Feb. 7, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Sunday’s game is becoming a sight way too familiar for the Irish.
Matt Doherty’s squad has not won a road game since they upset UConn back at the beginning of January.
Notre Dame entered the game with a chance to breakaway from the pack and secure the fourth place spot for themselves. It appeared as if it would be an easy task for the Irish as they faced the 1-6 Panthers.
Sunday’s game proved a nightmare for the Irish as they fell to Pitt, 72-66. The Irish fall to sixth place in the Big East and their overall record stands at 14-9.
At one point in the second half, the Irish found themselves up by 11 points. The lead quickly dwindled and Notre Dame could not rally. The Panthers went on a15-0 run against the Irish.
Notre Dame shot 42 percent from the field while Pittsburgh shot 43 percent. The Panthers drilled 11 3-pointers, seven of which came in the second half to aid their comeback.
Sophomore David Graves led his team early on with 12 points. The forward did not score at all in the second half. Sophomore Troy Murphy started slow just hitting two of his 11 shots in the first half. He finished the game with 20 points. Neither Graves nor Murphy really pounded the boards, finishing with two and six rebounds respectively.
Ricardo Greer and Jarrett Lockhart led the Panthers with 17 points each. Donatas Zavackas led the team defensively as he stifled the play of Murphy before fouling out.
Notre Dame will face Villanova on Tuesday night and hope to bounce back. The Irish slide to 14-9 overall this season and 5-4 in the Big East.