Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Senior guard Megan Duffy played her final game in a Notre Dame uniform on Saturday, scoring two points and dishing out three assists in the WBCA All-Star Challenge, held in Boston. Earlier in the day, Duffy was named a Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American for the second consecutive year.

Past and future of Irish women's basketball on display on all-star Saturday at NCAA Women's Final Four in Boston.

April 1, 2006

BOSTON - For the second consecutive year, the past and future of Notre Dame women's basketball crossed paths at the NCAA Women's Final Four, as outgoing Irish senior guard Megan Duffy (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) and incoming freshman guard Ashley Barlow (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) took part in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Night of All-Stars, which was held Saturday night at Matthews Arena on the Northeastern University campus in Boston.

In the WBCA High School All-America Game, the opener of the all-star twinbill, Barlow scored four points and grabbed four rebounds, but her White Team fell to the Red Team, 68-61. Barlow, who finished third in the Indiana Miss Basketball voting, was the fifth Notre Dame signee to play in the WBCA All-America contest, and the second in as many seasons following in the footsteps of current Irish freshman guard Lindsay Schrader.

In the nightcap, Duffy scored two points, delivered three assists and had two steals, but her Team Chowder lost a narrow 90-87 decision to Team Bisque. Duffy's side had a chance to tie in the waning seconds, but a three-point attempt by UCLA's Nikki Blue was off the mark. The Notre Dame co-captain was the third departing Irish senior to play in the contest, with Jacqueline Batteast the most recent participant in 2005.

Earlier in the day, Duffy was lauded as a Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American for the second consecutive season. It's the third All-America award the Irish veteran has received this postseason -- she was tapped as an AP honorable mention All-America choice on Thursday and last week, she was recognized as a second-team All-American by Full Court Press.

Duffy's adventure in Boston continues Sunday when she and senior teammate Courtney LaVere (Ventura, Calif./Buena) receive special awards from the WBCA in a luncheon at the Hynes Convention Center. Duffy will be honored as the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner, which goes to the nation's top senior standing 5-foot-8 or under, while LaVere will be feted as the Robin Roberts/WBCA Broadcasting Scholarship Award recipient. Duffy will then prepare for Monday's WNBA Pre-Draft Camp, to be held at Emmanuel College in Boston, before the WNBA Draft takes place Wednesday at 1 p.m. (ET) at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (round 1 on ESPN, rounds 2-3 on ESPNU, NBA TV and WNBA.com).

-- ND --