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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Tennessee Tech's plan was simple, double-team down low and try to force Notre Dame to make shots from
outside. The plan worked for one half.
|  | | Notre Dame guard Martin Ingelsby (24) drives past Leigh Gayden of Tennessee Tech. |
But the Irish (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today; No. 21 Associated Press) shot 61.3 percent in the second half,
making 13 of their first 17 shots (76 percent) to spark a 35-9 run
in an 82-68 victory Sunday that ended a two-game losing streak.
"I was waiting for one of those flurries that I've seen in
practices and I've seen in a lot of games. It's been a while,"
Irish coach Mike Brey said. "That was good, a lightning-bolt
flurry."
The flurry began with Ryan Humphrey and Troy Murphy scoring
quick baskets underneath. Then David Graves, Matt Carroll and
Martin Ingelsby started hitting from outside, with Carroll making
three 3-pointers, Ingelsby one and Graves scoring six points.
"They've got five guys on the court most of the time who can
score," said Tennessee Tech coach Jeff Lebo. "You've got to pick
your poison with them.
"Obviously we're not big enough inside to handle Murphy, so we
chose to double him. That leaves guys open in the perimeter and we
just had to hope they'd miss some shots. They made them in the
second half."
Graves scored 20 points and Carroll 16 as the Irish (5-2),
coming off defeats against Indiana and Miami (Ohio), finally showed some
of the firepower they had showed earlier this season.
Brey said he thinks the team was overwhelmed by its early success and
the expectations that accompanied it.
"We obviously weren't ready to handle that as a basketball
team," he said. "That doesn't take away from the fact that we're
a good basketball team. We have done some good things this year. We
have a chance to be really good."
Graves said even though the Irish are a veteran team, the
players aren't accustomed to high expectations.
"We're still relatively young. We've never been in the Top 25
before," he said. "That's something we've never experienced. A
lot of things are still new to us -- going to the NCAA Tournament
hopefully this year. Our bubble was burst the last two games."
It appeared for a while the losing streak might hit three when
the Irish made only two baskets in a span of 10½ minutes and needed
a last-second basket to go into halftime tied at 30.
"I think the team realized that the last four halves we played
were bad," Humphrey said. "We knew it was time for us to make a
change."
Murphy, averaging 24 points a game, was held to 13 points
on 6-for-15 shooting. When he made a free throw with 3:58 left to
end a 0-for-6 streak from the foul line, Murphy raised his arms in
celebration.
Brey said Murphy, playing without a brace on his right ankle for
the first time in two weeks after spraining it, is trying to hard
to come back to the way he was.
"I talked to him about pacing himself," Brey said. "It's going
to take some time."
Ingelsby added 13 points and eight assists for the Irish, and
Humphrey had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Carroll was 4-for-5 from
3-point range as the Irish made 11 of 23 3-pointers.
Tennessee Tech (3-5), playing its seventh road game, was led by
Leigh Gayden with 17 points. Brent Jolly added 14, Trey Ferguson 11
and Larrie Smith 10. The Golden Eagles shot only 29.2 percent.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Tennessee Tech Clubhouse
Notre Dame Clubhouse
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