Men's Basketball: Irish defense stands tall against Pirates
By: ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
It's taken them 19 games, but the Irish have finally discovered the secret to winning games.
Defense.
Notre Dame (13-6, 3-3 in Big East play) held Seton Hall (10-9, 3-4 in Big East play) to just 29 percent shooting from the field as the Irish won 60-51, snapping a three-game losing streak.
"You get to a point in the season where you start to understand things," forward David Graves said. "For us to win, we've gotta play defense."
Both teams had shooting problems early, but Seton Hall's defensive lapses enabled Notre Dame to establish an offensive rhythm in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Irish played solid defense the entire game and broke a five-year-old team record for fewest points allowed in a Big East game.
Seton Hall, a team that relies on its 3-point shooting to win games, shot just 4-for-24 from behind the arc. The Pirates' top three scorers, Andre Barrett, Darius Lane and John Allen, finished a combined 22 percent from the field.
"We've had bad shooting nights, but this seemed to be contagious," Seton Hall coach Louis Orr said. "On paper, this was probably the worst shooting night we've had."
The Irish limited Barrett, who entered the game averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game, to just five points. Notre Dame usually double-teamed the Seton Hall point guard and he rarely had an open shot. Only Allen finished in double figures for the Pirates. He had 11 points.
"It was the first game that I could remember where if we didn't have a successful offensive possession, it didn't affect us on the other end of the floor," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We got back and we were mentally tougher about digging in and rebounding."
With Harold Swanagan sidelined for the second consecutive game, Ryan Humphrey was the inside force for the Irish. He led all scorers with 16 points and added 12 rebounds.
But the Irish also got production from Jordan Cornette and Tom Timmermans. Cornette grabbed 10 rebounds and chipped in six points, while the 6-foot-11, 263 pound Timmermans played a career-high 13 minutes.
After an ugly first half that Brey admitted "probably set the game back 20 years", the Pirates entered the locker room with a 23-22 lead. But a pair of Graves 3-pointers jump-started an Irish run that enabled Notre Dame to pull away from Seton Hall early in the second half.
Graves, replaced by Torrian Jones in the starting lineup Saturday, struggled in the first half. He only scored one point and picked up three fouls. But he hit his first 3-pointer 2:48 into the second half to put the Irish up by four.
Eight minutes later, Graves' second 3-pointer of the night gave the Irish an eight-point lead. Notre Dame never looked back.
The Irish finished 41 percent from the field but just 3-for-14 from behind the 3-point line. Chris Thomas and Graves both picked up 11 points, and Thomas had a team-high five assists.
"We needed [a win]," said Brey. "I was worried about us psychologically if we didn't get this one done here today. Our locker room was excited and happy and celebrating."
Notes:
uBrey didn't say whether or not his decision to move Graves out of the starting lineup would be a permanent one. "I think we'll come back and analyze things tomorrow as a staff," Brey said.
"I really think it's kind of game to game with this group. But you do like a Torrian Jones, a Tom Timmermans, a Jordan Cornette. Right now, whatever you ask out of those guys, you're pretty darn confident with those guys in Big East play right now."
Last season, when Graves and the Irish hit a similar slump in January, Brey replaced Graves with Swanagan in the starting lineup. The results paid off. Graves thrived in the sixth man role and the Irish reeled off an eight-game winning streak.
u Swanagan will probably play against Pittsburgh Wednesday night, Brey said after Saturday's game. The senior forward has missed the last two games after re-aggravating an ankle sprain.
"I think if we can get him close, we'll cut him loose," said Brey. "Looking at his eyes in the locker room and watching how he moved around, he's making very good progress."
All Sports Stories for Monday, January 28, 2002
