Irish Stifle Orangemen
UHND.com - Andrew Amato
With a vicious combination of tremendous defense and an offense with a punch, Notre Dame defeated the Syracuse Orangemen (#8 ESPN/USA TODAY, #11 AP) 74-60 in front of a capacity crowd at the Joyce Center.
Troy Murphy led the victorious Irish (12-5, 4-2) with 34 points, finishing three shy of tying his career high (37 vs. Rutgers). Despite being bombarded in the 2nd half, Murphy scored 22 points, shooting 6-10 from the field.
Notre Dame's zone defense forced several Orangemen (15-3, 4-2) miscues. The Irish forced 21 Syracuse turnovers, including 14 turnovers in the first half alone. Syracuse, one of the best shooting teams in the Big East, was held to a season low 36.9 % from the field by the Irish.
The Irish, who were sparked by their new revamped starting lineup, jumped out of the gates quickly and knocked down shots throughout the first half. Despite leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, a combination of a 6:19 long scoring drought and a 13-6 Syracuse run, the Orangemen cut the Irish lead to 32-26 at the end of the first half.
In the 2nd half, Syracuse closed the gap to 42-38, but wouldn't get any closer. Matt Carroll sparked a 14-5 run that would give the Irish a 13 point lead. After the Orangemen closed to within 9, the Irish caught fire and would put the game away with a 24-2 spurt. During the run, Troy Murphy scored 8 points.
Naismith award front runner Troy Murphy, was undoubtedly the player of the game. Murphy collected 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Matt Carroll added 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Preston Shumpert led the Orangemen with 25 points and 6 rebounds. Billy Celuck reached double figures for the first time in his Orangemen career notched 10 points and added 8 rebounds.
Ryan Humphrey recorded 6 points and 11 rebounds. Harold Swanagan chipped in 9 points and David Graves added 8 points on a poor shooting night (1-6).
Syracuse struggled throughout the game to find an answer to the Irish zone defense. The Irish would flex something new, and the Orangemen could never find the answer.
The Irish have now vaulted themselves into a tie with the Orangemen for 2nd place in the West Division of the Big East Conference. Notre Dame and Syracuse each trail the Georgetown Hoyas by one game.
On Saturday, the Irish travel to the Nation's Capital to face the (#10 / #11) Georgetown Hoyas (16-1, 4-1). After opening the season with 16 wins, the Hoyas suffered a defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday night. The very same team Notre Dame destroyed only a few nights earlier. The game will be televised on ESPN PLUS and will start at NOON (EST).