By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The University of Louisville guard received applause like she was wearing Irish gold and blue.
Brandie Radde, a 2006 Niles High School graduate, returned Wednesday to Michiana for the first time as a member of the Louisville women's basketball team. The homecoming would have been sweeter if Radde and the No. 17 ranked Cardinals (21-3, 7-3) could have left Notre Dame's Joyce Center with a victory.
Notre Dame (15-8, 6-4) defeated Louisville, 64-55, and for the second time this season the Fighting Irish knocked off a ranked opponent at home. Notre Dame handed then No. 10 Purdue a 67-58 loss back in December.
"I was really excited to be back near my hometown, get to see a lot of friends and family and play a good game, but ended up with a disappointing loss," Radde said after the game. "It was really nice to see a lot of friendly faces being far away from home and coming back."
Radde averaged 16.6 points as a Viking and remains the school's top 3-point shooter of all-time. That role has followed her to Louisville, where she averages nearly a pair of 3-point baskets per game and, in the team's program, is referred to as the "Cardinals' 3-point specialist."
Radde, a 5-11 freshman, has worked her way into coach Tom Collen's starting line-up. Before Wednesday's contest she averaged six points, nearly three rebounds and two assists – second on the team – in about 22 minutes per game. She also holds a 2.58 assist to turnover ratio.
Radde was unable to produce those kind of numbers in Wednesday's contest, though she did log 27 minutes on the floor. On offense, Radde mostly hung around the right wing, and at times was assigned to defending Notre Dame's speedy and always-on-the-move guard, Charel Allen.
Radde hit her only shot of the game on a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in the first half to give Louisville a seven-point lead heading into the locker room. The Cardinals were led in the opening frame by their leading scorer, forward Angel McCoughtry, who was five for five from beyond the 3-point arc for a first half total of 19 points.
Louisville jumped out to an 11-point advantage in the second half, only to let the Irish climb back to take the lead, 41-40, with 13 minutes left. Notre Dame's press forced a string of Cardinal turnovers, and with just under four minutes left the Irish held an eight point lead, 56-48.
The Irish took over and went on a 16-0 run fueled by guard Charel Allen's 21 points and four assists. Ashley Barlow, Notre Dame's 5-9 freshman guard, added 15 points and two assists.
Louisville's McCoughtry was held to 10 points in the second half. Radde finished one for six from the field for three points, and had one rebound, one assist and one turnover.
The Niles native has hit 39 3-pointers this year, which is good for ninth in the Big East for 3-point field goals made. The Cards are 6-1 with her in the starting lineup.
"I think it's been great," Radde said of her experience so far playing in the Big East. "It's really showed me the difference between high school and college, and what I'm going to need to improve on to be a better player. So far it's been great."
She said she hasn't thought much about the transition from high school to Division 1 college ball.
"[I] Just get in and play. It's just a matter of working on the little things and improving the weaknesses."