Dec. 10, 2003

Recap?|? Final Stats?|? Quotes

• Indiana’s current eight-game series winning streak vs. Notre Dame now includes five games that have been decided by 1-4 points and/or in overtime (76-75 in ’96, 76-72/ot in ’98, 81-64/ot in ’99, 76-75 in ’01 and 66-63 in ’03).

• Indiana’s 66 points are the lowest winning point total in the last 25 games of the ND-IU series, dating back to a 63-60 win by IU on Dec. 11, 1975 (in Bloomington).

• Junior G Chris Thomas reached 20-plus points (24) for the 28th time in 72 career games with the Irish while also reaching double-digit points for the 60th time (ND is just 6-6 when he fails to score 10-plus, 43-18 when he hits double digits) ? Thomas has scored 10-plus in 25 straight games (since scoring five in a loss at Pittsburgh) and has scored in double-digits in 35 of the last 37.

• Sophomore F Torin Francis (13 points, 14 rebounds) posted his 13th career double-double in 39 career games with the Irish (it is his sixth double-double in the last 11 games) ? he also scored double-digits for the 24th time and grabbed 10-plus rebounds for the 15th time in his ND career ? Francis (4) pushed his career block total to 76, passing Tracy Jackson (75; ’77-’81) for 7th on the ND career blocks list (Phil Hickey is next on that list, with 84 blocks).

• Notre Dame now has made at least one three-point basket in 152 consecutive games, dating back to a game vs. UConn on Jan, 12, 1999 (at the Hartford Civic Center).

• The Irish shot 54.3 pct. from the floor in the second game of the season vs. Mount St. Mary’s) but shot just 31.1 vs. Marquette, 35.8 vs. Central Michigan and 39.2 tonight vs. Indiana.

• ND has totaled more turnovers than assists in each of the last four games (52 assists, 61 assists in that stretch).

• ND again is shooting well from the free-throw line in home games this season (79-for-99/.798; 15-for-19 tonight).

• Starting senior C Tom Timmermans missed his third straight game due to a sore back.

RECORD-BOOK UPDATE
Junior G Chris Thomas scored 24 points tonight to move into 25th on the Notre Dame career scoring list with 1,251 points, passing G Rich Branning (1,232; ’76-’80) and C John Smythe (1,236; ’54-’57) and just four behind G/F Larry Sheffield (1,255; ’62-’65) ? Thomas also ranks 9th all-time in scoring among ND guards, with Ryan Hoover 8th on that list (1,269) ? Thomas posted six assists to push his career total closer to 513 (still 5th in ND history and now just three behind Elmer Bennett) ? Thomas has started every game of his ND career and already ranks 19th on the ND list for career starts (8th among guards).