Sports

ND Women's Basketball: Team rolls in season opener

Michaela Mabrey was the first player off the bench for No. 6 Notre Dame and came up big as the Irish cruised to a 99-50 win over UNC Wilmington in Sunday's season opener. The sophomore guard had a career-high 19 points and doled out six assists, spending much of her team-high 27 minutes on the court at point guard for the Irish (1-0). "It's huge for us, especially right now, when we're still searching for the next sub coming off the bench," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. "So I've really been happy with Michaela all year. She came back in great shape, she's playing well, she's shooting well. We want her to keep shooting threes. She's talking more, she's communicating more and she's running the team as much as she can when she doesn't have the ball." Mabrey also showed her skills on the defensive side of the ball, pestering Seahawks junior guard Kelva Atkins throughout the game, and limiting Atkins to six of 15 shooting on the night and two of eight shooting behind the arc. "Defensive-wise, I tried to pressure the ball as much as I could, and I got a few steals and little tips," Mabrey said. "That's what I'm really trying to work on, so I thought that aspect I got better at today." Notre Dame performed well as a team defensively and used the matchup with UNC Wilmington (0-1) to work out the early-season kinks in its man-to-man defense, 2-3 zone and full-court press while claiming its 19th-consecutive season-opening victory. Sophomore guard Jewell Loyd also stood out on both sides of the ball, finishing with her second career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes. Loyd added a career-high three blocks and a pair of assists to round out her afternoon. "Defensively, she was our stopper last year, and now she's really challenging people. She did a good job without fouling, and I thought [she] was in the right spots most of the game. I was pleased with her offense, but defensively, I thought she played a really complete game." Notre Dame held UNC Wilmington scoreless for several minutes at a time on multiple occasions, with the longest stretch coming in the second half for more than five minutes. The Irish did not allow the Seahawks to reach double digits in points until past the 10-minute mark in the first half. Offensively, the squad shot 62.9 percent from the field, its best mark since Jan. 17, 2012, against Pittsburgh. Freshman forward TayaReimer took charge on the glass, snatching 12 of the team's 54 rebounds. Nine of Reimer's boards came in the first half after she earned a starting spot with senior forward Natalie Achonwa on the bench, out for six weeks after a knee scope. "[It was] a great start for a freshman," McGraw said. "We were anxious to get Natalie Achonwa back in the lineup, but until then, I think Taya's doing a fabulous job inside." Fresh off the victory, the Irish have a quick turnaround and will face No. 20 Michigan State on Monday. The Spartans (0-0) head into the matchup coming off lopsided exhibition wins over Ferris State and Grand Valley State. Freshman guard ToriJankoska led the team with 27 points off the bench against Ferris State, and junior forward Becca Mills scored 18 points with five rebounds and two blocks against Grand Valley State. "What a great team," McGraw said of Michigan State. "They are so talented. This is maybe their best team ever. They've got great athletic wings. They're big at every position. Their point guard [junior Kiana Johnson] is experienced and savvy. They've got a terrific game inside, and Becca Mills is playing well. "They're deep and really, really long. They can really guard, and I think that's something they take a lot of pride in. And they can score, too, so I think they're going to be a formidable opponent for us." McGraw said her team needs to make some adjustments down low and on defensive to prepare for the contest with the Spartans, a much larger and longer team than UNC-Wilmington. "I was disappointed early on that we didn't score on the block more, even with the guards [against the Seahawks]," McGraw said. "I just thought we could have gone inside a lot more. "I saw a lot of problems [on defense against UNC-Wilmington], so that's good, so we can fix those. I don't know that we'll fix them all [in Sunday's practice], but we have some defensive weaknesses that we really need to address, and hopefully we'll be able to fix those getting on into December and certainly by the ACC season." Notre Dame takes on Michigan State tonight at 7 p.m. in the Purcell Pavilion. Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu  

