Nov. 22, 2010
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Tim Abromaitis came out of his early season 3-point shooting slump to score 26 points, leading Notre Dame to an easy 97-72 win over Maine Monday night.
Abromaitis tallied 17 of his points in a perfect first half when he went 5-for-5 from the field (including three 3-pointers and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line). The senior was 4-for-5 from 3-point range against Maine; he had been 4-for-24 from beyond the arc entering Monday.
Scott Martin scored 15 points and Tyrone Nash had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Irish (4-0). It was Nash’s second straight double-double. Jack Cooley scored a career-high 13 points by shooting 6-of-7 from the field. Ben Hansbrough had 11 points and nine assists and Carleton Scott scored 11.
The Irish dominated the boards, out-rebounding Maine 36-21. The Irish also made 25 free throws (on 27 attempts), compared to the seven by the Black Bears.
Notre Dame picked up the early lead in the contest as Nash nailed his first four free throws to give the Irish a 9-2 advantage.
Maine’s Troy Barnies brought the Black Bears back to within two (11-9) with a three pointer.
Behind the hot shooting of Abromaitis and Scott, Notre Dame went on a 16-2 run to open up a 16-point lead (27-11).
Notre Dame closed the half on a 19-11 run, but Maine’s Malachi Peay hit a three pointer as time expired. The Irish led 52-34 at halftime.
The Irish used 18 first half free throws – compared to the Black Bears’ one – to build an 18-point lead. Abromaitis provided 17 of the Irish’s first half points while Nash and Scott both tallied nine points in the stanza.
Maine came out of the locker room shooting lights out as they connected on their first six shots of the second half. However, Notre Dame’s offense kept them right with the Black Bears as the Irish made five of their first six shots.
Cooley scored 11 of his 13 as part of a 23-8 Irish run in the second half to put Notre Dame up 86-56.
Gerald McLemore scored 16 to lead Maine (2-2). Troy Barnies had 15 points and Raheem Singleton 12.
The Irish are 4-0 for the third straight season and for the sixth time during the Mike Brey era.
The Irish will now travel to Orlando, Fla., and spend Thanksgiving weekend at the Old Spice Classic. Notre Dame will open the tournament at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday against Georgia. The contest will be aired on ESPN2.