College of Notre Dame Enjoys Thrill of Victory : Women’s basketball: Northern California school celebrating after snapping record 70-game losing streak.

The College of Notre Dame women’s basketball team, long familiar with the agony of defeat, can savor some glory now that its 70-game losing streak--the longest in NCAA history--is over.

Friday night, the Argonauts ended a streak that dated to 1988, defeating Simpson Bible College of Redding, 53-32, in a consolation game at the Mills College invitational in Oakland.

“I’m glad its finally out of the way,” Notre Dame Coach Steve Picchi said.

“We played terrific defense,” he said of the win over Simpson, which two months ago beat the Argonauts, 79-31. In the first game, the Redding school used a full-court press when Notre Dame had only three players left with 10 minutes to play.

Notre Dame (1-19) has four games left and will play Simpson again on Monday in Belmont.

Picchi said his team “concentrated the full 40 minutes.”

Kessy Scheley had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the winners.

“It’s an awesome feeling to win,” Scheley said. “This ought to get everyone off our backs.”

Brooklyn College, with its 58-game losing streak in the late 1980s, held the previous record.