Feb. 16, 2000

No. 5 Notre Dame
Fighting Irish
(21-2 Overall/ 12-0 Big East)
vs.
Villanova Wildcats
(14-8 Overall/ 7-4 Big East)

February 16, 2000 * 7:30 pm
Villanova, Pa * The Pavilion

Series Information
Series Record: ND leads 8-3
Last VU Win: Jan. 28, 1998, 70-54
Last ND Win: Feb. 29, 1999, 83-53
STREAK: ND has won 6 of 7

Internet Site
Villanova's recently re-designed web-page can be found at www.villanova.com.

Hotline
Get up-to-date scores on all your favorite Wildcat sports on the official hotline: (888) 400-NOVA

Head Coach Harry Perretta
Harry Perretta is in his 22nd year as the head coach of the Villanova women's basketball program. In his tenure at Villanova, Perretta has recorded a 394-229 mark. Against Big East Competition, Perretta has registered a 174-132 record.

During his career at Villanova, Perretta has guided the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances, two Big East Tournament Championships and eight Philadelphia Big Five titles. In 1981-82, he led the Wildcats to the AIAW Final Four. Perretta, who is the all-time winningest coach in Villanova women's basketball history, is just six wins shy of 400 career victories.

Villanova Probable Starters

Villanova Off the Bench

Head Coach Muffet McGraw
Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw reached a pinnacle in her illustrious coaching career when she led the Irish to the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Final Four in 1997. It marked the culmination of a dream McGraw had when she was named head coach in May of 1987.

Since her first season, the Irish have continued to make strides and earn national recognition. Nine of McGraw's 11 teams at Notre Dame have won 20-plus games, including four straight in her first four campaigns at the helm. Her career record as head coach at Notre Dame is currently 282-112.

McGraw began her coaching career in the high school ranks at Archbishop Carroll High School which is located just down the street from Villanova University. Her first head coaching job on the collegiate level came at Lehigh University where she served as head coach from 1982-87 before taking over the reigns of the Notre Dame program. McGraw is a 1977 graduate of St. Joseph's University where she was a four-year starter for the Hawks.

Notre Dame Probable Starters

Notre Dame Off The Bench

1999-2000 Big East Standings
(as of 2/16/00)

Team Comparison

LAST TIME OUT
Villanova-- Brandi Barnes scored 22 points, including the final six of the game, and had 12 rebounds Saturday to help Villanova upset No. 19 Boston College 60-59. Barnes, who was 10-for-14 from the field, helped the Wildcats (14-8, 7-4 Big East) overcome a five-point deficit and hold the Eagles scoreless for the final 5:44.

Trish Juhline had 15 points, all on 3-pointers, and Nicole Druckenmiller added 13 for Villanova, which has won five of six. Jamie Cournoyer had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Brianne Stepherson had 14 for the Eagles (19-6, 8-3), who have lost three of six following a 12-game winning streak.

Boston College, which trailed for most of the first 30 minutes, seemed to have taken control when Cournoyer scored six points during a 9-0 run that gave the Eagles a 59-54 lead with 5:44 left. But then Barnes took over the rest of the scoring, her team using good ball movement to find Barnes all alone under the basket for two baskets. The final, which turned out to be the game-winner, came on a Barnes' rebound of a missed jumper with 2:41 left.

The Eagles had a final opportunity, but Cal Bouchard missed a jumper with 4.8 seconds remaining. Villanova beat Rutgers 66-65 earlier in the season, making this the first time the Wildcats have beaten two ranked opponents in a season.

Notre Dame- The Fighting Irish are coming off a 94-51 home win on Saturday, Feb. 12. The win was Notre Dame's 17th in a row. Notre Dame led St. John's, 48-24, at halftime before outscoring the Red Storm, 46-27, in the second stanza. In the win, Notre Dame was led by freshman guard Alicia Ratay who had 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting (6-of-9 from three-point range) to go with 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Junior center Ruth Riley came off the bench to tally 19 points, while point guard Niele Ivey added 12 points, four rebounds and seven assists. St. John's was paced Latasha Thompson who netted 17 points and Tanya Mrdjen who registered seven points and 10 rebounds. For the game, Notre Dame shot 57.1 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from three-point range, while St. John's shot 23.1 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the arc.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Junior center Brandi Barnes was dominant in Villanova's 60-59 upset win over No. 18 Boston College on Saturday, Feb. 12. In 32 minutes of action, Barnes was 10-of-14 from the field for a game-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds. This was Barnes' second double-double of the year and the third of her career. Barnes scored Villanova's final three field goals, including the game-winner with 2:38 remaining in regulation. For the season, Barnes is averaging 9.7 ppg., and a team-best 6.7 rpg.

