and effort is one that you can," she said. "Communication and ef- fort have been the two things that have really impressed me with this team. The intensity with which they approach ev- ery single drill is impressive. There just isn't a letdown." VETERAN NUCLEUS Headlining the "first six" on the roster to begin the season are 6-3 sophomore forward Brianna Turner and 5-8 junior guard Lindsay Allen. The former Gatorade National Player of the Year, Turner was second on the team in scoring last year (13.8 points per game), and first in rebounding (7.9) and blocked shots (89) while leading the na- tion in field goal percentage (.652). She played only 25.6 minutes per game, but a year of weight training has built her stamina and strength. Better passing skills, improved free throw shooting (.605 last year) and consistent effort are the areas where she is most concentrating. "I know last year I would get tired and take plays off," Turner admitted. "This year, I want to play hard the whole game and take no plays off." Overshadowed by Loyd, Allen posted 205 assists at the point last year, almost doubling anyone else on the team, and she also averaged 10.4 points per contest while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. The Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 Oklahoma City Regional poured in 28 points in the win against No. 14 Stanford and then added 23 points with seven assists while defeating No. 5 Baylor. "Those two are definitely going to 2015-16 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 7 Wayne State* 1 p.m. Nov. 15 Bucknell 1 p.m. Nov. 18 Toledo 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at South Dakota State 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at Valparaiso (ESPN3) 8 p.m. Nov. 27 vs. Denver^ 3:15 p.m. Nov. 28 vs. Louisiana Tech or UCLA^ 1/3:15 p.m. Dec. 2 Ohio State 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at Connecticut (ESPN) 5:15 p.m. Dec. 9 DePaul 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at TCU (FSN) 12 p.m. Dec. 21 at St. Joseph's (Pa.) 7 p.m. Dec. 28 Oregon State 7 p.m. Dec. 30 Georgia Tech 7 p.m. Jan. 3 at Pittsburgh (RSN) 3 p.m. Jan. 7 at Virginia 7 p.m. Jan. 10 North Carolina (ESPN2) 1 p.m. Jan. 14 at Boston College 7 p.m. Jan. 18 Tennessee (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Jan. 21 Syracuse (ESPN3) 7 p.m. Jan. 24 Virginia Tech 1 p.m. Jan. 28 at Georgia Tech (RSN) 7 p.m. Feb. 1 at Duke (ESPN2) 6 p.m. Feb. 4 NC State (ESPN3) 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Louisville (ESPN/2) 2/4 p.m. Feb. 14 Miami (RSN) 1 p.m. Feb. 18 at Wake Forest 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Florida State (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 25 Clemson 7 p.m. Feb. 27 Boston College 1 p.m. March 2-6 ACC Tournament$ TBD * Exhibition; ^ Junkanoo Jam at Freeport, Bahamas; FSN — FOX Sports Net; RSN — ACC Regional Sports Network; $ at Greensboro, N.C.