Women's Boxing: Baraka Bouts fight night arrives

Tonight, after two months of training, conditioning and sparring, 72 women will step into the ring with pride on the line and kick off the 11th annual Baraka Bouts. "Fight night is our chance to show all that we've been working on," senior captain Liz Garvin said. "When you're under the lights, you have to step it up a notch and show your friends and family everything you've been working toward." One hundred seventy-five boxers registered in September, setting a club record. Over the following two months, the number of participants dropped as the intense time commitment and training took their toll. Boxers are expected to attend at least eight hours of practice a week, which, for many, includes learning how to box for the first time. "We take it slow at first in instruction," senior captain Anna Carmack said. "The first week is just basic position, which foot goes in front of the other, and from there we progress. After two or three weeks we get into the ring and start shadowboxing with a partner to show them how to react." At the same time, the boxers only have two months to get ready to fight. To make sure everyone is prepared, all fighters must spar at least three times to fight in the Bouts. "It's definitely an accelerated program," Carmack said. "We try to get them in the ring as soon as possible. The best way to prepare is just to spar as much as you can." Carmack and Garvin are both experienced fighters who have participated in the Bouts for several years. Along with other veterans, they help to mentor the newer fighters throughout the training process. "We expect the novices to be at point zero [to start]," Carmack said. "When a veteran is sparring with a novice, we'll have them take it a little easier. It's a teaching moment, and we're all teammates. ... Besides, you would be surprised how quickly girls improve once they get in the ring." This year, many of these inexperienced boxers are seniors coming out to fulfill a longtime college goal, Carmack said. "It's kind of a bucket list item for a lot of them," Garvin said. "We start every year with a lot of new faces. ... Every year the program gets stronger, and more people hear about it and build up the courage to do it. It's going to be a great year. We have some great matchups. We've already sold over 1,400 tickets, so there will be a great crowd" All of it comes to a climax Monday night in the ring. The winners from the first round of fights advance to the final round Thursday. Both Garvin and Carmack described the fight-night experience as slightly terrifying, intense and exhilarating. "Your adrenaline is pumping and you can't see anyone or hear anything outside the fight," Garvin said. "It's such a great, fun opportunity." "Right before you go out there in your robe, the priest gives you a final blessing," Carmack said. "It feels like you're walking to your death. ... If you can get a group of friends there chanting your name, it's intense." The opening round of the 11th-annualBaraka Bouts takes place Monday night, starting at 6 p.m. in the Joyce Center. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 and benefit the Holy Cross charities in East Africa. Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu  

Men's Swimming: Irish split against ACC opponents

Bolstered by six individual first-place finishes, the Irish left their first ACC competition Saturday afternoon with a split decision in a tri-meet against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. Notre Dame (2-4) beat the Panthers (2-2) 162-138, and fell to the Hokies (8-1) 181-119 at the Trees Pool in Pittsburgh. Though this was Notre Dame's first meet against ACC opponents since joining the conference last summer, such meets are not commonplace in the Irish's schedule. Unlike most collegiate sports, scheduling for swimming and diving meets is not tied to conference affiliation until the championships at the end of the season. In fact, Notre Dame will not face another ACC member until they play Louisville on Jan. 24. On Saturday, senior All-American Frank Dyer set the pace for the Irish, finishing first in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races, with times of 1:37.84 and 4:26.77. Dyer's 500-yard freestyle marked a ten second improvement from his previous best time this season. Joining Dyer's first-place total for Notre Dame was junior Zach Stephens, also an All- American, who won the 200-yard individual breaststroke, clocking in at 2:01.14. Stephens also finished first with a season-best 1:49.36 in the 200-yard individual medley. Stephens rounded out his afternoon with a third place 20.54 in the 50-meter freestyle. Senior Colin Babcock added another first-place finish for the Irish, setting the pace in the 100-yard breaststroke. The co-captain swam a 55.76 in the event, and complimented Stephen's gold medal mark with a second place finish in the 200- yard individual medley. On the diving boards, freshman Joseph Coumos continued his rookie-season success, finishing first in the 3-meter boards with a score of 345.35. Coumos also took second place in the 5-meter board. Irish junior diver Nick Nemetz finished second and fourth in the 5- meter and 3-meter, scoring 321.00 and 320.25, respectively. The Irish will host their final home meet until January this weekend, when they will welcome Big-10 foes Michigan State for a duel meet on Friday and Wisconsin for a duel meet Saturday at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.  