FIRST TIME
Last Saturday's 60-59 win over No. 18 Boston College marks the second time this year that Villanova has beaten a ranked opponent. Back on Jan. 15, the Wildcats defeated then No. 9 Rutgers, 66-65, in overtime. This is the first time in the program's history that the Wildcats have beaten two ranked teams in the same year.

GAINING RECOGNITION
Due to Villanova winning five of its last six and nine of its last 12 and fresh off a 60-59 upset of No. 18 Boston College, the Wildcats garnered eight votes in this week's AP Poll. In addition, Villanova jumped to No. 33 in the latest RPI ratings. The Big East is rated as the No. 2 conference in this week's RPI report.

JUHLINE EARNS BIG EAST AWARD
For the second time this season, freshman guard Trish Juhline was named Big East Conference Co-Rookie of the Week. The Havertown, Pa., native shares the honor with Notre Dame's Alicia Ratay. In wins over West Virginia and No. 18 Boston College, Juhline averaged 16.5 ppg., 8.5 rpg., and 4.0 apg. In addition, she committed just one turnover in 79 minutes of play. In a 62-50 win at West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 9, Juhline tallied her first double-double of her career with 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists, three blocks and a steal. In Villanova's upset win over Boston College, she scored 15 points on five three-point field goals.

ON A ROLL
Rookie guard Trish Juhline has had a sensational freshman season. In her last five games, Juhline has taken her game to an even higher level, recording 85 points (17.0 ppg), 26 rebounds and (5.2 rpg) 19 assists (3.8 apg.). From the field in her last five contests, she is 36-of-66 (54.5 percent) and 17-of-38 (44.7 percent) from behind the arc. For the year, Juhline is averaging 13.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg., and 2.8 apg. She currently leads the Wildcats in three-pointers made with 48. In just Big East games, she leads all freshmen and is fifth overall in scoring with a 15.5 ppg. average. She also is tied for the conference lead in three-point field goal made in Big East games with 31.

IN GOOD COMPANY
After 22 games in this her rookie season, freshman Trish Juhline currently ranks sixth all-time at Villanova for points scored by a freshman. The other six players on the list below combined to earn Big East honors on 14 occasions. In addition, Shelly Pennefather was a three-time Big East Player of the Year and Lisa Angelotti was a one-time conference Player of the Year.

BOMBS AWAY
In last Saturday's upset win over Boston College, Villanova made a season-high 11 three-point field goals in 28 attempts (39.3 percent). This was the fourth time this season that Villanova has tallied double figures in triples. The `Cats made 10 three-pointers against Pennsylvania, Seton Hall and West Virginia.

THREE-POINT PRODUCTION
After 22 games, Villanova has already attempted 483 three-point field goals, compared to its opponents who have tried 231 shots from behind the arc. The Wildcats are 153-of-483 for 31.7 percent, while their opponents are 65-of-231 for 28.3 percent. The `Cats have had seven different players make at least six triples this season, including six players who have double figures in three-pointers made.

77-STRAIGHT
Entering play versus Notre Dame, Villanova has made at least one three-point field goal in 77 consecutive games. The last time the Wildcats failed to connect on a three-point field goal was on Dec. 2, 1997 when they were 0-for-7 from behind the arc in a 67-27 loss at Connecticut.

