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ND women welcome cancer survivor, original Irish team

Posted: 3:46 PM Feb 3, 2013
Reporter: NewsCenter 16 Staff

ND women welcome cancer survivor, original Irish team
Pink zone, Notre Dame women's basketball

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team sported pink as they took to the court at the Purcell Pavilion on Saturday.

The question, “what are you fighting for?” was answered by the Irish, they are fighting for cancer. It was not just the team that wore pink, Irish coach Muffet McGraw donned the color to show her support for breast cancer research.

But pink was not the only color in the stadium, there was a little green too courtesy of the first Notre Dame women’s basketball team from the early 1970s. The women from the university’s original club team that led to varsity status made an appearance at the Purcell.

The lead scorer from the original Lady Irish team, Lynn Mertensotto, is a breast cancer survivor herself, making Saturday an extra special day for her to be at the game with some of her closest and oldest friends.

“When I was going through my chemo and radiation to have support of all my family and friends---all these people here--there was four of five that were right there with me. It's really great to be able to appreciate them, go down to the grotto, lit candles, it means a lot” said Mertensotto.

At halftime at Saturday’s game against Cincinnati, cancer survivors surrounded the court, and one lucky fan was overwhelmed with emotion as she was chosen for a game day makeover.