Offense sputters, loses to Notre Dame

The smatterings of boos and cat-calls reigned down at Assembly Hall just as often as the Hoosiers' missed shots as IU fell 55-45 to Notre Dame Wednesday.\nIU only shot 30.2 percent from the field as Notre Dame's defense, which often featured a 2-3 zone, kept the Hoosiers frustrated.\nIU Coach Mike Davis said the Hoosiers were prepared for whatever defense the Irish threw at them -- they just couldn't hit the open shots.\n"When you go back and watch the tape, how many open shots did we miss?" Davis said. "It's wide-open shots. You can't draw up anything to get a guy a wide open shot and he misses. That tells you that they're tired. I know we concentrated."\nIt was a game of 13s. IU had previously beaten Notre Dame 13-straight times in Bloomington since 1973.\n"I was listening to the Bee-Gees the last time the Irish won here," said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. "I've probably still got the eight track too."\nThe unlucky 13s continued for IU as the Irish's starting backcourt of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn both scored 13. The Hoosiers countered with their own baker's dozen as D.J. White scored 13 as well. \nFellow freshman Robert Vaden was the only other Hoosier in double figures with 10 points.\nWhile Thomas and Quinn led the Irish, IU's starting backcourt of juniors Marshall Strickland and Bracey Wright was held to 11 points on only four of 15 shooting combined. Wright was two of 10 and it was the second game of the young season that the Preseason All-Big Ten guard was held to five points or less.\nBrey said he thought Thomas, who played 37 minutes, did a great job of quarterbacking the Irish.\n"I thought Chris Thomas did a fabulous job of getting the ball into the right guys," Brey said. "He is a beautiful basketball player who never gets tired."\nDavis said after Quinn and Thomas' shooting woes against Michigan Saturday, in which Thomas went one for 13 and Quinn two for 11, he knew they were due.\n"I thought Chris Thomas made some big shots. I thought Quinn made some big shots," Davis said. "But what hurt us more than anything was their inside guys. They made big plays when they needed them."\nThe Irish were led inside by Torin Francis' 11 points and 13 boards -- with five of those being offensive. Dennis Latimore scored 12 and corralled eight rebounds as well.\nSenior Ryan Tapak said Notre Dame's inside-outside threat presented a real defensive challenge for the Hoosiers.\n"Chris and Quinn are real consistent basketball players," Tapak said. "They got some open looks and knocked them down like they always have. They play well together, and I think with the big guys they have if you're worried about them two, they'll go inside. It's pick your poison." \nWhile the Hoosiers defense dug in for a third straight game, a group of 17,413 at Assembly Hall were getting tired of the Hoosiers' offensive ineptitude. IU trailed 36-27 with 11:54 left in the game but cut the lead to five, 41-36, with eight minutes to play after junior Roderick Wilmont's two free throws. \nWith the Assembly Hall crowd trying desperately to get into the game, Notre Dame's starting backcourt simply refused to allow IU to get back in it. \nQuinn continued his hot shooting with a pull-up 15-footer and Thomas followed with two jumpers in the next three possessions to push the Irish back up by nine, 47-36, with 4:41 remaining.\nAfter Thomas and Quinn's baskets, the crowd grew silent again, until the final seconds ticked off the clock. The boos reigned down then on Davis and his Hoosiers as the Irish's Thomas held onto the ball.\nThe Indianapolis' native, Thomas, gripped the ball firmly, finally beating the Hoosiers in his final chance after two prior unsuccessful bids.\nOn the other hand, it's a bitter pill to swallow for the Hoosiers after Davis' young team was encouraged after a pair of single digit losses to top-10 teams. The unranked Irish, however, beat the Hoosiers by 10.\n"It's just so tough to get up and play at this level this early in the season every single game," Davis said. "We had guys today that just had no energy whatsoever. You come off two tough, unbelievable teams, and turn around and play another top-20 team. You don't have those five minutes that you can't give it everything."\nThe loss leaves the Hoosiers at 2-3 with a three-game losing streak heading into their annual rivalry match-up with Kentucky Saturday in Louisville's Freedom Hall.\nThe Wildcats, ranked No. 10, haven't lost to the Hoosiers since 1999. \n"It's definitely a disappointing loss, but we've got a game on Saturday," Davis said.\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.