March 4, 2004

Recap?|? Box Score?|? Quotes

  • The 48 points are the fewest allowed by Notre Dame in 79 all-time BIG EAST regular-season games … the previous low was a 60-51 victory over Seton Hall on Jan. 26, 2002 (at the Joyce Center) …
  • The 48 points also are the fewest allowed by the Irish in the last 57 overall games, since a 73-42 win over Bucknell on Nov. 22, 2002 (at the Joyce Center).
  • Notre Dame turned in a span of 24:04 without making a turnover and finished the night with just five turnovers … an errant Chris Thomas’ pass was ND’s first turnover of the game (with 16:14 left in the first half) and the Irish then did not commit a second turnover until 12:10 remained in the second half.
  • Notre Dame held Georgetown to 34.4% field-goal shooting for the game (11-for-32), equaling the lowest shooting pct. by an Irish opponent since the season opener (when Northern Illinois shot .333/26-for-78) … the Irish also held Quinnipiac to 34.4% shooting (22-for-64) in an early-season game (tonight marked the lowest opponent shooting pct. in ND’s last 18 games).
  • Georgetown’s 18 field goals are fewest by an ND opponent this season (West Virginia totaled just 21, as did UConn in the game at the Joyce Center).
  • The Irish posted a season-best 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (16/5) … ND has totaled more assists than turnovers in each of the last eight games and in 18 total games this season.
  • Notre Dame has totaled single-digit turnovers in 10 games this season, including both games vs. Connecticut (4 and 5 turnovers), 7 turnovers at UCLA, two games with 8 turnovers and three with 9 … ND has posted fewer than 10 turnovers in six of the last seven games while averaging just 7.3 turnovers per game in that seven-game stretch.

o Junior G Chris Thomas and sophomore G Chris Quinn have combined to score 78 points in the last two games, with nearly identical totals in that two-game stretch … Thomas scored 21 points at UCLA and 19 tonight (40 total) while Quinn’s 38 points in the last two games include 20 at UCLA and 18 vs. the Hoyas.

  • Thomas totaled 19 points to push his career total to 1,652 … he is on the verge of cracking the Notre Dame career top-10 scoring list (’69 grad. Bob Arnzen holds down the 10th spot, with 1,665).
  • Thomas already has totaled the third-most career points ever by a Notre Dame junior, behind Adrian Dantley’s 2,223 and Troy Murphy’s 2,011 … just five all-time ND players ever have totaled more points in three seasons of action with the Irish: Austin Carr (2,560), Dantley, Murphy, Tommy Hawkins (1,820) and Bob Arnzen (1,665) … Thomas ranks as the No. 4-scoring guard in ND history, behind Carr, David Rivers and Matt Carroll.
  • Thomas has started all 93 games of his ND career for the second-longest streak of consecutive starts in Irish history … Pat Garrity started all 111 games of his ND career, from 1994-98 … Thomas also ranks 8th on the ND list of total games started (next up are Ryan Hoover and LaPhonso Ellis, with 94 each).
  • Thomas has posted double-digit points in 79 of 93 career games with the Irish, including all but two games in 2003-04 (10 straight, 17 of last 18).
  • Junior F Jordan Cornette blocked three shots, bringing his career total to 141 (still 3rd in the ND record book) … it marked the 11th time this season that Cornette has posted three-plus blocks in a game.
  • Quinn (18 points) has scored double-digits in 18 of the last 21 games and in 20 games overall this season … Quinn also continued his season-long run of low turnovers, with no turnovers in 37 minutes of action (he entered the game averaging 30 minutes per turnover).
  • Quinn became the first player other than Chris Thomas to lead Notre Dame in scoring during the last eight games (Thomas had been the leading scorer for seven straight).
  • The Irish now have made a three-point basket in 173 consecutive games, dating back to a game with no three-pointers vs. Connecticut in Hartford on Jan. 12, 1999.
  • Notre Dame has won three of its last four games at the Joyce Center, for a 10-6 home record in ’03-’04.