Ruth Riley admitted something Monday after Notre Dame’s 92-76 victory over Connecticut virtually assured the Irish of being ranked No. 1 in women’s college basketball for the first time in history.
“My ankle hurt in the game,” said Riley, the 6-foot-5-inch Irish All-American. “Yes, it was sore, a little sore. . . . “
Connecticut’s Huskies would find that hard to believe. So would many of the 11,418 fans in the first home sellout crowd in history to watch the Irish women play basketball.
From the opening tip until coach Muffet McGraw called her to the bench amid a rousing standing ovation with 19.5 seconds left to play, Riley, who had sprained the ankle Saturday against Virginia Tech, dominated this duel of the nation’s last two unbeaten teams.
Riley took only 11 shots, yet she scored 29 points for the No. 3-ranked Irish. She grabbed 12 rebounds. She went 13-for-13 from the foul line, blocked five shots and dished out four assists. She intimidated the No. 1-ranked defending national champions by her presence near the basket in the 2-3 Irish zone. She played smart and avoided the foul trouble that has plagued her in the past.
“Ruth was more than a Bill Walton today,” McGraw said. “I’ve never seen a player dominate a game from start to finish as she did. She was the best player in the country today.”
“Riley scored 29,” said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, “and yet her presence made her almost more important on defense. Her presence made us a jump-shooting team.”
Riley had help. Kelley Siemon, playing 33 minutes with a broken hand, scored 15 points. Notre Dame’s other starters also scored in double digits: Niele Ivey 14, Ericka Haney 13 and Alicia Ratay 10.
“Kelley [Siemon] fired us up,” Ivey said. “She told me, `I don’t care if it’s broken or not. I’m playing.'”
Notre Dame improved to 17-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big East. Connecticut dropped to 13-1 and 4-1. Sandwiched between them in the polls is No. 2 Tennessee, which has lost to Connecticut.
The Irish ended Connecticut’s 30-game winning streak and handed the Huskies their worst lost since Dec. 28, 1993, when they fell to Stanford 94-75.
Notre Dame beat Connecticut for the first time in 12 tries and a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in 10 games. It left Auriemma with no doubt about the identity of the nation’s No. 1 team in next week’s poll.
“Is Notre Dame No. 1? “I think so. Absolutely,” Auriemma said. “No doubt about that.”
There was no doubt in McGraw’s mind as she walked onto the floor in the Joyce Center that Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2001 would be special.
“It was a thrill,” said McGraw, in her 14th season as Notre Dame’s coach. “It has been a dream of mine since I’ve been here to see the Joyce full for a women’s game. The crowd, I believe, helped the way we came out to start the game.”
The Irish never trailed. Riley scored three baskets to trigger a 10-3 lead and played almost a perfect first half that ended with the Irish leading 40-31.
In the first 20 minutes, Riley scored 10 points, went 4-for-5 from the floor, had five rebounds, all four of her assists and three of her five blocks. She did not commit a turnover. She was most satisfied, however, about not being called for a foul.
“Ruth played physical, but she also played smart,” McGraw said. “We were able to keep her on the floor. Last year at Hartford she got in foul trouble and played only 12 minutes.”
Said Riley: “It felt great not to foul in the first half. I wanted to stay on the court and do my job. I had to give up a couple of shots, rather than try for blocks, but it was a good feeling to have no fouls.”
The effective 2-3 Irish zone deployed Ivey and Ratay guarding the three shooters near the arc, Siemon and Haney in the corners and the long-armed Riley lurking in the middle.
“It was hard to get inside because of Riley,” said All-American Svetlana Abrosimova, who led Connecticut with five three-point baskets and 20 points. “And for some reason, we were afraid to take open shots.”
Said Huskies point guard Sue Bird: “Give Notre Dame credit. They were more aggressive right from the start. But we didn’t play as hard as we could. I’m embarrassed. We didn’t play Connecticut basketball.”
