Men's Basketball: Irish shooters return to form in victory
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Writer
Following a shaky offensive performance last Saturday in its 88-73 loss on the road to No. 8 Kentucky, Notre Dame needed its top scorers to be more accurate when it returned to Big East play at Providence Tuesday night.
The 16th-ranked Irish got just that, as guards Chris Thomas and Matt Carroll combined to shoot 40 percent from the floor and score 44 of Notre Dame's 71 points as the Irish edged the Friars 71-65.
However, it turned out to be Notre Dame's solid free throw shooting, especially down the stretch, that saved the Irish. The team shot 21-for-25 from the line and was 10-for-13 during the last 5:04 of the game to enable the Irish to escape Providence's Dunkin' Donuts Center with the victory. The win was the first true road victory for the Irish this season, who had dropped their only other two previous games at their opponents' home gym with losses to now-top-10 foes Pittsburgh and Kentucky.
The Irish, who improved to 15-3 on the season and 3-1 in Big East play, struggled early offensively and trailed the Friars 34-33 going into the locker room at half.
With 5:54 left to play, Carroll hit a crucial 3-pointer to put the Irish up 59-52, but a scoring spark led by Providence point guard Donnie McGrath took the Friars on a 10-5 run that narrowed the Irish lead to 64-62.
But that would be as close as Providence would get, as Thomas sunk two crucial free throws with 2:21 to play and Notre Dame forward Jordan Cornette would seal the victory with a bucket from the block with just 1:27 to play.
The consistent free throw shooting by Notre Dame made up for a poor performance from behind the arc for the Irish, who were only 4-for-19 from 3-point range.
Providence forward Ryan Gomes netted a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Friars in both categories.
Thomas was the leading scorer for the Irish with 23 points, followed closely by Carroll with 21.
The sophomore point guard Thomas, coming off a sloppy day against the Wildcats where he committed nine turnovers, was much more efficient with the ball against the Friars, turning the ball over only twice and dishing six assists.
Freshman center Torin Francis also had one of his better performances of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The Irish will wrap up their longest road stretch of the season Saturday with a Big East matchup against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, January 22, 2003
