Murphy drops career-high 35 in upset of No. 25 Seton Hall
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Assistant Sports Editor
Notre Dame found a way to create its own energy on the road Saturday, beating 25th-ranked Seton Hall 76-74 on a last-second shot by David Graves.
The Irish were 2-10 on the road heading into Saturday's contest in East Rutherford, N.J. But the Irish (16-10, 7-5 Big East) weren't about to be intimidated by the Seton Hall Pirates (18-6, 10-4), who are second in the Big East with a win over top-10 Syracuse.
"We knew we had to get this win if we wanted to play in the NCAA tournament, and we really came out and played hard," leading scorer Troy Murphy said. "We squandered an opportunity when we went out to Pittsburgh and Villanova, and we don't have that many opportunities left."
Murphy ignited the Irish with a career-high 35 points, including 21 in the second half.
"Coach ran some plays that we knew would work against the Seton Hall defense, and the guys were getting me some looks," said Murphy, a New Jersey native. "I was home. It's nice because you look up in the stands and see a bunch of people who you know."
"Troy just had an unbelievable game, so we kind of rode his shoulders the entire game," Graves said.
Seton Hall kept the game interesting as it held Murphy scoreless for the final 4:49.
The Pirates staged a late comeback, with guards Shaheen Holloway and Rimas Kaukenas leading a 10-0 run on their 3-point shots. Ty Shine stole the ball and drove for a fast-break lay-up, giving the Pirates a 72-71 lead with 1:54 remaining.
"I felt that we were going to win the game," said freshman Ivan Kartelo, who scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting, dragged down eight rebounds and added two blocks. "We were confident. We were playing together."
It was Graves, not Murphy, who secured the victory for the Irish. He swished a 3-pointer to put the Irish back in the lead 74-74 with 1:36 to go.
Seton Hall's Samuel Dalembert, who had 18 points in the game, missed two free throws with 1:22 to go.
On Notre Dame's next time down the floor, Murphy missed a jump shot under intense guarding. Kaukenas, Seton Hall's leading scorer, tied the game on a layup with 37.5 seconds remaining.
With the shot clock nearly the same as the game clock, the Irish kept the ball at the top of the key until the final seconds. As time wound down, freshman guard Matt Carroll tried for a trey. The shot was short, bouncing off the rim.
Graves grabbed the rebound and hit the final jump shot with .3 seconds remaining as Notre Dame took a 76-74 advantage. Pirates' coach Tommy Amaker didn't think Graves' shot should count, arguing that the shot clock had expired and that Carroll's shot never hit the rim. As officials checked the replay, it was clear Carroll's miss bounced off the rim, so Graves' bucket was good.
"The last play, it just bounced my way and I threw it up there, and luckily, the shot went it," Graves said.
Seton Hall threw a baseball pass in an attempt to get a final shot off, but Murphy knocked the pass away, giving the Irish reason to celebrate.
"When you play together and play hard, you can do anything," Kartelo said. "You can beat anybody."
With the victory, Notre Dame rose to fifth place in the Big East standings. Both Notre Dame and Connecticut hold a 7-5 league record, but the Irish are ahead of the Huskies thanks to two wins in their meetings.
"We're playing with a lot of confidence," Murphy said. "We've beaten two top-25 teams in a row, and that should help us with getting into the tournament. I think if we can get a couple more wins, we should be in pretty good shape."
The victory also strengthened Irish hopes of NCAA tournament play.
"We have tough games to play, and we just have to go out there one game at a time and play hard," Graves said. "The best thing about this team is that we're peaking at the right time. I really think we have our best basketball ahead of us."
After a strong start, the Irish fell behind by seven at the break. Seton Hall outrebounded Notre Dame 19-14 in the first half, also getting extra attempts at the free throw line.
But the Irish turned things around in the second half, going on a 19-2 streak to put the Pirates away. Graves knocked down one of his three 3-pointers and Murphy added nine during the run. By the time Seton Hall scored again, Notre Dame had taken a 62-51 lead.
Notre Dame staved off a Seton Hall comeback with the confidence from beating defending national champion Connecticut a week before at home.
Game notes
u The Irish shot 49.2 percent in the game, compared to 39.1 percent for the Pirates.
u Senior point guard Jimmy Dillon dished off nine assists in the game.
u Dalembert was a formidable defender for the Pirates, batting down six Irish shots with blocks.
All Sports Stories for Monday, February 21, 2000
