December 19, 1998
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Freshman forward Troy Murphy scored 27 points and took down 14 rebounds Saturday to lead Notre Dame to an 82-77 victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Martin Inglesby added 20 points as the Irish (5-5) survived a 3-point barrage by the Colonels (1-7), who hit 12 treys but were hurt by 24 turnovers.
Four players scored in double figures for Eastern Kentucky, led by Darrick Mattox with 19 points. Ronnie Griffin added 18, Whitney Robinson had 17 and Chris Fitzgerald chipped in 13 points.
Murphy scored six points during an 18-5 run midway through the first half, helping the Irish take a 28-15 lead. Eastern Kentucky, however, begban its 3-point shooting spree and hit five straight long-range shots to pull within 40-35 at halftime.
The Colonels tied the game at 42-42 with 17:10 remaining on a layup by Mattox and tied it for the last time at 49-49 before Murphy scored six points during a 17-5 run that gave the Irish breathing room. Inglesby hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch put the game out of reach.