SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The tenaciousness of top-ranked Notre Dames defense, the speed of its offense and a crowd of 8,106 overwhelmed No. 17 Washington early in the Preseason WNIT final on Sunday and the Huskies never recovered.The Fighting Irish jumped to a 12-0 start and led 25-8 at the end of the first quarter en route to a 71-60 victory on Sunday as Arike Ogunbowale led Notre Dame with 17 points and Kathryn Westbeld added 14 points and eight rebounds. Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey had four steals each as Notre Dame forced 17 turnovers, leading to 19 points.Transition is our game. We want to get out and run, Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. I think thats one of the things were known for.Washington coach Mike Neighbors said the male players who the Huskies normally practice against werent available the past few days so it made it tougher to prepare for Notre Dames speed.Wow are they fast, he said.After trailing by as many as 20 points early in the second quarter and 19 late in the third quarter, the Huskies (3-1) closed to 63-53 on a basket by Chantel Osahor with 5:53 left. But Ogunbowale hit a basket inside and Turner hit a free throw and scored on a rebound as the Irish regained control.Turner added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Irish (4-0).Kelsey Plum, who entered the game averaging 30 points, finished with 22 points on 7 of 19 shooting, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range. Plum credited Notre Dames defense.They sat on my left hand the entire game. They made me take a step back, fadeaway jump shots, and I didnt knock as many down as I should have, she said.The Huskies entered the game shooting 48.2 percent from 3-point range, but only shot 32 percent on Sunday.Washington, which hadnt trailed by more than seven points in its first three games, missed their first five shots and had four turnovers while the Irish hit 5 of 8 shots.I think once we got punched in the mouth we just settled down, and said, `Thats OK. Thats why theyre No. 1 in the country. Lets start playing basketball now. So I think that initial punch, it was cool to see our team battle throughout and play them even, Plum said. I think that will help us in the tournament and future big games. I think well be a little bit more prepared from the jump.BIG PICTUREWashington: The Huskies, playing on the road for the first time, struggled shooting early and couldnt hit consistently from 3-point range as they usually do. ... They fell 0-7 all-time against teams ranked No. 1.Notre Dame: After struggling both offensively and defensively in a four-point win against Green Bay, the Irish played much better at both and in extending their home winning streak to 34 games.POLL IMPLICATIONSWashington: The Huskies outscored the Irish 52-46 after a slow start so the loss shouldnt hurt them in the poll and could help them.Notre Dame: The win over a ranked team might be enough to keep hold of the top ranking, although the Irish could be hurt by the way they struggled to a four-point win over Green Bay on Thursday.HE SAID IT:Were not used to playing in front of 8,100 people. So that had a lot to do with it, Neighbors said.UP NEXTWashington: The Huskies host Idaho on Tuesday and Seattle on Saturday before playing at Portland on Sunday.Notre Dame: The Irish play Louisiana-Lafayette in Houston on Tuesday, a neutral-site home game for the Irish so Turner can play near her home in Pearland, before returning home to face TCU at home on Saturday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.cheapjerseysnhl.net/ . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Cheap NHL Jerseys China . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. PHILADELPHIA -- After helping celebrate Ryan Howard, the New York Mets quickly shifted focus their attention to Madison Bumgarner.Cesar Hernandez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning, and the Phillies beat the playoff-bound Mets 5-2 on Sunday in Howards farewell game in Philadelphia.Howard got several standing ovations from the crowd, and Mets players clapped for him during a pregame ceremony and when he left the game in the ninth.Now, the Mets get ready to face one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball when they host San Francisco in a wild-card game Wednesday at Citi Field.Everybody knows what a good pitcher Bumgarner is, but we have a good pitcher, too, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said through an interpreter.The defending NL champion Mets clinched the top wild-card spot on Saturday so manager Terry Collins gave most of his regulars a day off and ace Noah Syndergaard was pushed back to start against the Giants.Hes a great pitcher, Collins said. You cant let him get ahead of you. If you do, youre in trouble. If Noah pitches like he can, well be fine.The Mets have won at least one series in each of their last four trips to the postseason. To advance this year, theyll have to beat a guy who is 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his last five postseason appearances.The man can pitch, Kelly Johnson said of Bumgarner. Hes one of the best in the game. Hes also like having a DH in the lineup. Youre going to face tough pitchers in the playoffs. Our guy is pretty good, too.ddddddddddddets starter Gabriel Ynoa allowed one run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Defensive miscues cost New York in the seventh.Andres Blanco started the inning against Erik Goeddel (2-2) with a single, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored the tying run on a double error by first baseman Lucas Duda, who booted pinch hitter Cody Asches grounder and then threw it wild to first.Hernandez ripped a single to right to make it 3-2 and Jimmy Paredes followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 lead.Maikel Franco was 4 for 4, including an RBI single in the third that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.Colton Murray (1-1) pitched one inning in relief of Jerad Eickhoff to earn his first career win despite allowing a run. Hector Neris finished for his second save.The Mets took a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Kevin Plawecki lined a double to right-center. The ball initially froze center fielder Odubel Herrera, who couldnt recover in time to track it down.Matt Reynolds hit a double with two outs in the sixth and scored on Alejandro De Azas single to tie it at 1-1.STARTING TIMEEickhoff gave up one run and four hits, striking out eight in six innings. He finished the season 11-14 with a 3.65 ERA.UP NEXTSyndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA) was 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in four postseason appearances last year, including three starts. ' ' '