Hoops Team Drops 4th in a Row

Mike Brey’s lineup shakeup didn’t do too much to stop Notre Dame’s losing streak Monday night.  The Irish hoops team fell to #8 Marquette 64-71 for their second consecutive home loss.  Here are some notes from the loss.

• Luke Zeller played reasonably well in his 3rd career start with 8 points and 8 rebounds, but he didn’t score a single point in the second half and made a costly turnover in the final minutes.
• Luke Harangody did his best to carry this team on his back all game, but just couldn’t do it alone.  Harangody finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.  He single handily kept the Irish in the game in the first half, but just couldn’t get enough help from the rest of the team in the second half.
• Tory Jackson nearly recorded a triple double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists; but shot ust 4 of 12 from the field.
• Kyle McAlarney connected on just 3 of 12 shots and was smothered by the Marquette defense all game long.  McAlarney couldn’t shake Maurice Acker and saw very few open looks.
• Bringing Ryan Ayers off the bench did not get the lanky guard out of his shooting funk – Ayers went 0 for 7 with 6 of his misses coming from three point range.
• Jonathan Peoples was pretty effective when he played, but only logged 21 minutes despite starting.
• Tyrone Nash hustles whenever he’s in the game.  He is limited offensively, but the other Notre Dame forwards combined for just 8 points – all from Zeller.
• Notre Dame’s lack of athleticism was on clear display again as Marquette played some suffocating defense making the Irish work for every basket.
• Harangody did a good job of taking the ball to the hole in the first half, but got away from that in the second half and attempted just 5 free throws in the game.  With his size, he should be able to work the paint for more trips to the charity stripe.
• Zach Hillesland appeared to hurt his ankle in the second half and did not return to the game.
• As a team, Notre Dame connected on just 8 of 26 three point attempts and just 24 of 66 from the field.
• Notre Dame actually out-rebounded Marquette 47-34 thanks in large part to 15 offensive rebounds.
• Marquette only turned the ball over 3 times compared to Notre Dame’s 10.
• Next up for Notre Dame is a Saturday trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers.   The game tips off at noon and will be televised on ESPN.