Feb 20, 2002

Notre Dame vs West Virginia Box Score

By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Chris Thomas scored 26 points, breaking out of a two-game shooting slump, and added 12 assists to lead Notre Dame to an 89-76 victory over West Virginia on Wednesday night.

After going 3-of-25 from the floor for a total of 14 points in consecutive losses against Rutgers and Syracuse, Thomas made five shots in a row against West Virginia after missing his first two as Notre Dame took control midway through the first half.

The Irish (18-8, 8-6 Big East), who are seeking a second straight NCAA tournament berth, ended a two-game losing streak. They finish the regular season with road games at Miami and St. John’s and at home against Providence.

The loss was the sixth straight for the Mountaineers (8-17, 1-12), who have lost 15 of their last 16.

Thomas missed a 3-pointer a minute into the game and another 3-pointer about five minutes later, then hit his next five shots as he had 17 points and six assists in the first half to help Notre Dame open a 49-39 lead.

He also had some highlight reel plays, including a behind the back pass that eventually led to a 3-pointer by him and a reverse slam on a fastbreak. Thomas was 8-of-13 shooting from the floor, 3-of-8 from 3-point range.

In the first meeting between the two, West Virginia led by as many as 18 in the first half, by 15 at halftime and by six with 2:03 remaining before Notre Dame won 67-64. On Wednesday, the Mountaineers fell behind by 12, closed briefly to five points, but fell behind by 10 at halftime and were never in it again.

Jonathan Hargett and Drew Schifino had 15 points each for West Virginia, Josh Yeager had 14, Chris Moss 10 and Chaz Briggs had 10 points and 12 rebounds.