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Quick recovery Notre Dame survives sloppy first half to advance
Posted: Friday March 24, 2000 05:38 PM
SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- Ruth Riley and Niele Ivey scored 14 points apiece as second-seeded Notre Dame used outstanding shooting to cruise past No. 15 seed San Diego, 87-61, in a Mideast Region contest. Wearing green uniforms at home on St. Patrick's Day, the Fighting Irish (26-4) advanced to the second round, where they will host George Washington. It is a rematch of the 1997 East Region final when Notre Dame advanced to its first Final Four. The Irish used a 15-5 run over the first 4:53 of the second half to open a 57-36 lead and were never threatened thereafter. Danielle Green and Julie Henderson netted four points apiece in that spurt and Notre Dame coasted to its 21st win in 23 games. Ivey was making her return to the NCAA Tournament after sitting out postseason last year with a torn ACL suffered in the Big East Tournament. Kelley Simeon scored 13 points and Green added 12 for the Irish, which shot 68 percent (13-of-19) in the second half and 64 percent (28-of-44) overall. Riley was 7-of-8 from the floor and Simeon hit all five of her shots. Notre Dame overcame poor play from Big East Conference Freshman of the Year Alicia Ratay, who shoots 49 percent from 3-point range. She did not attempt a shot from beyond the arc and had just four points in 25 minutes. The Irish held a 40-10 advantage on points in the paint and won the first meeting between these schools. San Diego (17-13), which does not have a starter taller than six feet, fell to 0-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in its first appearance since 1993. Susie Erpelding scored 19 points and Maria Perez-Barris added 16 for the Toreros, who shot only 39 percent (19-of-49).
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