By By ADAM PAYNE / Niles Daily Star
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame defeated visiting Georgetown 70-64 on Wednesday night, improving their Big East record to 8-5.
The win was head coach Mike Brey's 100th victory in just his 151st game on Notre Dame's bench, reaching the mark four games faster than legendary coach Digger Phelps who did it in 155. Only George Keogan (1923-1943) reached the mark faster, needing only 130 games. Brey's feat equals that of John Jordan (1951-1964) who also needed only 151 games to reach 100 wins.
Senior forward Jordan Cornette started the scoring for the Irish, hitting a three a minute and a half into the contest. The game see-sawed back and forth until Cornette hit another three at the 12:16 mark to give the Irish the lead at 11-9.
The teams then battled it out for more than three minutes without a basket until junior guard Chris Quinn sank a three and was fouled for a chance at a four point play. The crowd was finally able to get into the game, but Quinn missed the free throw leaving the Irish with a 14-10 lead and eight minutes to play in the half.
Georgetown freshman sensation Jeff Green hit two free throws to bring the Hoyas within two, but Notre Dame pushed the throttle and went on a 14-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Quinn that gave the Irish an imposing 28-12 lead with less than three minutes to play.
The Hoyas scored their first points in nearly six minutes of play as 7-foot-2 inch freshman Roy Hibbert nailed a jump hook to end Notre Dame's run. After a handful of free throws, the halftime score was 30-17.
Georgetown's careless passing coupled with Notre Dame's vigilant defense allowed the Irish to build the cushion. Chris Quinn led all players at the half with 13 points, hitting 3-of 3-behind the arc and 4-for-5 from the line. Junior forward Torin Francis collected eight first-half rebounds while senior star Chris Thomas contributed three assists.
The second half began with the Hoyas playing a more sound, high-percentage game and they quickly put up four points to whittle Notre Dame's lead to single figures at 30-21. Quinn responded by driving into a traffic jam under the basket and forcing a shot up, drawing a foul. He sank both free throws and halted Georgetown's early run.
Jeff Green demonstrated his poise in Georgetown's next possession, calmly nailing a three to quiet the crowd. Hibbert then made it a 9-2 Hoyas run to start the half to get them within six at 32-26. Quinn put a stop to it again, nailing a three to give him Notre Dame's first five points of the second half.
Georgetown got to within six again at 40-34 with 11 minutes to play as Hibbert banged one home. Junior forward Brandon Bowman led the way with 15 second-half points for the Hoyas while Hibbert smashed his way to 15 points, getting 10 in the second half.
The Irish pulled away slightly, their lead hovering around 10 for several minutes. The Hoyas started to eliminate their mistakes and their shots started to fall, but Colin Falls and Chris Thomas then led the way for the Irish, scoring 28 of their combined 34 points in the second half.
Quinn didn't score another point after his early second half spurt as Georgetown hounded him.
Notre Dame iced it from the line, and the game was not as close in the end as the 70-64 final score might indicate. The Irish hit 26-of-29 free throws while the Hoyas hit only 9-of-12.
Thomas finished with a game-high 21 points to go with five assists and four rebounds. Quinn finished with 18, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, all threes. Colin Falls ended with 13 points, and Francis had 11 points to go with nine boards.