AP TOP 25

Irish share ball, stingy with streak

— Pass, pass, pass, pass. Then, pass again before finding and making a wide-open shot. No. 17 Notre Dame got everyone involved in extending its winning streak to 12 games.

Jerian Grant scored 19 points and the Fighting Irish patiently worked for open shots that set up a 66-60 victory Monday night over No. 21 Cincinnati.

Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0 Big East) is on its best winning streak since it also won 12 in a row in 2006-07. The 14-1 mark is the best start during Coach Mike Brey’s 13 seasons.

This time, he’s got an experienced roster that shares the ball. Notre Dame is among the national leaders with 19 assists per game.

“That’s been our program,” Brey said. “There’s a culture of passing the ball here. We recruit basketball IQ guys, and I think there’s a lot of trust that we’re going to keep moving that thing. That’s why we have great balance.

“We can move it until we get the right guy to take the shot. And we enjoy moving it. Tonight we had some amazing possessions where we got guys out of position.”

The Fighting Irish did it their way, spreading out a defense that has been Cincinnati’s strength. Notre Dame shot 50 percent from the field and went 9 of 16 behind the arc.

Cincinnati (13-3, 1-2) wore new, all-black uniforms - Notre Dame wore white - for a home game that took on extra significance. The Bearcats opened the season 12-0, then lost two of their past three games, falling to New Mexico and St. John’s at home.

They have lost three consecutive at home for the first time since 2006-07, Coach Mick Cronin’s first season picking up the pieces from Coach Bob Huggins’ ouster.

The school celebrated its start by having school President Santa J. Ono get his head shaved on the court after the game Monday. Ono agreed to lose his hair if the Bearcats won 10 in a row, turning the streak into a fundraising opportunity for a charity.

Despite the pomp, the Bearcats lost again. Sean Kilpatrick led Cincinnati with 15 points.

“It’s the Big East now,” Kilpatrick said. “We’re in a league where everyone on their roster can play. That’s something we’ve really got to figure out now. It’s not like it’s December anymore.

It’s January and this is the meat of our schedule and we’ve really got to get that in our minds.”

The Bearcats extended their man-to-man defense beyond the arc, trying to take away a Notre Dame strength. They couldn’t do it.

The Fighting Irish lead the Big East and rank fifth nationally shooting 59.8 percent from the field. They went 12 of 18 n three-pointers during a 93-74 victory over Seton Hall on Saturday, setting a school record for a Big East game. Scott Martin made six of his seven three-point attempts in that one.

When Cincinnati clamped down on the perimeter, 6-9 forward Jack Cooley got open inside. He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

“Our guards were fabulous tonight,” Brey said. “I think we have the best back court in the country, frankly, and they played like it tonight on the road. The three was not going to do it, and we had to get some other stuff.”

NO. 5 INDIANA 74, PENN ST. 51

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Christian Watford scored 16 points, Jordan Hulls added 14 and No. 5 Indiana used a big first-half run to race past Penn Stat.

The Hoosiers’ breakneck offense could rarely be stopped in the first half before the pace slowed down in a sloppy second half. But it barely mattered after Indiana (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten) built a 19-point lead in the first half behind Watford’s inside-out game and Hulls’ quick-release jumpers.

Indiana had the top scoring offense in the nation (87.9 points) entering Monday night’s blowout.

Jermaine Marshall had 11 points for the Nittany Lions (8-6, 0-2), which had a five-game home winning streak snapped. Ross Travis added 14 points and five rebounds.

Sports, Pages 18 on 01/08/2013

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