Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/762987
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2017 41 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL "It kept our confidence level high and may have put a damper on them because it happened so quickly," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of that pivotal stretch. For Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw, watching the tape a day later compounded her frustration. "I was more disappointed watch- ing the film because I didn't think we played hard," McGraw said. "I thought they outplayed us in terms of toughness and just how hard they played. … We had some real letdowns defensively where we just didn't get up and pressure. "That's something we can definitely do a better job of right away." The closest the Irish were able to close it to in the fourth quarter was 50- 46 with 8:39 left, but the Huskies kept the pressure on, especially with drives to the basket in one-on-one situations. Notre Dame played almost exclu- sively man-to-man defense because of concern about UConn's three-point shooting (the Huskies were 1 of 9 be- yond the arc), especially Samuelson's. As a consequence, Samuelson and her lengthier-limbed teammates repeat- edly were able to beat the extended Irish defense off the dribble and had a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint. The Irish didn't fare much better be- yond the arc (3 of 14) despite some fair looks. Junior forward Brianna Turner had a strong stat line at the end of the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds (eight on offense), three assists, two blocks, a steal and no turnovers, but she missed on about five field goals inside the circle (7 of 14 from the field), and McGraw's greatest agitation af- ter the game was the inability to find Turner consistently in the post or time the passes correctly to her. Auriemma said Notre Dame played more one-on-one offense than usual, but McGraw countered "that was not by design." UConn's length and pressure defense forced the action and resulted in poor Irish decisions offensively — and too much stand- ing around and dribbling. The top two Irish scorers through eight games, sophomore wings Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, combined for 5-of-22 shooting, with each going 0 of 4 from three-point range. Irish senior point guard Lindsay Allen (11 points, eight assists, five re- bounds and one turnover) played the full 40 minutes for the Irish. Sopho- more backup Ali Patberg has battled walking pneumonia for nearly a month and was expected to be cleared after Christmas. "We can add some things to get a lit- tle more motion," McGraw said of the offense. "Our focus with getting the ball to 'Brie' takes away from the rest of the motion, and it puts us into sets. We stand around a little bit more. We have to figure out a way to do both." If there is a vulnerable area for UConn, it does have a short bench. Williams, Samuelson and Kia Nurse all played the full 40 minutes, and the seventh player, 6-5 center Natalie But- ler, played merely eight minutes. The advantage for UConn is in the much weaker American Athletic Con- ference, it can give starters some rest during the regular season and not wear them out once the NCAA Tour- nament commences. If all goes as planned, Notre Dame will have another chance to test that one potential small chink in the UConn armor at the Final Four in Indianapolis in April. ✦ 2018 Guard Abby Prohaska Commits To Irish On Nov. 30, Notre Dame received its second verbal commitment for its 2018 recruiting class: 5-10 guard Abby Prohaska from Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio. Prohaska helped the Firebirds win a state championship in 2015 as a sophomore, and other top schools she considered were Florida, Iowa, Tennessee, Stanford, Florida State, Indiana, UCLA and Vanderbilt. She won't sign a binding letter of intent until November 2017. In September, Notre Dame received its first 2018 commit from Indianapolis Heritage Christian guard Katlyn Gilbert. Whereas Gilbert is rated the nation's No. 12 player in her class by Prospects Nation and No. 24 by ESPN HoopGurlz, Prohaska is not on either list for now (50 total for Prospects Nation and 60 for ESPN) — but this summer she did play for Team USA, helping the U-17 team win a bronze medal at the world championships. Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said she would like to sign five players in the 2018 class. — Lou Somogyi Niele Ivey Joins Ring Of Honor On Dec. 4, Notre Dame honored current associate coach/recruiting coor- dinator Niele Ivey in the Ring of Honor established in 2010. The All-American point guard for the 2001 Fighting Irish national champs became the third women's player to join the Ring of Honor, joining former teammate Ruth Riley and Skylar Diggins, whom she personally recruited. As a guard, leader, coach and ace recruiter, Ivey has played as important a role as anybody in the last 15 years to make the Fighting Irish an elite program, especially the last six seasons. En route to the 2001 national title that was played in her hometown of St. Louis, Ivey made the all-tournament team after scoring 33 points and recording 11 steals in wins over UConn and Purdue. Following five years in the WNBA as a player, Ivey joined head coach Muffet McGraw's staff in May 2007. In the five seasons from 2005-09, Notre Dame had won only four NCAA Tournament games and was twice eliminated in the first round. Ivey became one of the most renowned re- cruiters in the game, which was highlighted by signing local product Diggins in November 2008, and would help the Irish to five consecutive Final Four advancements in 2011-15. Ivey and Diggins remain to this day as the only Notre Dame players with 1,400 career points and 700 career assists. "She is the heart and soul of Notre Dame women's basketball," Riley said in a video tribute. "There's no one beyond Coach McGraw who has impacted our program more." In January, the Ring of Honor will add 1984-88 star guard David Rivers (Jan. 21) and current as- sociate head coach Beth (Morgan) Cunningham (Jan. 29). — Lou Somogyi Ivey has played as important a role as anybody in the last 15 years to make Notre Dame women's basketball elite, first as a player from 1996-2001 and then as a coach and ace recruiter the past 10. PHOTOS BY JOE RAYMOND