Week 10: Pittsburgh

Men's Basketball: Pair of victories begins season

No. 21 Notre Dame opened up its season with a pair of victories over the weekend, defeating Miami (Ohio), 74-62, on Friday night and dominating Stetson, 80-49, on Sunday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish (2-0) opened up a 30-point lead by halftime Sunday and never looked back in defeating the Hatters (0-2). Ten players saw time for Notre Dame, and all logged at least 12 minutes, as no starter needed to play more than 27 minutes. "What I was really happy about this afternoon was that our older guys got off to such a good start," Irish coach Mike Brey said. "It allowed me to play our younger guys long minutes and together in a game situation, which is just a great experience for them. And the young guys played the way we play. I loved how they played together. "So it was a good day for us, early in the season, trying to figure out our young guys. We know who our older guys are." Irish graduate student center Garrick Sherman bounced back from a slow start Friday to pour in 15 points Sunday. Senior guard Jerian Grant tied for the team lead with 15 of his own. Notre Dame stormed out to a 17-3 lead, powered by a pair of threes from junior guard/forward Pat Connaughton and one from Grant. But the Hatters came back on an 8-0 run, only to see Notre Dame extend it back to 28-14 with 8:16 to play in the first half. The Irish opened shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range after hitting 10 of 21 long-range tries on Friday. From there, Notre Dame kept pouring it on, going on a 13-4 run to extend the advantage to 41-18, thanks to unselfish passing and efficient scoring. The Irish nailed 15 of their first 25 shots and assisted on 12 of the buckets. Freshman guard Demetrius Jackson mixed power with touch to close the first half, driving strongly to the hoop for two and coming right back to bury a three, as Notre Dame went into the halftime break leading 51-21. In total, Jackson tallied nine points, three rebounds and three assists. "I think the key is attacking," Brey said. "He was a little sheepish the other night, but we talked to him yesterday and I talked to him this morning and I said 'Would you just attack? Would you just go?' ... I thought he took a big step forward attacking. I also thought he was more solid defensively." Notre Dame was able to dip into the bench early and often throughout the afternoon and often had its five backups - freshman forward V.J. Beachem, freshman guards Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia and sophomore forwards Zach Auguste and Austin Burgett - playing together. "We're really getting the system down and playing well together," Burgett said. "So we just did what we did in practice and didn't get out of character." The second half began slowly, as each team plodded along. Notre Dame outscored Stetson 14-13 in the first 12:15 of the second half, and the play went back and forth the rest of the way with the Irish lead never shrinking below 27 points. On Friday night, Grant led the way for Notre Dame, as he notched a career-high 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting while hitting five of eight shots from 3-point range. Grant made his first five field goals attempts including four from downtown. Senior point guard Eric Atkins assisted on four of Grant's first five baskets. "Guys are telling me to come out aggressive and that's what I'm doing," Grant said. "When our point guard tells [me] he's going to get me open to shoot the ball, that gives me a lot of confidence." The Irish came out of the game firing and opened a 26-10 lead with 8:53 to play in the first half, but the RedHawks (0-1) responded strongly to cut their deficit to seven points, 39-32, at the break. "The way it starts out, you think it's going to be maybe like the exhibition games," Brey said. "And they make a run, which is what college basketball is all about, and you can't really get away from them, and there's some game pressure on you. I love that it wasn't easy for us." Burgett, who played just 60 minutes over 18 games as a freshman, played 24 minutes Friday - more than both Knight and Sherman - and finished with seven points. Notre Dame's other big man, Auguste, was limited to just eight minutes after he sat out both exhibition games due to injury. "I thought Austin Burgett was a key tonight, because it was hard to play two big guys, and he gave us a defensive guy on a smaller forward ... and he helped us move," Brey said. Both Sherman and Knight brought down four rebounds apiece on the night after combining for only one rebound after 20 minutes, as the 6-foot-2 Atkins was Notre Dame's leader at halftime with four and the 6-foot-5 Connaughton ended the night on top with seven. "I need to rebound better. ... That's not okay," Knight said. "I need to focus more on the rebounding side, and I think it will definitely be something we focus on in practice." After the game, Brey announced sophomore forward Cam Biedscheid would redshirt this season, following a path taken by Grant and Knight and former Irish all-Big East forward Tim Abromaitis. Brey said the decision will allow Biedscheid to spend more time in the weight room and focus a lot on development in practice, rather than worrying about impressing the coaching staff for playing time. "We've made a decision on a five-year program," Brey said. "He and I have talked about it for about a week [and] methodically have come to that decision that I think it's just best for him all the way around in his development." Biedscheid said he asked Grant, who sat out as a freshman, for advice when making the decision. "I talked to him for a pretty long time one weekend, and he was just telling me how [sitting out] really helped him and how it really benefitted his game and his academics," Biedscheid said. "So it definitely pushed me towards making the decision. "Taking this year off will benefit me strength-wise, skill-wise and academic-wise, and I need growth in all those areas." The Irish return to Purcell Pavilion on Sunday to square off with Indiana State. Contact Sam Gans at sgans@nd.edu and Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu  

