Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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MEN'S BASKETBALL BY ANDREW OWENS A n inability to finish close games cost the Irish numerous times a ago during a 15-17 season in which they missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. In Notre Dame's first loss of the sea- son, a 75-74 defeat to Providence on Nov. 23 at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tour- nament in Uncasville, Conn., the Irish found themselves again on the short end of a tight matchup. Providence forward LaDontae Hen- ton sank a pair of free throws with 14.8 seconds to play to provide the final mar- gin, capping a 38-point performance. He scored the Friars' final seven points and nine of their last 11. Unlike last year, when Notre Dame tried to grind through close finishes without its best scorer, fifth-year senior guard Jerian Grant displayed his late- game skills in going bucket-for-bucket with Henton until the latter eventually prevailed. Sixteen of Notre Dame's 39 second- half points came from Grant, none big- ger than his layup and made free throw with 29.7 seconds to play that temporar- ily put Notre Dame in front. "That was a great college game, in November," Irish head coach Mike Brey told reporters after the defeat. The Irish outrebounded Providence 29-23, led by senior swingman Pat Con- naughton's 11. With 13 points, he reg- istered his ninth-career double-double. During the second half, Notre Dame gained a 66-58 advantage thanks to a 14-2 run. The Friars, however, answered with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the contest. The loss was especially frustrating for Notre Dame considering the growth it displayed the day before in an 81-68 win over Massachusetts, an NCAA Tourna- ment team last year. As expected, the senior duo of Grant and Connaughton helped the Irish pull away in a game in which they trailed by SENIOR STANDOUTS The duo of Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton has led the way early in non-conference play