Irish Top Mountaineers With Strong Finish
Frank Vitovitch
February 2, 2000

South Bend, Ind - The Fighting Irish came out very slow Wednesday night against West Virginia, and it nearly cost them the game.  Notre Dame found itself down 33-16 early in the first half before regrouping and going on to win 79-65.  It took some sweet shooting and strong work inside to erase the Mountaineer lead which was eventually overcome and passed.

The Irish had the inside/outside game working with sophomore sensation Troy Murphy owning the paint with David Graves and Matt Carroll hitting the outside shots.  Graves and Carroll tied for the team lead in points with 17.  Murphy added 16 points in one of the few games where he was not the team leading scorer.

Notre Dame used an 18-3 run to overcome the Mountaineer lead en route to their 14th win of the season and 5th in Big East action.  With eight games remaining, Notre Dame needs to get 6 more wins to have a good shot at making it to the Big Dance in March.

This game was typical of most Notre Dame games this year.   When they heated up from outside they went on a huge run and eventually ran away with it, but struggled early when their shots weren't falling.  West Virginia had the Irish on the ropes early, but failed to deliver a knock out punch which let Notre Dame hang in until their shooting picked up.  Once that occurred, it was lights out for West Virginia as the Irish came through with a 12th round knockout.

Notre Dame had four players in double figures in the win with the previously mentioned Graves, Carroll, and Murphy to go along with the 12 points put up for Harold Swanagan.  Notre Dame also rebounded very well with Graves, Murphy, and Swanagan each grabbing nine boards.

Notre Dame has set itself up for an interesting home stretch this season.  For the first time since the 1989 season, the Irish may be in the tourney.  They need to finish strong though.  The loses to Miami and Rutgers really hurt, but they still have an excellent chance at making it.  They can not let up however and can not loose a game to anyone not named UConn or Syracuse from here out.   If that happens, ND will make it the Big Dance and Dicky V will be going crazy!

The win improved Notre Dame's record to 14-8 overall and 5-3 in conference play.  It was Notre Dame's second win in a row after losing handily to Miami on January 25.  Next up for the Irish will be a rematch with Pittsburgh.   On January 22, Notre Dame beat the Panthers 81-66 at the Joyce Center.  This time the game will be played in Pittsburgh. Tip is scheduled for 12 PM EST on Saturday and will be televised on WNDU in South Bend.

Go Irish!