Hockey: Notre Dame splits series with Gophers

No. 4 Notre Dame earned a split against No. 1 Minnesota in front of a raucous home crowd at the Compton Family Ice Arena, prevailing 4-1 in Game One before falling 5-4 in the second matchup. The Irish (7-3, 1-1 Hockey East) opened the weekend in front of a sellout crowd Friday night but were unable to jump on the Gophers (6-1-1) right out of the gates. Minnesota used speed and aggression to put early pressure on the Irish defense, outshooting Notre Dame 17-11 in the first period. Irish coach Jeff Jackson said there is always an adjustment period when the Irish play a No. 1 team, regardless of their degree of preparation. "It was everything we expected," Jackson said. "It was a high-tempo, high-paced game. I think we played a little tight in the early stages of the game. I think our guys were a little nervous in the first 10 minutes." Enabling the Irish to stay in the game was the strong play of senior goaltender Stephen Summerhays, who had 31 saves on the night. Summerhays's 17 saves in the opening period allowed the Irish to enter the first break with a 0-0 tie. According to sophomore left wing Sam Herr, the goalie's performance allowed the Irish time to build confidence. "We kind of struggled in the first 10 minutes, and they were taking it to us," Herr said. "[Summerhays] got us through the first 10 minutes. We just bared down on defense, and after we realized we could create opportunities from defense to transition, that's when we started taking over the game." Herr, Notre Dame's leading goal scorer, also played well, adding his sixth goal of the season. Senior forward Bryan Rust opened the scoring in the second period, driving unassisted to the net and maneuvering around Gophers sophomore goalie Adam Wilcox to put the shot home. Minnesota quickly responded when junior defenseman Ben Marshall knocked home a one-timer from junior forward Sam Warning. The game would remain tied until, on the Irish power play, Herr took a pass from freshman center Vince Hinostroza and forced it between the legs of Wilcox for the goal with 3:06 left in the second period. After some recent struggles in man-up situations, Herr said the two powerplay goals were exactly what the Irish needed. "That's a confidence booster," Herr said. "That's been our problem, even last year. Tonight, to put in two, ... everyone on the ice now is a little bit more confident, and we'll be able to make more plays." The Irish would add two more goals in the third. Junior right wing Garrett Peterson scored his first of the season before senior left wing Jeff Costello put home an empty netter in the final seconds. After claiming the 4-1 victory, Jackson credited the crowd for energizing the Irish. "It was just a great crowd, so they want to do well," Jackson said. "Our student section, when they're all there like that, it's such a difference. They were our sixth man tonight." The Irish were unable to sustain the same defensive effort the following night, falling 5-4 to the Gophers. Minnesota came out aggressively early, notching a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Gophers freshman forward Taylor Cammarata started things off by squeezing the puck between Summerhays and the post on the power play for his third goal of the season. Gophers freshman forward Hudson Fasching added another for the visiting team shortly thereafter, converting an Irish turnover into an unassisted goal. The Irish made it 2-1 when Hinostroza hit senior defenseman Shayne Taker to set up a slapshot that made it past Wilcox's glove side, but Gophers freshman forward Justin Kloos scored only three minutes later to extend the Minnesota lead to two. Jackson said he knew the Gophers would come out firing after putting only one goal on the board Friday. "I expected [Minnesota] to be better, and I didn't think we were as good," Jackson said. "And that combination, obviously, is not a good one. [Summerhays] wasn't as sharp as [Friday night]. It's tough to play two great games in a row. I thought it was the result of a lot of mistakes in front of him, too, so I don't put that on him." Irish sophomore left wing Mario Lucia put a goal on the board with 17 seconds remaining in the first period to pull the Irish within one before the break. The Irish added two more goals in the second stanza, one from Lucia and one from senior defenseman Stephen Johns. Hinostroza assisted on both of Lucia's goals, giving him three assists on the night and a team-best nine on the season, but he left the game with a lower body injury and did not return. Lucia, whose father Don Lucia played at Notre Dame and is now head coach of the Gophers, said his two goals topped off a special weekend for him. "It was nice having my dad here for parents' weekend. It was pretty special for him to come on the ice for that. I enjoyed the experience, but it would have been a little better if we would have swept. I could have rubbed it in a bit more." Fasching notched his second goal of the night early in the second period to put Minnesota up 4-2 before Notre Dame strung together the goals from Lucia and Johns to even the score. The back-and-forth contest ended when Minnesota freshman defenseman Jake Bischoff put home a shot 8:57 into the third period, and the Irish failed to respond. Even with the loss, Jackson said his team showed the country its potential this weekend. "We didn't play our A game tonight, and we still had a chance to win," Jackson said. "At least we know when everybody is going that we can compete with the best teams in the country." The Irish return to play next weekend with a pair of home games against Merrimack. Contact Casey Karnes at wkarnes@nd.edu

