|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
NEW YORK (AP) -- It had been 78 straight games since Notre Dame's
Troy Murphy had failed to score in double figures. That streak
ended with a thud Thursday night when Pittsburgh threw a defensive
curtain over the All-American and stunned Notre Dame (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) 66-54 to advance to the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
|  | | Notre Dame's David Graves, left, and Troy Murphy couldn't bare to watch the closing moments. |
The Panthers will face Syracuse, which beat Providence in the second game of the night doubleheader. Boston College and Seton Hall, winners in earlier games Thursday, will meet in the other semifinal.
Ricardo Greer led four Pitt players in double figures with 17
points as the Panthers (17-12) withstood a 3-point attack by Notre
Dame to reach the tournament semifinals for the first time since
1989. Brandin Knight had 10 points and 11 assists, and Isaac
Hawkins contributed 12 rebounds.
Murphy, averaging 22.6 points per game, managed just eight
against a smothering Pitt defense that denied him the ball all
night long. It was the second-lowest total of his career. He had
five points in a game against Syracuse in his freshman year when he
shot 0-for-11 from the floor.
"I didn't play well tonight," Murphy said. "I hurt our team.
I got wide-open looks. I didn't shoot the ball well. I'm counted on
to do a lot for this team. I can't come out and have a game like
tonight. That bothers me."
Murphy made just 2 of 11 shots from the field, often
double-teamed by Pitt. He's faced that before but not with the
intensity the Panthers applied.
"They doubled me on the catch instead of on the floor," he said. "It's such a scramble, everyone running everywhere. It's tough to make a move."
"Coach told us to keep the pressure on Murphy from the opening tap," Greer said.
It was the third straight bad game for Murphy, who shot 6-for-14
against Connecticut and 8-for-21 against Georgetown, scoring 17 in
each game, both losses for the Irish (19-9).
Pitt opened the game with a 15-2 run, only to have Notre Dame
reverse that with a 15-2 spurt of its own. But the Panthers
weathered the comeback and by halftime had rebuilt the lead to
36-29.
With Greer and Jaron Brown -- who scored 14 points off the bench
-- doing much of the work, Pitt stayed on top in the second half,
rarely allowing Murphy near the ball and never letting Notre Dame
get closer than four points.
"Murphy's a great player but it's a tribute to our team defense how we stopped him," Pitt coach Ben Howland said.
The Panthers struggled from the foul line down the stretch, missing opportunities to extend the lead even more. For the game, they made just 12 of 24 free throws. But Notre Dame got to the foul line only four times, and that proved decisive.
Martin Inglesby, who made five of Notre Dame's 12 3-pointers,
led the Irish with 15 points.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Notre Dame Clubhouse
Big East Conference
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ricardo Greer works the spin move and elevates over Troy Murphy for the basket.
avi: 888 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Brandin Knight strips the ball free and finds a trailing Ricardo Greer in transition for the jam.
avi: 888 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Brandin Knight steps in front of the Martin Ingelsby pass and finds Jaron Brown for the easy two.
avi: 1126 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Martin Ingelsby gets the shooter's bounce and a chance at a four-point-play.
avi: 889 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Coach Ben Howland talks about Pittsburgh's ability to shut down Troy Murphy.
wav: 403 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Ricardo Greer is confident that Pitt can win the Big East Tournament.
wav: 284 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
