When Notre Dame lost senior Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury earlier this season, many fans assumed that the Irish would have a difficult time even competing in the rugged Big East. However, the Irish have proven to be capable of knocking off any team in the conference, and could be in line for another upset. as they lead Marquette, 30-26, at the half.
The Irish have remained competitive due to a commitment on the defensive end of the court. This approach has remained again the Golden Eagles, as Marquette shot only 36.7% from the field as a team in the opening 20 minutes. On the offensive end, Pat Connaughton led the way with a team-high eight points on 3/4 shooting from the field. Scott Martin chipped in six points, two rebounds and two assists for the Irish.
Darius Johnson-Odom was the only guy who was able to find any rhythm in the opening half for Marquette. Johnson-Odom netted a team-high 10 points on 4/6 shooting from the field. However, the rest of the starters combined to shoot only 4/16 against the impressive Irish defense.
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