Turnover-prone ND loses

PITTSBURGH - With his 80-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, Irish receiver TJ Jones has a touchdown catch in each of the last seven games. The streak brings him within one game of Jeff Samardzija (2005) and Golden Tate's school record of eight straight games. 

Women's Swimming: Irish take two in Pa.

The Irish made quite a splash at their inaugural ACC tri-meet. The Irish (2-3) tallied 10 wins out of 16 events against ACC competitors Pitt (2-2) and Virginia Tech (7-4) at Tree Pools in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday. Notre Dame beat the Panthers 193-107 and the Hokies 162-138 to secure two victories. "We performed well, and what I like about this team is we perform better every time," Irish head coach Brian Barnes said. "We performed better than against Purdue and better against Purdue than at our first meet of the year. ... That's a good trend to have." Irish sophomore Catherine Galletti said the results were a direct result of an attention to detail honed in practice. "We've been focusing on improving the details in our races - getting off the blocks quicker, having faster turns, closing in on finishes," Galleti said. "The meet showed this." In a meet that featured improvement across the whole team, senior Kelly Ryan had the standout performance. Ryan swept the short distance freestyle events, taking wins in the 50, 100 and 200. "Kelly was a great contribution to the team today," Barnes said. Ryan also anchored the 200-medley relay team of freshman Catherine Mulquin, senior Emma Reaney and Galletti. The relay team out-swam its competitors and touched the pad first to give the Irish the victory in the opening race of the meet, putting the team in a great position to dominate the following races. "It's always fun to win the 200-medley relay because it's the first event of the meet," Galletti said. "It sets an exciting, competitive atmosphere for the rest of the day." Improvement was noticeable in the medley relay as well, specifically by Mulquin. "Catherine stepped up and really contributed to the relay," Galletti said. "Every leg of the relay continued to increase our lead throughout the race, resulting in a clear victory." In addition to the relay victory, Reaney, junior Bridget Casey and freshman Katie Miller also boasted individual wins. Reany won the 200 IM and took both breaststroke events in NCAA B-cut times. She advanced her season individual event record to 8-1. Casey won the 200 fly, which marked the first time she won the event this season. Miller claimed two individual victories in the 100 back and 500 freestyle, and she finished second in the 1000 free. "I was really happy to see Katie win the 100 back and 500 freestyle," Barnes said. "That was a huge contribution to the team from her." Following Miller and her runner-up finish in the ,000, junior Courtney Whytefinishedpsecond in the 100 fly, and Mulquin claimed a runner-up finish in the 100 back. Sophomore Lindsey Streepey took a second-place finish in the 1-meter dive. "Overall, I was happy with our race habits, and we are beginning to clean up well," Barnes said. The Irish return to the pool to compete against Valparaiso on Friday at 5 p.m. and against Wisconsin on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Rolfs Aquatic Center. Contact Kit Loughran at kloughr1@nd.edu  

