Michigan guard Dion Harris (5) defends against Notre Dame guard Chris Quinn (2) during the first half of a second-round NIT basketball game Monday, March 20, 2006, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Irish Fall In 2OT Thriller

March 20, 2006

Notre Dame vs Michigan NIT Second Round Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Dion Harris hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the second overtime Monday to lift Michigan to an 87-84 win over Notre Dame and secure a trip to the NIT quarterfinals.

The Wolverines (20-10) will host Miami or Creighton on Wednesday with a trip to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York at stake.

Chris Quinn had 18 points to lead Notre Dame, but missed the second of two free throws with 16.3 seconds to play that would have given the Fighting Irish the lead. The Wolverines seemed unable to find a final shot before Daniel Horton got the ball to Harris with 1.5 seconds left.

Horton, who finished with 29 points, tied it at 77 with a pair of free throws with 53.7 seconds to play in the first overtime, then stole the ball to give Michigan a chance at a go-ahead basket. Chris Hunter got a good look at a 3-pointer with a second left but it bounced off the front of the rim.

The Irish (16-14), whose regular-season losses were by an average of 4.3 points, led by eight for most of the second half but went scoreless for almost 4 minutes late in regulation to give the Wolverines an opportunity.

Michigan chipped away during the drought and took its first lead since early in the first half when Horton hit a 3-pointer with 14.6 seconds to play. Quinn tied the game with a running layup 9 seconds later.

The Irish made 10 of their first 16 shots to start the game and led by as many as 12 points in the first half. Michigan cut the lead to four points on a Horton 3-pointer, but Notre Dame came back with the next four points to grab a 41-33 lead at the break. Colin Falls scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for the Irish.

Harris and Lester Abram each finished with 15 points for Michigan. Rick Cornett scored 15 and Torin Francis 14 for the Irish.