Golden Eagles Fall To No. 7 Irish, 82-67

Feb. 23, 2010

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Melissa Lechlitner scored a career-high 23 points and Lindsay Schrader returned from an ankle injury to add 17 and lead No. 7 Notre Dame to an 82-67 victory over Marquette on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Irish (24-3, 11-3 Big East) ended a two-game losing streak that saw them drop three spots in the rankings and put them in jeopardy of finishing outside of the top four in the league standings. Marquette (14-13, 5-9) lost its fourth straight.

Schrader missed the two previous losses by the Irish with a left ankle sprain.

After missing their first three shots, the Irish made eight straight during an 18-2 run that gave them an 18-6 lead. Lechlitner made back-to-back baskets during the run, hitting a 3, then a jumper to give the Irish a 12-6 lead. She later drove inside for another score during the run. The Golden Eagles narrowed the lead to 24-19 when Courtney Weibel made a 3-pointer. But a three-point play by Lechlitner and another 3-pointer by her helped spark a 15-3 spurt, giving the Irish a 41-24 lead at halftime.

An 11-2 run by the Golden Eagles early in the second half cut the lead to 48-37, but the Irish quickly answered with a 10-2 spurt that included another 3-pointer by Lechlitner.

Weibel and Jessica Pachko had 15 points each for Marquette.