2/4/2004

Box Score Box Score (pdf)

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - No. 23 Notre Dame held Georgetown to a season-low 29.6 percent shooting, and defeated the Hoyas 66-52 Wednesday night.

Rebekkah Brunson (Sr., Oxon Hill, Md./Oxon Hill) scored 12 points, six below her average, to lead the Hoyas (10-10, 4-6). Kate Carlin (Fr., Ambler, Pa./ Mount St. Joseph's) added 11 points for Georgetown, whose previous worst shooting night was 30 percent in a 72-62 loss to Indiana in early December.

ND's Jacqueline Batteast had 20 points and nine rebounds and Megan Duffy added 11 points and five assists, and Teresa Borton had 10 points for the Irish (14-7, 7-2 Big East), who shot 45 percent and led throughout the entire game.

Rhea Beal (Fr., Coral Gables, Fla./ Gulliver Prep) made a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to end Notre Dame's streak of holding opponents to 50 points or fewer at four games - one shy of matching the school record set six years ago.

The game was quite a turnaround from the last time the Irish played the Hoyas, losing 76-73 on Jan. 7. Notre Dame squandered a six-point lead with 54 seconds left in that game, allowing Georgetown to score seven points in 14 seconds.

On Wednesday, the Hoyas made one brief run at the Irish. Notre Dame took a 36-23 lead when Teresa Borton made a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds left in the first half. The Hoyas started the second half with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 38-32 when Carlin hit a 10-foot turnaround shot.

The Irish regained control, though, with a 9-0 run when Courtney LaVere score five straight points to get the Irish going again.

Batteast, who had failed to score in double figures the past two games, scored inside to end the run, giving the Irish a 47-33 lead. The Irish, who also outrebounded Georgetown 42-30, extended the lead to 60-41 when Batteast scored on a layup with 4:42 left.

Georgetown plays its final out of conference game this Sunday, February 8th, against the University of Virginia in McDonough Gym at 3 p.m.