DePaul gets taken to the Matt by ND Carroll scores 33; Irish hand Demons first loss of season

Notre Dame 102

DePaul 71

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--DePaul's primary defensive objective Saturdaywas to limit the three-point opportunities of shooting guard MattCarroll and the rest of Notre Dame's bevy of long-range shooters. TheBlue Demons were very successful in that regard. Carroll was just 1-for-4 as the Irish made just three of 14 shots behind the arc.

But Carroll found other ways to score to record a career-high 33points as No. 10 Notre Dame cruised to a 102-71 victory over anoutclassed DePaul team in the Joyce Center.

I'm just going out there and trying to play my game moreaggressively, especially when it's falling and I'm in the zone," saidCarroll, who was 10-for-14 from the field and 12-for-13 from theline.

It was exactly the kind of performance Demons coach Dave Leitaofeared.

I told the guys before the game that he's a terrific catch-and-shoot guy," Leitao said. But he's done a great job of not being whatwas once perceived to be a one-dimensional player. When you get thereon the catch he has the ability--because he's spent a heck of a lotof time in the weight room--to put that shoulder into you, createsome space to get a shot off and, obviously, play off it from there."

With legendary former DePaul coach (and Notre Dame alum) Ray Meyeramong the sellout crowd of 11,418, Carroll had a turn-back-the-clockperformance from an era before the three-point shot changed collegebasketball.

If you watch the tape on this one, it's a clinic on moving withoutthe basketball by Matt Carroll," Irish coach Mike Brey said. Andthen, our guys do a great job of screening for him and then findinghim.

People are going to hug him. They're going to get out on himbecause of the three-point threat, which allows him to cut to thebucket. We've been trying to get him to move without it and today wasa great example of him moving without the ball."

It was also a great example of why Notre Dame (9-1) has played itsway into the top half of the college basketball rankings. Without thethree-point option, the Irish simply found other ways to get the jobdone. They were 27-for-36 inside the arc and shot 63 percent evenwith the woeful three-point statistics. Notre Dame also was 39-for-43 (90.7 percent) from the free-throw line and had a 22-8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

It was a huge game for us because the country was watching to seehow we were going to react to playing a program like DePaul," saidpoint guard Chris Thomas, who had 22 points and 10 assists.

DePaul (4-1) was able to hang close for much of the first half andwas within 35-34 with just over three minutes left before theintermission. But the Irish closed with a 13-2 run (seven points byCarroll) for a 48-36 halftime edge.

With just under 17 minutes left, Sam Hoskin (18 points, 10rebounds) converted a three-point play to make it 57-48, but that wasthe Demons' last gasp. Notre Dame answered with a 17-7 run for a 74-55 lead with just under 11 minutes left and the rout was on.

The lack of competition that we showed at times was very, verydisturbing, because I think that's the one thing we tried to impressupon our guys," Leitao said. We have to address that and make sure itdoesn't happen again."