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Georgetown uses long-range attack to upset Notre Dame

Jan 6, 2007 - 8:24 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Notre Dame is nationally renowned for its long-range shooting, but Georgetown has a few snipers of its own.

Roy Hibbert scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and the Hoyas sank 10 3-pointers en route to a 66-48 Big East Conference triumph over No. 22 Notre Dame.

Known primarily for its outstanding interior play, Georgetown (11-3, 1-0 Big East) beat the Fighting Irish with a flurry of shots from the outside.

"This was our best all-around game of the season," said Hibbert, who shot 8-of-9 from the floor. "If we can keep playing this well on offense and defense, we'll win a lot of games."

Jeff Green, Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp combined to shoot 8-of-12 from the arc for the game for the Hoyas, who jumped out to a 36-25 halftime cushion and never looked back.

"I really liked our balance on offense," Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. "Jeff did a great job early, and we were able to get Roy going in the second half."

After making seven 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, Georgetown worked the ball to the 7-2 Hibbert in the second half.

"We made our outside shots, forcing them to extend on defense," Thompson said. "That opened Roy up in the second half."

Notre Dame cut its deficit to 50-35 with 12:23 remaining before Hibbert scored 10 points in a 14-0 run to seal the victory.

"They weren't doubling down on me in the second half, so when I got the ball in the paint, I was able to get the ball to the basket," Hibbert said. "The guys did a great job throwing the ball in and hitting shots, which made my job easier."

Green scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, Wallace finished with 13 and Sapp chipped in 10 for the Hoyas, who improved to 17-11 all-time in Big East Conference openers.

"My shots fell early and they gave me and the team a lot of confidence," Green said.

The Fighting Irish (13-2, 1-1) entered with a 12-game winning streak - the school's longest run since the 1973-74 campaign - and an 8-1 record in its last nine games here.

Notre Dame also came in as one of the country's most explosive offensive squads, averaging 88.8 points per game, the third-best mark in the nation.

But the Fighting Irish shot just 30 percent (16-of-52) from the floor, including 18 percent (4-of-22) from the arc, en route to their first loss since November 13 against Butler.

"Overall, our defense was very good today," Thompson said. "Notre Dame is a high-scoring team and can score a lot of ways. Our energy and communication on defense was excellent. It was our best defensive effort of the season."

"We couldn't get any momentum," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We couldn't get more than a few buckets in a row or a few stops in a row. This just wasn't our day."

Russell Carter scored 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting for the Fighting Irish, who fell to 10-12 all-time against the Hoyas.

"We just have to put this game behind us and move on," Brey said. "I'm glad we are done with Georgetown and don't have to play them again this season."