Men's Soccer: Seniors go out on top of ACC

No. 1 Notre Dame honored its senior class with a 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh and a share of the ACC crown Friday on senior night at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame (11-1-5, 7-1-3) entered the night tied for first place in the ACC with Maryland. The Terrapins (10-3-5, 7-1-3) also won Friday, so they will share the ACC title with Notre Dame. Irish coach Bobby Clark praised the Irish for securing the regular-season capstone. "It's the best league in the country," Clark said. "With 11 games, six of them on the road, it's a terrific accomplishment to be proud of. This is a great start. We always talk about the travel: winning the league and then winning your conference tournament and winning the NCAAs. This is our first step towards the travel." Goals by senior forward Harrison Shipp and junior forward Vince Cicciarelli propelled the Irish to the win. Cicciarelli's insurance goal didn't come until the 81st minute, so Notre Dame felt a lot pressure throughout the match, Clark said. "When the second goal came, that was a nice relief because we knew we had to win it to win the league," Clark said. "There's a fair bit of emotion, a little bit of anxiety I would say because although we dominated play ... until we scored the second goal, there was always a chance they could maybe get something on the counterattack." In the 38th minute, a Pittsburgh penalty in the box handed Shipp a penalty kick, which he drove into the upper left corner of the goal to give Notre Dame a 1-0 lead. Shipp leads the Irish with eight goals on the season. Cicciarelli scored his fifth goal of the season from the left side in the 81st minute off an assist from senior forward Leon Brown. Notre Dame controlled possession in the first period with sharp passing that kept the ball around Pittsburgh's goal. In the first half alone, the Irish recorded 17 shots. Despite creating so many chances, Notre Dame took a long time to score, but Clark said the Irish refused to let up. "I think it was patience and persistence," Clark said. "I think two P's, patience and persistence. I thought we had a lot of the ball, and we moved the ball very well, but between good goalkeeping and some last-ditch saves, the goals took a long while in coming." Notre Dame spread the field with sweeping passes to prevent a Pittsburgh counterattack. The Panthers managed only three shots in the first half, and senior goalkeeper Patrick Wall didn't have to make his first save until the 34th minute. Senior defender Luke Mishu aggressively opened the second half for Notre Dame with a shot that flew high over the net 17 seconds into the period. The Irish kept the heat up in the 55th minute. Brown broke away and wailed a shot over the goal in a one-on-one versus Panthers sophomore goalkeeper Dan Lynd. The Pittsburgh offense pushed harder in the second period and doubled its total shots to six in the first 20 minutes. The Panthers, however, could not overcome the Irish. Shipp said Notre Dame proved it could compete in the ACC. "I think we were picked fourth or fifth coming into the year to finish and our coach was the only one to vote us on top of the ACC, so I think coming in our first year it's pretty impressive to deal with the schedule of travel every weekend," Shipp said. "To be on top of the ACC is something that we really wanted to get coming into the year." Next up for the Irish are the ACC quarterfinals Tuesday. Notre Dame will host Duke at a time to be determined. Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu  

Gastelum: Everything catches up to ND in crucial loss (Nov. 11)

Mistakes on both sides of the ball crush Irish

PITTSBURGH - Brian Kelly's Notre Dame had made a living off of playing strong late-season ball. 

