Feb. 8, 2006
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Senior forward Liad Suez-Karni (Even-Yehuda, Israel) recorded the first triple-double in team history and Villanova (13-8 Overall, 4-6 Big East) won for just the second time ever in South Bend. The Wildcats defeated Notre Dame (14-8, 5-6 Big East) 69-65 in overtime on Tuesday evening at the Joyce Center.
Villanova saw a 21-point lead evaporate in the second half but then shrugged off a two-point deficit of its own in the closing minutes of regulation. The Wildcats never trailed in overtime and prevailed with the victory, their first on the road in conference play this season.
Junior forward Jackie Adamshick (Allentown, Pa.) opened the extra period with a basket 23 seconds into the frame and senior guard Jenna Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) made a layup just over a minute later to give Villanova a 64-60 edge with 3:30 remaining. A three-pointer by Fighting Irish leading scorer Megan Duffy pulled Notre Dame within 66-65 with 36 seconds left, but with 22 seconds to play Viani made both ends of a 1-and-1 free throw chance. She added another foul shot with six seconds remaining that sealed the win.
Viani led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 accuracy from the charity stripe. However, the best stat line of the game came from Suez-Karni, who contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to make Villanova women's basketball history. The 10 helpers were a new career high, while the 10 boards tied a career best and was her highest total of the season. Adamshick finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while senior center Kate Dessart Mager (Media, Pa.) made 5-of-7 shots from the floor to also finish with 10 points.
Lindsay Schrader had 16 points for the Fighting Irish and Megan Duffy added 15, as Notre Dame put four players in double figures. Charel Allen had 14 points while Courtney LaVere contributed 12, and Notre Dame shot 55 percent in the second period to climb back into a game that appeared to be out of reach.
The Wildcats were 14-of-28 from the field in the first half and led 32-20 at the break. The shooting percentage increased early on after intermission, as Villanova made four straight shots - the first three from beyond the three-point arc - to open the second stanza. Adamshick, Suez-Karni and Viani connected on three-pointers ahead of a basket by Dessart Mager, and the Wildcats led 43-22 with 16:31 left in regulation.
However, after a 30-second timeout the Fighting Irish caught fire, making five straight field goals and two free throws in a 13-1 run that spanned just 3:12. The Notre Dame spurt reduced Villanova's lead to 44-35 with 12:56 showing in the second period.
Suez-Karni stopped the run with a jumper, and redshirt freshman forward Lisa Karcic (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) scored five straight Wildcat points to build the lead back to 51-37 with 11:15 left in the second stanza. Karcic made a three-pointer for her first points of the game, and on the next possession rebounded her own miss and followed with a layup to create the 14-point margin.
Notre Dame called another 30-second timeout, though, and then went on a 15-1 run in 3:44 to tie the game at 52-52 with 7:14 remaining in regulation. Villanova missed three shots and committed four turnovers during the run, while the Fighting Irish had five field goals in seven tries, two three-point plays and four free throws to knot the score for the first time since it was 2-2 in the opening minute of the contest.
Late in regulation, Allen made consecutive baskets to give Notre Dame their first and only lead of the game, 58-56 with 2:08 left in the second period. However, Viani answered with a layup of her own to tie the score at 58-58 with 1:09 remaining. Adamshick then blocked a shot and got the rebound with 40 seconds to play, and Viani converted another layup with 20 seconds left to give Villanova a 60-58 advantage.
The Fighting Irish were not yet through, as Duffy tied the score 60-60 with 11 seconds remaining to set up the overtime heroics by the Wildcats. Adamshick had a potential game-winning shot fall short with two seconds left in regulation, before Villanova emerged victorious in its first overtime game since the 2002-03 season.
The Wildcats return home on Saturday afternoon to play Cincinnati at 1 p.m. from the Pavilion.
NOTES: Suez-Karni did most of the work for her triple-double after halftime, totaling 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the second period and overtime ... She leads the team in scoring this season, is second in assists and third in rebounding ... Villanova's last overtime game was also a victory, as the Wildcats defeated Penn State 73-66 on January 23, 2003 ... The Wildcats only other win in Notre Dame was a 48-45 triumph on February 26, 2002 ... Notre Dame leads the all-time series 13-8, but Villanova has won two straight and five of the past six in the series ... The Wildcats defeated the Fighting Irish, then ranked fourth in the nation, 59-54 at the Pavilion last season ... The five straight points Karcic scored midway through the second stanza were her only ones of the game ... She was 2-of-5 from the field, including 1-of-1 from three-point range, in 11 minutes ... Villanova had a 37-32 rebound advantage and shot 46 percent (26-of-57) for the evening ... Notre Dame came in at 44 percent (25-of-57) and turned the ball over 10 times, compared to 11 miscues by the Wildcats.
