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Wednesday, Jan. 3 7:00pm ET
Riley scores 27 as Hokies test Irish RECAP | BOX SCORE
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BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Ruth Riley and No. 3 Notre Dame had to
work hard for their 13th victory of the season.
Riley scored a career-high 27 points and led Notre Dame to a
75-64 victory over Virginia Tech in a Big East matchup Wednesday
night.
"They made me work for everything that I got," said Riley, who
also grabbed eight rebounds.
"Ruth was the difference in the game," Notre Dame coach Muffet
McGraw said. "She's the one that stepped up."
Niele Ivey added 18 points and seven assists as Notre Dame
(13-0, 2-0 Big East) extended the best start in school history and
dealt the Hokies their first home defeat of the season.
The setback ended a three-game winning streak for Virginia Tech.
"Virginia Tech is a great team. They never gave up," Ivey
said. "We had to stay focused and keep playing hard."
Notre Dame led 39-29 at halftime and opened the second half with
an 11-5 run for a 50-34 lead with 17:07 left.
The Hokies countered with an 11-2 run, including a 3-pointer by
Lisa Guarneri, a bucket by Amy Wetzel, and back-to-back 3s by Ieva
Kublina, that trimmed their deficit to 52-45.
"They made some great runs, they didn't quit," McGraw said.
Ivey hit two free throws to give Notre Dame a 54-45 lead, but
Virginia Tech went on a 7-0 run, capped by a jumper by Nicole
Jones, that lifted the Hokies to two points down, 54-52.
"You start by giving Notre Dame credit for being good enough
offensively that if you make a mistake on defense, you're going to
pay," Virginia Tech coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "Our kids came
out of the locker room believing that if they dug deep and stayed
aggressive offensively, they could make it a game."
The Hokies did give the Irish a good fight.
The teams traded baskets over the next three minutes before
Notre Dame closed the game with a 13-5 run.
"The last eight minutes, we let a lot get away," Virginia Tech
forward Tere Williams said. "Did we have them on the ropes? Yes.
Will we be ready for them next time? You bet your tails."
Kelley Siemon had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Ericka Haney
added 11 points for the Irish, the highest-ranked team to play in
Blacksburg.
Williams scored 17 points, Kublina had 11 and Wetzel 10 for
Virginia Tech (9-2, 0-2 Big East).
The teams were tied at 18 with 12:24 left in the first half
before Notre Dame went on a 21-11 run and took its largest lead of
the first half, 39-29.
Virginia Tech joined the Big East in basketball this season, and
suffered a 61-53 defeat to No. 9 Rutgers on Dec. 6 in their Big East
debut. The team is facing much stiffer competition this year than
it did in the Atlantic 10 in the past. The Hokies and the Irish
meet again Jan. 13.
"They're definitely going to contend with Connecticut and
Rutgers at the top of the conference," McGraw said. "If you come
in here with a young team, you're in trouble."
Henrickson said Riley stole the show.
"Ruth Riley is one of the best post players in the country,"
she said. "They build the team around Ruth and they have great
role players."
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ALSO SEE Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
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