Women's Boxing: Baraka Bouts prize service

The women who fight in Baraka Bouts are on a mission. It's a mission to become better boxers and stronger people. It's also a mission to benefit Holy Cross mission work in Uganda. And the captains make sure the boxers know what is at stake. "We focus on the improvement of the whole club, and always in the back of my mind is the missions," senior Baraka Bouts co-captain Liz Garvin said. "It really is the mission of Holy Cross in Uganda that keeps the girls unified and focused throughout the season." The money the boxers raise and the proceeds from fight-night ticket sales benefit Lakeview Secondary School and St. Joseph's Hill Secondary School in Uganda. The boxers' performances on fight night are important, but everything pales in comparison to the cause, Garvin said. "We always have Fr. [Leonard] Olobo, who is one of the priests who is involved in the mission," Garvin said. "Every year, we take a practice for him to talk through the mission so we can better understand who we're helping. We talk it up in practice. We're not only an athletic club, and we talk it up in practice so they know service is the most important part." Over the years, several boxers have participated in the mission work by traveling to Uganda, often in conjunction with a study-abroad program. This summer, two captains traveled to Uganda to do service work and academic projects. Fifth-year architecture student and Baraka Bouts co-captain Jennifer Fitzpatrick explored the construction of schools and how to solve problems with one building's foundation. Senior co-captain Anna Heffron conducted research for her thesis on palliative care. Fitzpatrick and Heffron shared their experiences with the team, and senior co-captain Anna Carmack said the constant dialogue keeps everyone aware of the mission. The boxers also participate in several fundraisers, such as the Power 24 Hour in which the boxers exercise for donations from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. in front of South Dining Hall. The team raised almost $1,700 during the event in 2012. Each boxer must individually raise money as well, which reinforces the meaning of Baraka Bouts, Carmack said. "To participate, they are required to fundraise a lot of money," Carmack said. "Talking about it pretty often makes it very apparent in everything we're doing." Garvin added that while the boxers work to benefit the missions, they also grow personally. "They're not only improving their physical strength, but also for the majority of the girls, it's learning a whole new sport," Garvin said. "It's really fulfilling for me to watch the girls improve. Most of them have never thrown a punch in their life, and it comes to fruition in our fight night. We get to see their strengths." The boxers put in a lot of time and grueling work at practice to get to fight night. Although boxing is a tough sport, it is rewarding, Carmack said. "Most come from zero boxing [backgrounds]," Carmack said. "What we're looking for is that they'll put in the time. They have to attend at least four two-hour practices every week. It's not going to be easy, but they do a great job of getting in there. I know I had never boxed before coming to Notre Dame. It's a big first step, and they're always happy that they did it." Garvin said her favorite moment comes when a boxer steps into the ring for the first time. "My favorite part is seeing all of the surprises," Garvin said. "There's something about fight night because you can see a girl spar, but when she gets in the ring under the lights, she just transforms. It happens every year for a few girls. You take advantage of your one time to shine." Baraka Bouts begin Monday at 6 p.m. in the Joyce Center Field House. Admission is $10 at the door. Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu  

