University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Readies for Showdown with Notre Dame
12/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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STORRS, Conn. - Looking ahead to its fourth game in a week, the No. 1 University of Connecticut women's basketball team will prepare to battle No. 3 Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 5 as a part of the Jimmy V Classic. Action is set to begin at 5:15 p.m. in Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on the Storrs campus. The showdown will be televised nationally on ESPN with radio coverage on the UConn/IMG Sports Radio Network.
Head coach Geno Auriemma and the team asks that all fans attending Saturday's game WEAR WHITE in an effort to WHITE OUT Gampel Pavilion.
UConn (5-0) is coming off a 86-70 road win over No. 23 DePaul on Wednesday night in Chicago. Senior forward Breanna Stewart (North Syracuse, N.Y.) earned the 27th double-double of her career with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt-junior Morgan Tuck (Bolingbrook, Ill.) put on a show for the home crowd by adding 16 points, 11 boards and five assists. Sophomore Kia Nurse (Hamilton, Ontario) and freshman Katie Lou Samuelson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) tallied 10 points apiece.
The Huskies are 33-11 all-time against the Irish and have won the last four games in the series, including the 2013 national semifinal and the 2014 and 2015 national championship contests.
Prior to the 2013 national semifinal, Notre Dame had won the previous four games between the two sides. The last time ND and UConn squared-off in Storrs, the Irish came away with a dramatic 73-72 win on Jan. 5, 2013.
Connecticut is averaging 90.0 points per game while showcasing a +38.0 average margin of victory. The Huskies are shooting an impressive 54.0 percent (175-of-324) from the floor and holds a 225-137 edge on the glass.
Stewart leads the team with 23.4 ppg and is shooting 81.8 percent from the free throw line while sophomore Gabby Williams (Sparks, Nev.) has a team-best 9.6 rpg. Williams, Tuck and senior Moriah Jefferson (Glenn Heights, Texas) are all averaging double figures.
The Irish will enter Saturday's matchup with a 7-0 record and the No. 3 ranking in the weekly Associated Press poll. Madison Cable is the leading scorer for Notre Dame, averaging 16.4 ppg to go along with 39 total rebounds and 16 total assists.
Saturday will feature two major events taking place on campus. Along with the women's basketball game, the Boston Pops will be playing at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts starting at 8 p.m.
Both events are sold out, with about 2,300 people attending the Boston Pops and about 10,000 basketball fans coming to watch UConn take on rival Notre Dame.
Adjacent to campus, the Mansfield Downtown Partnership will also be welcoming scores of guests to Storrs Center from 1 to 5 p.m. for its 3rd annual Winter Welcome.
The basketball game is expected to end around 7:30 p.m. or slightly earlier, so many Gampel guests will be leaving campus as the majority of Jorgensen patrons arrive. In addition to North Garage, some limited surface lot parking will be available across the street at Lot 9 for Jorgensen patrons, and South Garage spaces will be opening as basketball fans leave.
Drivers are also asked to be especially vigilant for pedestrians, particularly as evening falls, and to remember to give them the right of way in crosswalks.
