The game… not pretty.  Notre Dame’s position in the Big East standings and its chances to earn a double bye into the conference tournament after Saturday’s victory over Seton Hall… very pretty.

Led by Tim Abromaitis’ 22 points and his excellent defense against SHU star guard Jeremy Hazell, the Irish recovered from 32% shooting in the first half to capture a 60-48 victory.  Ben Hansbrough added 21 points, and Carleton Scott’s 10 rebounds led ND to a 41-32 advantage on the boards.

Seton Hall kept pressure on the ball throughout the game, and the tactic disrupted ND’s offense through most of the first half.  The Irish did get open shots, but they missed most of them; and when SHU’s Patrik Auda nailed a three point shot with 2:55 left in the half, his only points of the night, the Pirates held a 25-14 lead.  Then the comeback started.

A layup and a three by Hansbrough and a pair of free throws by Abromaitis drew only a two point jumper from Hazell in response.  It looked like the Irish would go to the half down by 6 when Hansbrough missed a three with 2 seconds left, but Abromaitis caught the long carom and beat the buzzer with a three to end the half with SHU leading 27-24.

“We were very fortunate to be down three at halftime,” said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey.  “We finished the half with a little momentum and then we found our identity the last 20 minutes.”

Notre Dame continued the rally in the second half.  Jeff Robinson, who led the Pirates with 16 points, opened the second stanza scoring with a layup.  Then Ty Nash put an offensive rebound back into the basket.  He got another offensive the next time down the floor and kicked the ball to Abromaitis who fed Scott for a short jumper that gave ND a lead it would never lose.

After the media timeout, Abromaitis made the play of the game for Notre Dame.  Hansbrough missed a three, and the contested rebound made its way to the floor.  Abromairis dove for the ball, secured it, and shoveled it to Martin who immediately passed to Mash moving to the basket.  Nash stopped, pivoted, and fed Hansbrough for a layup and a foul.  The free throw made the score 34-30, and the crowd was finally a part of the game.

“I think that we had our worst first half of the year,” Hansbrough said after the game.  “Sometimes that happens though. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish sometimes. We came out in the second half really focused, and it showed.”

“It was one of those games where you just bite down and keep going, keep fighting because you have to know that it is going to down eventually,” Scott Martin added.  “We got some great looks early in the game, they just rimmed out or missed a little long. It just happens. We kept fighting and it worked out for us.”

The game got close one more time, but the Irish never lost control of it.  SHU continued to miss most of their shots while ND had a second half more typical of its season – 48% shooting from the field including 3 of 8 three point shots made.

“They just know how to close out games, SHU point guard Jordan Theodore said.  “They knocked down I don’t know how many threes – about four or five.  It was just tough.  They got a lot of open looks.”

Final score: Notre Dame 60, Seton Hall 48.

Noteworthy

• Notre Dame improved to 23-5 overall and 12-4 in the Big East.  It clinched one bye in the conference tournament; and either another win or a Syracuse loss will assure the double bye.
• Abromaitis’ 22 point effort propelled him past 1,000 points in his Notre Dame career.  He is the 51st player in Notre Dame history to surpass that milestone.
• Seton Hall’s 48 points were the fewest scored by an Irish opponent in a Big East game this season.
• Scott’s 10 rebounds gave him 4 games in a row with double digits on the boards and 5 of his last 6.
• Ty Nash only scored 3 points, but he had 9 rebounds and a team leading 5 assists.  The Irish offense was at its best when Nash got the ball in the post.
• 13 of ND’s 19 baskets were assisted, 68%.
• If you have always wanted someone to challenge the ball rolling to midcourt after an in-bounds pass to keep the clock from starting, Martin made a play you’d love to have seen.  After Scott made a pair of free throws, Theodore rolled the ball to Eniel Polynice.  Martin coyly timed a dive for the ball perfectly, grabbed it, and held it for possession when Polynice reached over him for the tie-up.
• In addition to Austin Carr’s induction into Notre Dame’s Ring of Honor, Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick announced that the lower concourse of the Joyce Center has been named the Austin Carr Concourse.

Next

#15 Villanova (21-8/9-7) will invade Purcell Pavilion on Monday.  Game time is 7:00.  ESPN will broadcast the game.

We’ll have a preview for you Monday morning.