Tapak seals 66-63 win with 3 pointer

SOUTH BEND -- It was a team effort for IU (3-3) in its 66-63 victory over Notre Dame (2-3) at the Joyce Center, Wednesday night. Nine players from the IU roster scored in the contest, and the team had a total of 15 assists.\nIU coach Mike Davis tried yet another new starting lineup consisting of sophomore guards Bracey Wright, and Marshall Strickland, junior guard Donald Perry, sophomore forward Sean Kline and junior forward Mike Roberts -- who saw his first collegiate start.\n"I told Roberts that it was time for him to have confidence and step up," Davis said. "He played well."\nWright was IU's top scorer with 19 points as he also improved his consecutive free throw streak to 15.\nHe said the team was focused in the game, and it was obvious the players are finally buying into the team concept.\n"We controlled the tempo out there," Wright said. "They made a run, but we withstood everything they threw at us."\nIU was unable to hold back junior guard Chris Thomas, Notre Dame's leading scorer, who averages 18.5 points a game. Thomas was able to score 14 points in the first half and finished the game with 24. Thomas has now scored in double figures in 25 consecutive games, dating back to last season. \nSeven minutes into the first half, Kline made a drive to the basket and scored a field goal while drawing the foul from Notre Dame senior guard Torrian Jones. Kline sank his free throw to complete the three-point play, increasing the IU lead to 13-7. \nWith less than a minute left in the first half, freshman forward Jessan Gray-Ashley scored a field goal to help the IU lead 31-28. But Thomas had an answer for Gray-Ashley's basket and tied the game 31-31 with the last field goal of the first half.\nAs if Thomas' game-tying basket wasn't enough for the IU defense, Thomas came out and scored the first basket of the second half. It was another three-point basket giving the Irish their first lead of the game since the start of the first half.\nJunior guard Ryan Tapak sank a three-point basket giving IU the lead again, 42-41. Tapak finished the game with eight points. \nFreshman guard Colin Falls gave IU a scare with a three-point basket putting Notre Dame within two points of the Hoosiers, 63-61 with just over a minute left in the game.\nBut once again, Tapak stepped up for IU, giving the Hoosiers yet another three-point basket to make the score 66-61.\nA field goal from Thomas was the last the Irish would score ending the game, 66-63.\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said the win over the Irish was a team effort.\n"We're starting to realize that we can play well collectively," Moye said. "Individually, we're not blowing anyone out of the water, but we're going to be a great ball club if we just play together."\nWright said the road win was big for the Hoosiers, and it has given the team some confidence going into the Butler game at home on Saturday.\n"We need to put a string together right now," Bracey said, "and show everybody that we're serious."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.