League winning streak ends against Pirates
By BRIAN KESSLER
Sports Writer
Seton Hall forward Eddie Griffin proved why he might be the best freshman in the country Sunday.
Griffin, who was suspended for the last meeting with Notre Dame, scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Seton Hall (13-10, 4-8) to a 74-64 victory over No. 14 Notre Dame (17-6, 9-3).
"Give Seton Hall a lot of credit," Irish head coach Mike Brey said. "They came
out ready to play. They played loose and they played together. They took everything away from us and rattled us."
The Pirates contested every shot and held the Irish to just 32 percent shooting from the field.
"I think their wingspan bothers us," Brey said. "They are one team that gives us problems and I think that was evident today. They have length on the perimeter and I don't think we reversed the ball enough. We took a lot of quick shots and I think that played into their hands."
Notre Dame, which ranks first in the Big East in three-point field goal percentage (40.1 percent), made just 2-of-23 shots from behind the arc.
"When you shoot eight percent from the three point line, you're not going to win," Graves said.
"One of our key emphasis points was to take away the three pointer," Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker said. "But I think they missed a lot of shots they would normally make."
The Irish trailed 35-27 at the break, but quickly cut the lead to three on a rebound goal by Harold Swanagan and a three-point play by Ryan Humphrey.
However, on the next possession, the Irish could have cut the lead to one, but Troy Murphy's layup rimmed out.
Both teams exchanged baskets before Seton Hall built its lead back up to 10 on a three pointer by Darius Lane with 14:59 remaining.
"In the second half we tried to play faster," Brey said. "We tried to beat them down the floor and get an easy basket. "
However, nothing came easy for the Irish. Notre Dame, which had just 12 assists and 15 turnovers, would never get closer than six points.
"They are athletic and quick," sophomore guard Matt Carroll said. "We didn't get any open looks and they pressured the guys inside too."
Every time the Irish made a run, Griffin either scored, blocked a shot or created a turnover.
"He was phenomenal," Amaker said of Griffin. "I thought he played as well as you can have a person play. He got baskets for us, big-time rebounds. He bailed us out with a couple of big-time blocks late."
Murphy led the way for Notre Dame with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Carroll added 13 points and nine boards. Carroll and David Graves each went just 1-of-7 from behind the arc. Humphrey had 12 points.
Seton Hall freshman Andre Barrett scored 17 points and dished out seven assists. Darius Lane had 15 points.
The Pirates' victory snapped Seton Hall's five-game losing streak and Notre Dame's eight-game winning streak.
Notre Dame returns to the floor Wednesday for a conference showdown with No. 9 Boston College (19-3, 10-2), which stands atop the East division.
All Sports Stories for Monday, February 19, 2001