First Half Recap: Irish 14, Pittsburgh 7

In their 69th encounter, as part of a series that began in 1909, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh were facing expectations for a closely-contested game Saturday in Heinz Field. Last season the Irish escaped in triple overtime with a 29-26 home win, and over the last five years the average margin of victory in the series has been four points. Notre Dame sat in the driver's seat after one half of this year's matchup, leading the home team 14-7. The opening drives fit the theme of recent years, if not in terms of outstanding play at least in terms of back-and-forth action. Notre Dame (7-2) elected to receive to start the game but, following a first-down drop by Irish senior receiver TJ Jones and a deflected pass on third down, had to punt the ball away after a three-and-out. After a 49-yard punt by Irish senior kicker Kyle Brindza, Pittsburgh (4-4, 2-3 ACC) got underway from the 25 yard line and traveled 30 yards on seven plays before having to punt, as well. The Irish defense featured senior defensive lineman Louis Nix, sophomore defensive lineman Sheldon Day and sophomore safety Elijah Shumate as starters, all of whom had been battling injuries in recent weeks. Notre Dame's second drive took them 33 yards, most of which came on a 23-yard pass from Irish senior quarterback Tommy Rees to freshman receiver James Onwualu. After Notre Dame failed to pick up another first down from there, Brindza attempted a 55-yard field goal, what would have been the longest field goal converted in the history of the blustery Heinz Field. Brindza's attempt came up short and, as a result, the Panthers took over from the 38 yard line. Pittsburgh punted the ball back to the Irish shortly thereafter when its subsequent drive stalled after eight yards. Notre Dame strung together a few signs of life offensively in its third drive. TJ Jones came out of the backfield and took a handoff from Rees to deliver the drive's seminal moment, a 33-yard run. Then, on fourth-and-four from the 34 yard line, Rees found Irish junior tight end Ben Koyack for a 10-yard gain. Two plays later, Rees lofted a perfect pass to junior receiver DaVaris Daniels, who had made space for himself with a slick double move. The first score of the game concluded a nine-play, 83-yard drive and gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead. Panthers sophomore defensive back Lafayette Pitts set the home team up at midfield with a 50-yard return, but Pittsburgh had to punt it away after the team's second three-and-out. On the next drive, Notre Dame punted as well after a three-and-out of its own. Five punts dominated the action of the opening quarter - two from Notre Dame, three from Pittsburgh - as the Irish took a one-touchdown lead into the first break. To begin the second quarter, Pittsburgh continued to drive down the field, aided by a personal foul penalty against Irish junior defensive lineman StephonTuitt. On a tackle of Pittsburgh sixth-year quarterback Tom Savage at Pittsburgh's 39-yard line, Tuitt received a flag for targeting and an ejection from the game, a ruling upheld following official review. After the penalty the Panthers marched into the red zone for the first time of the night and capped off a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Savage to senior receiver Devin Street. Notre Dame showed promise with its next drive but ended up with nothing to show for it. Irish junior running back George Atkinson began the drive with 33 yards. TJ Jones went streaking down the middle on the very next play, caught the pass from Rees but fumbled when hit by a pair of Panthers receivers near the endzone. Pitt took over at the six-yard line but failed to capitalize on the takeaway and punted after another three-and-out. With a chance to put Jones' mistake further in the rear-view mirror, the Irish did not drag their feet. Rees completed a 38-yard pass to Koyack, who made a difficult catch while drawing a pass-interference penalty. Originally ruled a touchdown, the play was determined to have been down at the half-yard line. After a run into the line and an incomplete pass, Notre Dame again turned to Jones on third-and-goal. The senior tri-captain found the endzone through traffic for his first career rushing touchdown and gave the Irish the 14-7 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a 10-play drive but only managed to traverse 42 yards and had to send out the punting unit again when the drive stalled at Notre Dame's 39 yard line. The Irish took over with 2:27 remaining in the half but could not muster a late scoring drive and quickly followed with a punt of their own. The half ended with the Irish leading Pittsburgh, 14-7. The Irish were two of eight on third-down attempts while Pitt converted three of its nine opportunities on third down. The Panthers punted five times in the half while Notre Dame booted three over the same span.

Men's Interhall: Carroll and Fisher meet in clash of undefeateds

Men's Tennis: Andrews advances

Senior Greg Andrews cleared a major hurdle between him and a national championship Thursday, as he beat No. 4 seed Georgia sophomore Austin Smith, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the first round of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in New York City.

Men's Swimming: Irish travel to first ACC meet

ND Women's Basketball: Irish begin regular season

No. 6 Notre Dame will look to embark on its path to a fourth consecutive Final Four when the Irish tip off their regular season against UNC-Wilmington on Saturday at Purcell Pavilion.

Karnes: Where losing trumps winning (Nov. 8)

Hockey: Compton's Challenger

The No. 4 Irish will play host to unbeaten No. 1 Minnesota tonight and Saturday night in a premier matchup between two of the country's top teams.

Men's Soccer: Irish seek ACC regular season title

The Irish aren't playing for just any conference win today - they're playing for the ACC title.