Men's Basketball: Back on track
What a difference a week makes.
What a difference a week makes.
The No. 1 women's and men's Irish fencing teams opened the 2011 campaign this weekend by participating in the NYU Invitational.
When the Irish took to the track Saturday afternoon, they didn't know what to expect from their young and rising squad. But by night's end, the women's team found hope in the field events, dominating the Notre Dame Invitational with three first place finishes.
The Irish were edged out by a perennially strong Michigan State team on Friday by a score of 155.5-145.5, dropping Notre Dame to 5-3 on the season. But the slim 10-point margin signals a dramatic improvement from last year's 179-121 drubbing at the hands of the Spartans (5-1).
The Irish started the season with a bang in a 5-2 win against Illinois last weekend.
Notre Dame looks to return the favor to the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday after Michigan State handed the squad a loss in a head-to-head match up last season.
Notre Dame will try to post fast times and strong individual performances when it hosts the Notre Dame Invitational Saturday.
Last season was a familiar story for the Irish — a high ranking, a successful regular season and an exit in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. This year, Notre Dame is hoping to make it all the way.
The Belles return from a week of training in Florida with a tough matchup against six-time defending MIAA Champion Calvin College. In what will be Saint Mary's final meet of the season, the squad is set to encounter a familiar opponent.
Notre Dame returns to the place where its 2009-10 campaign came to a bitter end when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to take on Ohio State.
The Irish return home this week, competing for the first time on Notre Dame's campus since early December.
The Irish will kick off the spring half of their season this weekend when they take on William & Mary Saturday and Virginia Sunday in team play.
The Irish hope to continue the momentum they gained from a stellar showing at the Dallas North American Cup when both the men's and women's squads travel to the Big Apple to participate in the NYU Duals on Friday.
Junior guard Maggie Ronan scored 18 of her 20 points in the first half as Saint Mary's defeated Kalamazoo 90-59 on Thursday night.
The Lone-Star State was kind to the Irish over break, as the fencing squad traveled south to post their own Texas-sized accomplishment. Junior Courtney Hurley and freshman Ariel DeSmet both earned medals at the tournament. In total, 21 Irish fencers competed in the Dallas North American Cup with 10 of the fencers notching top 20 finishes.
The return of senior forward Carleton Scott from a hamstring injury helped lift No. 16 Notre Dame to a much-needed victory Wednesday, as the Irish snapped a two-game skid by beating No. 25 Cincinnati, 66-58, at the Purcell Pavilion.
Junior guard Maggie Ronan dropped a career-high 23 points Tuesday night to help Saint Mary's grab a 74-53 conference win over Trine.
With only 10 conference matchups remaining, No. 8 Notre Dame finds itself atop the CCHA, clear of No. 6 Michigan by a single point. With an upcoming road trip to Ohio State and a crucial two-game series with No. 12 Miami (Ohio) looming after that, the Irish (15-8-3/12-5-1-1 CCHA) are locked in the heat of a tight homestretch battle for the league crown.
Critics of the Irish team this season have said Notre Dame is too young to be good, with a major weakness in the post. Senior forward Devereaux Peters is making sure those critics know they're wrong. And she manages to do so while sitting out for up to 15 minutes per half.
The look on Becca Bruszewski's face in the first five minutes of Notre Dame's 80-58 win over Georgetown Tuesday was all anyone needed to see.