Dec. 8, 2004
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Torin Francis each scored 13 points and Francis grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Notre Dame past Indiana 55-45 on Wednesday night.
It was the Irish's first win in Assembly Hall since 1973. It also ended Notre Dame's eight-game losing streak to the Hoosiers.
Indiana (2-3) was led by D.J. White with 13 points and seven rebounds as it lost its third straight in a tough five-game stretch that includes contests against three top 10 teams.
Offensively, neither team got into a rhythm.
Indiana shot just 30.2 percent and in the first half and endured a scoring drought of six minutes and two others of more than three minutes each.
The Hoosiers managed to stay close with another strong defensive effort. The Irish (4-1) shot just 40.8 percent and scored just six points - on consecutive 3-pointers by Quinn - in the final 11:17 of the first half.
The difference was Notre Dame's early 14-3 run that made it 17-8 midway through the first half. That forced Indiana to play catchup the rest of the way, and the Hoosiers never seriously challenged.
Notre Dame took control early in the second half with an 8-0 run during a 4:27 span, which extended the lead from 28-25 to 36-25.
The Hoosiers closed to 41-36 with 8:02 remaining, but the Irish then scored seven straight and sealed the victory on Thomas' three-point play.
MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
