By: by Mark Toma
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Kurtis Woods scored a team-high 18 points for Kennesaw State, but it was Luke Harangody’s 29 points and 15 rebounds that lifted No. 23-ranked Notre Dame to an, 80-62, win over the Owls in the second game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Tuesday night at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
For the second consecutive game, the Owls (2-2) played tenaciously and were in position to make a second half run at the lead. After trailing by nine points at the half, Kennesaw State trimmed a, 33-24, Notre Dame lead to 35-32 after Markeith Cummings slammed home a pass from Kelvin McConnell, capping a 6-0 run.
Cummings, who scored 12 points, then had a chance to trim the lead even further when he stripped Notre Dame’s Scott Carleton, but missed the ensuing lay-up. Harangody followed with a lay-up in traffic to spark a 7-0 run and give the Fighting Irish a 10-point lead with 16:00 minutes left.
Matt Heramb (4-for-8), who scored 10 points, hit a three-pointer on the next possession to bring the Owls to within seven points. A slam dunk by Woods (6-for-15) would bring Kennesaw State six points behind the Irish with 13:25 left, but that was as close as the Black and Gold would get the rest of the night.
Notre Dame (5-0) scored the next eight points, getting two points each from Harangody (11-for-22), Carleton, Jonathan Peoples and Tim Abromaitis to build the double-digit lead they would hold the remainder of the game.
The Owls had a difficult time containing the Irish inside as Notre Dame out-rebounded Kennesaw State by a 53-31 margin, including a 20-11 advantage on the offensive boards and outscored KSU, 25-8, on second chance points. Once again, the Owls did an excellent job controlling the ball as the committed just seven turnovers while forcing 12 Notre Dame turnovers.
Harangody had a double-double in the first half with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Abromaitis added 14 points as Notre Dame is off to its best start since going 7-0 to open the 2001-02 season.
The Irish were 20-for-33 from the free-throw line while the Owls shot just nine free-throws, making five. Kennesaw State held Notre Dame under 50 percent shooting in the game while connecting on 36 percent from the field.
The Owls will be back in action on Friday when they play Tennessee State at the UIC Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for noon (CST) with the game available on tape-delay at 7:00 p.m. on 920am WGKA and online at www.920WGKA.com. Craig Corbin and Scott Webb will carry all the action.
