NOTRE DAME, IND. – Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Luke Harangody recorded 30 points and 16 rebounds as Notre Dame held off upset-minded Seton Hall, 88-79, at the Joyce Center on Saturday.
Seton Hall (9-7, 0-4) played one of its best games of the season, out-shooting the Irish from the floor, 50.0%-to-41.9%, but it could not keep Harangody and Notre Dame (12-3, 3-1) off the boards as Notre Dame collected 14 second half offensive rebounds.
The Pirates received a second straight strong game from junior Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who led the team with 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Harvey also collected five rebounds and dished out four assists.
Seton Hall started the game without leading scorer Jeremy Hazell (Harlem, N.Y.) in the lineup, but shot well early and grabbed an 8-4 lead on the strength of five points Harvey and a three-pointer from Paul Gause (Pittsgrove, N.J.).
Notre Dame’s Ryan Ayers hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 13 and send the Irish on an 11-0 run capped by a thunderous, uncontested slam by Luke Harangody to give Notre Dame a 21-13 lead with 12:34 remaining in the first half. Seton Hall answered immediately with an 8-0 run of their own, highlighted by four straight points from sophomore Brandon Walters (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to tie the game at 21 with 10:33 before halftime.
With Notre Dame leading 41-35, the Pirates closed out the half with a 7-0 run to take a 42-41 lead into the half. With Hazell slowed by foul trouble, Harvey lifted the Hall with a huge first half. The junior guard scored 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
The first seven minutes of the second half was a see-saw affair. Seton Hall took a 58-54 lead on consecutive steals and uncontested lay-ups by Jordan Theodore (Englewood, N.J.) and Hazell. Notre Dame responded, however, with a pair of free throws of a Hazell technical foul and a driving lay-up by Tory Jackson. After Gause and McAlarney traded three-pointers, the game was tied at 61 with 12:03 left to play.
With 7:43 remaining, Mike Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was charged with an intentional foul. Harangody made one of two free throws and also scored on the ensuing possession to give the Irish a 69-65 lead.
Leading 79-73, McAlarney hit a three-pointer to give Notre Dame their largest lead of the game, nine at 82-73, with 2:55 remaining in regulation, and Seton Hall would not recover.
With John Garcia (Brentwood, N.Y.) ailing from back spasms, Davis and Walters had strong fill-in performances. Davis had four points and four rebounds in 12 minutes, while Walters scored a career-high eight points in 20 minutes of action.
Sophomore Jeremy Hazell was absent from the starting lineup for the first time this season. The absence was a coach’s decision and was not injury-related.
The Pirates will return to action on Sunday, January 18 when they travel to Hartford, Connecticut to take on the Connecticut Huskies. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Courtesy: Seton Hall Athletic Communications
