Notre Dame Responsible for the End of Maya Moore's Historic Career

Posted on Monday, April 04, 2011 at 07:31 AM

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- December 2010 (14 entries)

In what has been a year of upsets for college basketball, the University of Connecticut women's basketball team are the latest team to fall.

Notre Dame fighting Irish women's team knocked out the two time reigning champions to set up a date with fellow underdog Texas A&M in the final after they beat Stanford in the Final Four.

Sensational sophomore guard Skylar Diggins once again proved that nothing in sports is a given as she led Notre Dame past UConn.

Diggins scored 28 points in the team's 9 point victory over the reigning two time champions from the University of Connecticut.

Having gone unbeaten since 2008 entering this season the UConn ladies were always going to be the favorites for this year's crown.

A dominating team led by Maya Moore, who potentially ended the best career of any woman in NCAA basketball history last night, of course entered the game as the clear favorites having easily disposed of Duke in the Elite Eight by 75-40.

Moore was unbelievable in that game putting up 28 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists but couldn't carry her team past the Fighting Irish.

The Irish had gone 0-3 during the regular season in matchups with UConn but pulled out the victory when it was most needed to give UConn only their second loss in three seasons and their first tournament loss since Moore was a freshman.

The victory was extra sweet for Diggins who was playing in her hometown in Indiana, in front of a boisterous crowd that adopted Diggins' teammates as well as supported her.

Diggins' may receive most of the plaudits, and deservedly so, but the team as a whole shot 50% from the field and Natalie Novosel in particular impressed with 22 points shooting 8-13.

Predictably Moore led both sides in scoring with 36 points but she shot less than 50% from the field 14-30 going 5-13 from behind the arc. Notre Dame didn't give the best player in the country any easy looks with some great defense however and ultimately ran out comfortable winners.

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nicgearailt | Apr 05, 2011, 02:12 PM EDT

Good to see other colleges have the opportunity to win the championship..new faces who also can play at the highest level. Hope the title game is better than the Men's Championship.My heart was hoping for a Butler win.. As for the Ladies Championship...may the better team win...good luck to both teams... With regard to ND and their Fighting Irish moniker...I really dislike it ..it's stereotyping,and being Irish ,I wish it could be banished.I am amazed that ND is so reviled... What is significant is that it is an excellent University..have a graduate in the family... Looking forward to tonights game. Maya Moore has had an extraordinary college career,and will likely be playing in the Womens Professional League if she so chooses...

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joan1954 | Apr 05, 2011, 10:03 AM EDT

Go Texas A&M Good Luck and Gig em Aggies.

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JamesMartin | Apr 04, 2011, 11:44 AM EDT

Congrats to both ND and Tex A&M. Hope the best team wins. However, I don't know why Irish Central is so enthralled with ND. Other than the nickname they are no more Irish and probably less than Boston College. ND has lost it's luster over the years of expanded media. ND was afraid to join the Big Ten Conference AND contrary to popular opinion would actually make more money in the Big Ten then it does currently even with it's TV contract with NBC (which has declining ratings). ND is either loved or reviled and the love is generally because of the Catholic connection. So what is my point? Irish Central please, please stop the ink on ND and more on Irish Americans attending all colleges in the US. Slainte!

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