NO REST
Due to the knee injury to starting guard Lauren Pellicane, senior Jenea Skeeters and freshman Trish Juhline have had to carry the load at guard for the Wildcats. In the last seven games, Skeeters has played 272 of a possible 280 minutes, while Juhline has logged 256 of a possible 280 minutes. In the last four games, the duo has played 316 of a possible 320 minutes. For the year, Skeeters and Juhline have started every game with Skeeters averaging 35.4 mpg., and Juhline averaging 31.8 mpg. Villanova was already short-handed at the guard spot before Pellicane's injury, as junior Mimi Riley has missed all but three games with a foot injury.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Of the top eight players in head coach Harry Perretta's rotation, three are freshmen and one is a sophomore. Two of the rookies, guard Trish Juhline and forward Katie Davis, are true freshmen, while forward Nicole Druckenmiller is a redshirt freshman. Sophomore center Stephanie Baker comes off the bench. The three freshmen have accounted for 40.8 percent of the team's scoring and they have logged 34.4 percent of the team's minutes played. The three rookies have started five of the last seven games. This is the first time in his 22-year career that head coach Harry Perretta has started three freshmen in a game.

HOMETOWN MEMORIES
For Villanova senior Jenea Skeeters, playing against Notre Dame is a little extra special, as Skeeters grew up five minutes from the Notre Dame campus in Mishawaka, Ind. In seven career games versus Notre Dame, Skeeters has scored 92 points (13.1 ppg) and pulled-down 28 rebounds (4.0 rpg). From three point range in her career versus the Irish, Skeeters is 12-of-30 (40 percent).

LEADING THE WAY
Villanova has been led all year long by senior forward Jenea Skeeters. Entering play versus Notre Dame, Skeeters has scored in double figures in 18 of Villanova's 22 games For the year, Skeeters is averaging a team-leading14.0 ppg. and has tallied 20 or more points on four different occasions. For her career, she has recorded 10 games of 20 or more points. With seven points last Saturday versus Boston College, Skeeters move ahead of Nikki Benedix and into eighth place on the all-time Villanova scoring list. With six more points, Skeeters will move into seventh on the school's all-time scoring list.

VILLANOVA 1,000 POINT SCORERS

THE MAGIC 60
Over the last six seasons, Villanova is an impressive 77-14 when scoring 60 or more points and the Wildcats are 70-9 when holding opponents below 60 points over the last five years.

LIMITING MISTAKES
As is the case with all Harry Perretta coached teams, the Wildcats do a very good job of protecting the basketball. After 22 games, the `Cats have committed 276 turnovers for an average of just 12.5 per game. Villanova has had five games this year with 10 or less turnovers. In Perretta's 22-year Villanova coaching career, he has never had a team average more than 14 turnovers per game.

STUDY HALL
The Villanova women's basketball team has enjoyed a great deal of success in the classroom. During the fall semester, 10 of the team's 15 players recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better. As a whole, the 597 Villanova student-athletes combined to earn a 2.9 GPA this past fall semester.

PELLICANE'S STREAK ENDS
Junior guard Lauren Pellicane saw her streak of 43-straight games in the starting line-up come to an end when she missed the UConn game on Saturday, Jan. 22. Pellicane missed the match-up with the No. 1 Huskies due to an injured right knee suffered in practice on Thursday, Jan. 20.

Pellicane has started 15 games this season and is averaging 5.5 ppg., 2.5 rpg., and 3.2 apg in 34.3 minutes per contest. In addition, she is second on the team with 18 three-point field goals. As a sophomore last year, Pellicane averaged 9.0 ppg., and finished second in the Big East Conference in three-point field goals made with 69.

RILEY LOST FOR THE SEASON
Junior guard Mimi Riley will miss the remainder of the 1999-2000 season due to left foot injury. Following the season, Riley will apply for a medical hardship. If granted the hardship, she will have two years of eligibility remaining with the 2000-2001 season. Riley suffered the injury in Villanova's final exhibition game on Nov. 16. The injury forced her to miss the team's first six games. She returned to the line-up on Dec. 8 when she came off the bench at Boston College to tally four points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Riley also saw playing time in Villanova's next two games, logging 22 minutes versus St. Joseph's on Dec. 11 and 17 minutes against George Washington on Dec. 13. The injury has failed to heal properly and the discomfort forced Riley to miss both games in the PNC Bank Wildcat Christmas Classic on Dec. 29-30 and the Providence contest on Jan. 8.

A NEW ROLE
After playing point guard for head coach Harry Perretta and the Wildcats the last four seasons, Shanette Lee has exchanged her uniform for a clipboard, as Lee will now serve as Perretta's third assistant. Lee had a stellar four years on the Main Line, finishing her career as the program's all-time assist leader with 526.

VILLANOVA SEASON-HIGH SUPERLATIVES