McBride leads No. 2 Irish to 64-42 win over Cincinnati
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Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins, left, drives the lane as Cincinnati guard Alyesha Lovett defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in South Bend. Notre Dame won 64-42. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd, right, and Cincinnati forward Jeanise Randolph reach for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in South Bend. Notre Dame won 64-42. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)


The winning streak matches the fourth-longest in school history, also accomplished in 2009-10 and 1990-91. The victory also was the 699th career win in 31 seasons for coach Muffet McGraw, 26 coaching Notre Dame (20-1, 8-0 Big East). Cincinnati (8-13, 0-8) fell to 0-9 all-time against the Irish.
Kayla Cook led the Bearcats with 12 points. Dayeesha Hollins, the Bearcats leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, was held to a season-low six points.
Kaila Turner added 11 points for the Irish, which outshot Cincinnati 50 percent to 35 percent and had a 38-24 rebounding advantage.
McBride had been in a shooting slump, making just 4 of 18 shots against Tennessee on Monday and missing all five shots the previous game against Providence, but she got going early against Cincinnati. She made the game’s first basket a minute in on a jumper and twice made three straight baskets for the Irish. The first time came as the Bearcats missed their first nine shots, falling behind 10-0 when McBride scored on a rebound and then hit a 17-foot jumper.
Lesha Dunn finally ended Cincinnati’s scoreless streak with a jumper, but McBride answered quickly with a backdoor layup on a pass from Skylar Diggins. After the Bearcats cut the lead to 14-8 on a pair of free throws by Dayeesha Hollins, McBride hit three straight jumpers to spark a 17-2 run. McBride capped the run with a 3-pointer that gave the Irish a 31-10 lead.
The Irish later extended the lead to 35-12 on a free throw by Jewell Loyd with 2:15 left in the first and led 37-15 at halftime.
The Bearcats opened the second half on an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to 39-23 on a baseline jumper by Dunn. But Kayla Turner hit a 3-pointer to get the Irish going again, sparking a 14-0 run. The Irish scored the last six from the free throw line. Cincinnati used a 12-2 run to close to 55-35 on a basket inside by Hollins with 4:10 left. But the Bearcats couldn’t get any closer.
The Irish wore uniforms with pink trim, socks and shoes as part of the Pink Zone initiative, a program aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer. Notre Dame had a sellout crowd of 9,149 for the seventh straight game and the ninth time this season, a record for the Irish.











