Nov. 12, 2005

Notre Dame, Ind. – Senior guard Chris Quinn scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures as Notre Dame defeated Quincy 80-53 in its second and final exhibition game before opening up the 2005-06 men’s basketball campaign against Lafayette on November 20.

Torin Francis scored 16 points, while Rob Kurz added 14 and Colin Falls netted 11 in the victory.

Notre Dame shot 55.9 percent from the field in the contest that included a blistering 66.4 percent in the second half as the Irish converted 16-25 shots from the field. The frontcourt of Francis and Kurz were a combined 14-15 from the field and combined for 10 rebounds. Francis hit all seven of his shots from the field, while Kurz connected on missed just once on eight attempts.

The Irish, who struggled early on in their first exhibition game against Lewis eight days ago, came out strong in the first half. After a 2-2 tie with 17:46 remaining in the first half, Notre Dame’s offense began to click on all cylinders as the Irish used a balance scoring attack to open up a 22-point lead (42-20) at the break. Notre Dame led by as many as 24 points in the half after holding Quincy to just 31.0 percent accuracy from the field.

The Irish defense also turned in a strong performance in for the second straight game, especially in the first half as they forced the Hawks to 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Quinn led all scorers at the break with 10 points.

Notre Dame’s offense continued its dominance in the second half, scoring 38 points as the Irish missed just nine shots in the final 20 minutes.

The Irish got significant contributions in one way or another from every one who played. Freshmen Ryan Ayers and Luke Zeller played 20 minutes each with Ayers finishing with seven points and Zeller with three points and six rebounds. Another rookie, Zach Hillesland, played 11 minutes and finished with two points.

Junior Russell Carter started for the second straight game in the exhibition season and played 25 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds. Rick Cornett, who has been hampered by a bone bruise in his foot, played 14 minutes.

Brey’s teams have always been characterized by an unselfish brand of basketball and the Irish showed that tonight as they combined for 23 assists on 33 baskets. Falls and Quinn dished off eight and seven assists, respectively to lead Notre Dame in that category.

Jordan Roth led Quincy with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Marcin Konarzewski finished with 15 points.

Uncharacteristically, the Irish struggled from the foul line as they missed 10 from the charity stripe (6-16).