WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM DRAWS NOTRE DAME IN 2013 NCAA TOURNAMENT
MARTIN, Tenn . –It was announced tonight that The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday, March 24. The game will tip off at 4:05 p.m. CT at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and can be seen live on ESPN2.
The Skyhawks (19-14) enter the game on a season-high eight-game winning streak, clinching a spot in their third straight NCAA Tournament with an 87-80 overtime win over Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley Conference championship on March 9.
UT Martin is the only team in the nation to boast two top-10 scorers in the nation in juniors Jasmine Newsome (22.9 points per game, fourth) and Heather Butler (22.0, seventh). Both players are three-time All-OVC first teamers while Newsome is coming off back-to-back OVC Player of the Year accolades. As a team, UT Martin ranks amongst the country’s best in three-point field goals per game (9.0, third) and fewest turnovers per game (12.8, ninth).
Ranked No. 2 in both major polls, Notre Dame (31-1) will enter the tournament on a 26-game winning streak, with its only blemish this season coming against No. 1 Baylor (73-61) on Dec. 5. The Irish rank third in the nation in scoring offense (80.8 points per game), scoring margin (+23.1), free throw percentage (.797) and assists per game (19.2).
Three-time All-American Skylar Diggins paces a balanced Notre Dame scoring attack. Diggins averages 17.0 points, 5.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game to lead the Irish. Kayla McBride (15.4 points per game), Natalie Achonwa (13.8) and Jewell Loyd (11.8) also average double-digits in the scoring column for Notre Dame, who is coming off a 61-59 win over Connecticut in the Big East championship.