Old Dominion Upends Notre Dame in Opening Round

NEW ORLEANS -- The Old Dominion Monarchs of Colonial Athletic Association came into the NCAA tournament as one of the many unknowns during Thursday's opening round.

In no time at all, the No. 11 seed Monarchs have quickly become the talk of the New Orleans subregional after stunning No. 6 Notre Dame, 51-50, at the New Orleans Arena in one of the first upsets of tournament action.

Old Dominion, playing its methodical defensive game, stayed close throughout the game before taking over the lead late in the second half from its Big East foe in the South Regional game. Kenyon Carter hit two big free throws with :09.2 seconds remaining to give ODU a 51-50 lead that forced the Irish to have to make a 3-pointer as time expired to force overtime.

It wasn't to be.

Notre Dame forward Carleton Scott fired a 3-pointer from the corner that clanged out, and center Luke Harangody got the loose ball and layed it in as the buzzer sounded, but the Irish remained a point shy and headed for the quick exit.

"I think it reflects the magic of March, the way the two teams battled," said Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor, whose team has now beat two Big East teams this season after knocking off Georgetown on the road in December. "One of the officials turns to me at the two-minute mark and said, `It's been a heck of a ball game.' I think it really was.'"

The problem for the Irish was they never figured the Monarchs zone defense the entire game.

The Monarchs limited Notre Dame to just 31 percent shooting from the field and just two 3-pointers in the second half to erase a 28-22 halftime deficit. Notre Dame shot just three fouls shots all game, while Old Dominion went 8-of-12 from the free throw line for the game.

Harangody was particularly affected by the Monarch's zone. The Irish's 6-foot-8 forward scored just four points on 2 of 9 shooting down low.

"They really just mixed up defenses," said Notre Dame guard Ben Hansbrough. "They got in that zone. We had to make a couple shots over it, but tonight wasn't our shooting night.

"They made a couple of really nice plays, hit a couple outside shots and we couldn't hold on to the lead for long enough."

The Monarchs, who will play No. 3 Baylor in the second round, were led by Frank Hassell's 15 points and Carter's 11 off the bench.

Hansbrough led the Irish with 17 points and three assists, while Scott ended up with 14 points.

"Give a lot of credit to Old Dominion,' said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. "I thought they played really well and tough and made veteran plays at key times."

GAME BALL GOES TO: Frank Hassell was huge for the Monarchs all afternoon, converting big shots while proving huge on the boards. He converted on 6-of-11 field goals, went 3-for-3 from the free throw line and grabbed nine rebounds while also coming up with two assists.

HEART GOES OUT TO: Notre Dame forward Carleton Scott did what he could to keep the Irish out front, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes.

KEY ELEMENT: The Irish, who led 28-22 at halftime, shot just three free throws the entire game and converted two of them. Notre Dame did not shoot a free throw in the second half.

WHERE TO FROM HERE: Old Dominion, which has made three NCAA tournament appearances in the last six years, advances to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1995.

WHO'S GOT NEXT? The Monarchs will play the winner of the Baylor-Sam Houston State game during Saturday's second round at the New Orleans Arena.

SOUNDBITE

"We got our physical niche in the paint, and that's how we play. That's basically how to answer that one."
-- ODU forward Frank Hassell on limiting Notre Dame center Luke Harangody to just four points on 2 of 9 shooting for the game.