MEN'S BASKETBALL: Irish unable to pull off key play in 59-56 loss to Ole Miss
By KERRY SMITH
Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
The Irish call the play "top."
The idea is simple — a pick and roll play designed to leave Troy Murphy or another sharp shooter open for a look at the basket from behind the arc with the option of dishing it into the middle.
It had worked for the Irish time and again throughout the season. It had even worked in the first half of Notre Dame's 59-56 loss to Ole Miss Sunday in the NCAA Midwest regional at Kemper Arena.
But as the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Irish found themselves trailing by two, the team, wearing their special green uniforms, couldn't get anything special out of "top."
Except a steal.
The stifling Ole Miss defense jammed Murphy up in the middle, and as Matt Carroll opted for an inside pass to Ryan Humphrey instead of the deep shot with seven seconds remaining, Rebel guard David Sanders effectively put an end to Notre Dame's tournament run.
"It was a play they had been running all game," Sanders said. "I was just watching to make sure he didn't get a shot. I think I blind sided him and got a hand on the ball."
It was only fitting that the No.3-seeded Rebels, a team which focuses on defense above every other facet of the game, earned a trip to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio next weekend with a tough defensive stand.
"We pride ourselves on defense," Rahim Lockhart, the Rebels' game-high scorer with 24, said. "Anyone can shoot, but not anyone can play defense. That's the way to win a championship. Offense will sell tickets and win a couple games, but defense is the difference in a game."
Defense was the difference at Kemper Sunday as the Rebels held the Irish to 29 percent shooting overall.
"Nothing came easy," Irish head coach Mike Brey said. "But we gave ourselves every chance to win this basketball game. They made more plays at crunch time than we did."
After leading 29-28 at the half, the Irish shot only 21 percent from the field in the second half, going without a single field goal for more than seven minutes.
Missed shots turned into missed opportunities for an Irish squad that had earned a berth in the tournament's second round Friday with effective shooting against Xavier.
With 7:11 remaining and the Rebels leading 47-46, Murphy, who led the Irish with 17 points, took the ball to the basket with a classic dunk, but instead of getting the go-ahead bucket, the ball clanged off the rim and turned into a basket for the Rebels at the other end of the court.
"This is what you play for," Humphrey said. "And we just didn't make plays when it counted."
The Irish missed on their next two possessions as the Rebels extended their lead to five, but two free throws from Carroll brought the Irish back within a possesion for the tie.
Humphrey, who started the game with three airballs and three turnovers, quickly turned up the heat, grabbing a crucial bucket and drawing the foul.
Just 52.1 percent from the line, Humphrey nailed the shot to tie the game at 51 with 5:09 on clock.
Humphrey went on to score the next four points for the Irish, giving the squad a one-point 55-54 lead with 1:20 remaining.
If Lockhart kept the Rebels in the game with his seemingly-continous baskets, Jason Harrison delivered Ole Miss the win.
With 46 seconds left to go and the shot clock nearing zero, the point guard connected on a long 3-point shot to give the Rebels their final lead, 57-55.
"It was one of those shots you dream about," Harrison said. "I knew I had to make a play because I hadn't made one in a while and I felt like I was letting my team down."
Irish point guard Martin Ingelsby left Harrison open for the shot, backing up, expecting penetration from the point guard whose shooting had suffered of late.
"They've had a lot of heroes all season and they had another one tonight with that shot from the top," Brey said. "... I'll live with that [shot]. I thought we did a great job defending. That's not who he's been. He knocks down an NBA 3 and I can't be upset with that. He's a fearless young man."
The Irish had an opportunity with 24.5 remaining to tie when Humphrey found himself under the basket with an easy lay-up. The ball rolled out, however, and after trading foul shots at each end of the court the Sanders came up with the block that effectively ended the game.
"I don't think that shot lost the game," Humphrey said. "I can't hold my head down for it. We play as a team."
The loss is bittersweet for an Irish squad that has come so far and accomplished so much this season. With Brey at the helm for just one season, the Irish finished with a 20-10 record, a Big East West division championship and their first NCAA Tournament berth in 11 years.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 20, 2001
