Irish come back, fall flat in overtime
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Assistant Sports Editor
Tuesday's battle between the No. 23 Hoosiers and the Irish was a game of streaks and droughts that ended in a 81-64 Hoosiers overtime victory.
The men's basketball team, following the recent trend in Irish athletics, went without scoring in the first 13 minutes of the game, spotting the Indiana Hoosiers a 17-0 lead.
The Irish climbed back into the contest with a second-half surge in which they outscored the Hoosiers 17-2. Senior point guard Jimmy Dillon put up the final five points in regulation for the Irish to force the game into overtime, but Notre Dame collapsed in the extra period, allowing Indiana to score 15 unanswered points.
Down 47-29 early in the second stanza, the Irish came out more aggressive on both ends of the floor.
Sophomore Troy Murphy keyed an Irish comeback with 10 of the next 24 Notre Dame points. The Irish took their only lead of the game with 6:30 remaining on a bucket by freshman Jere Macura.
On the next possession of the game, Hoosier Kirk Haston was fouled and sent to the free throw line to shoot the one-and-one. He missed his first shot, but Macura made the mistake of stepping into the lane a breath too soon, handing Haston a bonus opportunity to score. He made good on the second chance, a point which could have given the Irish the victory.
Free throw shooting was key in the final few minutes of play.
Haston made one for two from the foul line again seconds later, and neither team scored again until Macura made a free throw with 4:33 remaining. Haston added two more free throws on a foul by Notre Dame freshman guard Matt Carroll.
Indiana's Luke Jimenez put his team up 59-53 with a shot from behind the arc
It was then back to the free throw line for both teams. Carroll hit two free throws for the Irish. Michael Lewis was three of four for the Hoosiers, and Macura added two following Haston's fifth foul. This left the Irish down 62-57 with just more than a minute to play.
Dillon, who had only scored two for Notre Dame, put in a trey to close the score to within two.
The Irish shut the Hoosiers down on defense the next time down the court, allowing Dillon to break to the basket to tie the game at 62 with two seconds on the clock.
Indiana couldn't get off a good shot, and the game went to overtime.
The Hoosiers, minus the fouled-out Haston, ruled the extra period led by senior guard A.J. Guyton. They had a 15-0 run to start the overtime period.
Guyton scored eight of his 20 points during overtime. He hit four free throws, had back-to-back steals and added two baskets in the bonus five minutes. Lynn Washington and Larry Richardson each put in four overtime points for the Hoosiers.
Indiana had taken a 77-62 lead before Murphy got Notre Dame's only points of overtime with 1:12 remaining. Murphy had his fifth double-double of the season with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
The Irish dug themselves a deep hole by turning the ball over 12 times in the early going and shooting 30percent to the Hoosiers' 64 percent at the 6:30 mark in the first half.
With the loss, the Irish dropped to three and three on the season.
Game notes:
* This is the first time Notre Dame has ever played four ranked teams in November. The team beat Ohio State 59-57, lost to Arizona 76-60 and fell to Maryland 72-67 prior to its game against Indiana.
* The Irish had 28 turnovers to the Hoosiers' 10.
* Indiana had four players in double digits, while Notre Dame only had two — Murphy and Macura with 13.
* The Irish host Vanderbilt Saturday at 2 p.m.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, December 1, 1999
