Boston College
Notre Dame*
No. 4 Boston College Falls To Notre Dame, 68-65
February 08, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2005
By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Boston College joined the likes of UCLA, DePaul and San Francisco as teams that arrived at Notre Dame with a long unbeaten streak and left with a loss.
Colin Falls matched his career high with 23 points and Chris Thomas added 19 points and nine assists as the Irish ended the fourth-ranked Eagles' 20-game winning streak and handed them their first loss of the season, 68-65 Tuesday night.
The Eagles (20-1, 9-1 Big East), playing their first game this season on national TV, and top-ranked Illinois (24-0) were the only unbeaten teams left in Division I. The Illini are alone now, surviving a scare before beating Michigan 57-51 Tuesday night.
The Irish, who squandered an 11-point lead in the final 6 minutes at No. 8 Syracuse on Saturday before losing 60-57, led BC 62-54 with 4:06 left when Sean Williams was called for goaltending on a layup by Thomas. The Eagles closed to 62-59 as Dudley made two free throws and then converted on a three-point play.
But Thomas ensured the Irish (14-6, 6-4) didn't have another meltdown, making two free throws in the final 1:11 to give Notre Dame a 66-59 lead. After Dudley scored inside with 30 seconds left, the Eagles forced an Irish turnover and had a chance to cut the lead to two points. But Dudley drove the lane and as he passed to Craig Smith, he ran into Falls and was called for the offensive foul.
Every time Notre Dame needed a big basket, Falls hit a 3-pointer. He hit two 3s 6 minutes into the second half to give the Irish an 11-point lead, and when BC cut the lead to 54-41 with 8:25 left he hit another. He did it again when the Eagles cut the lead to three with 6:43 left.
Falls was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers, a career-best effort from outside the arc.
Chris Quinn and Dennis Latimore each added 10 points for the Irish.
Dudley scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half for BC and had 11 rebounds. Louis Hinnant added 13 points and Jermaine Watson had 11.
Smith, BC's leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, missed his final eight shots and finished 4-of-14 for nine points with eight rebounds.
It was Notre Dame's first win over a Top 10 team since Feb. 9, 2004, an 80-74 victory over No. 5 UConn. But it was their second win over a ranked team in three games as they beat No. 19 Connecticut 78-74 on Jan. 30.
The Eagles were the latest team to arrive at the Joyce Center undefeated and leave with a loss. The most famous Irish win over an unbeaten team occurred in 1974, when UCLA arrived in South Bend 13-0 and on an 88-game winning streak. The Bruins lost when the Irish outscored the Bill Walton-led Bruins 12-0 over the final 3:32 to win 71-70.
The Irish also beat a top-ranked UCLA team that was 14-0 in 1971; beat No. 1 San Francisco (29-0) in 1977; and beat top-ranked DePaul (25-0) in double overtime in 1980.
The victory Tuesday also provided Irish fans with a bit of payback. Three years ago, the Irish football team was 8-0 and dreaming of contending for a national title when unranked Boston College came to South Bend and upset the Irish 14-7 in a game then-coach Tyrone Willingham was criticized because he had the Irish wear green jerseys at home for the first time in 17 years.
oints and Chris Thomas added 19 points and nine assists as the Irish ended the fourth-ranked Eagles' 21-game winning streak and handed them their first loss of the season, 68-65 Tuesday night.The Eagles (21-1, 9-1 Big East), playing their first game this season on national TV, and top-ranked Illinois (24-0) were the only unbeaten teams left in Division I. The Illini are alone now, surviving a scare before beating Michigan 57-51 Tuesday night.
The Irish, who squandered an 11-point lead in the final 6 minutes at No. 8 Syracuse on Saturday before losing 60-57, led BC 62-54 with 4:06 left when Sean Williams was called for goaltending on a layup by Thomas. The Eagles closed to 62-59 as Dudley made two free throws and then converted on a three-point play.
But Thomas ensured the Irish (14-6, 6-4) didn't have another meltdown, making two free throws in the final 1:11 to give Notre Dame a 66-59 lead. After Dudley scored inside with 30 seconds left, the Eagles forced an Irish turnover and had a chance to cut the lead to two points. But Dudley drove the lane and as he passed to Craig Smith, he ran into Falls and was called for the offensive foul.
Every time Notre Dame needed a big basket, Falls hit a 3-pointer. He hit two 3s 6 minutes into the second half to give the Irish an 11-point lead, and when BC cut the lead to 54-41 with 8:25 left he hit another. He did it again when the Eagles cut the lead to three with 6:43 left.
Falls was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers, a career-best effort from outside the arc.
Chris Quinn and Dennis Latimore each added 10 points for the Irish.
Dudley scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half for BC and had 11 rebounds. Louis Hinnant added 13 points and Jermaine Watson had 11.
Smith, BC's leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, missed his final eight shots and finished 4-of-14 for nine points with eight rebounds.
It was Notre Dame's first win over a Top 10 team since Feb. 9, 2004, an 80-74 victory over No. 5 UConn. But it was their second win over a ranked team in three games as they beat No. 19 Connecticut 78-74 on Jan. 30.
The Eagles were the latest team to arrive at the Joyce Center undefeated and leave with a loss. The most famous Irish win over an unbeaten team occurred in 1974, when UCLA arrived in South Bend 13-0 and on an 88-game winning streak. The Bruins lost when the Irish outscored the Bill Walton-led Bruins 12-0 over the final 3:32 to win 71-70.
The Irish also beat a top-ranked UCLA team that was 14-0 in 1971; beat No. 1 San Francisco (29-0) in 1977; and beat top-ranked DePaul (25-0) in double overtime in 1980.
The victory Tuesday also provided Irish fans with a bit of payback. Three years ago, the Irish football team was 8-0 and dreaming of contending for a national title when unranked Boston College came to South Bend and upset the Irish 14-7 in a game then-coach Tyrone Willingham was criticized because he had the Irish wear green jerseys at home for the first time in 17 years.
