ND tops Xavier, reaches SCC final

NOTRE DAME 60

XAVIER 46

MIDDLETOWN — The Southern Connecticut Conference Division I tournament semifinal at Artie

Kohs Gymnasium had the kind of star power one would come to expect in a game of that magnitude. And the Ben Carroll vs. Justin Menard show lived up to the billing as the Notre Dame senior and Xavier sophomore heated up in the fourth quarter, combining on 12 of the first 13 points scored in the final period.

That brief flurry left the score tied with 4 minutes left. Then it came down to defense, as it often does with the Green Knights from Notre Dame.

No. 3 seed Notre Dame held Xavier to just one basket over those final 4 minutes and pulled away from No. 2 Xavier to win 60-46 on the road Tuesday night.

“We stress defense all the time. That’s our calling card. I would have liked to play a little better defense early in the game,” Notre Dame coach Jason Shea said. “In this type of game when you have a defense like we have, we have the ability to hold down teams for a stretch and with our scorers, that usually results in a pretty good opportunity to get a run for us.”

Carroll finished with another double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds) for the Green Knights, who beat Xavier for the third time this season.

“They made the big shots in the last couple of minutes and we didn’t,” Xavier coach Mike Kohs said.

And now, Notre Dame gets another opportunity for that elusive first league championship. Standing in the way is top-seeded West Haven, which prevailed in overtime against two-time defending champion Wilbur Cross in the other semifinal.

The game will be Friday at 4 p.m. at the Floyd Little Athletic Center. Notre Dame lost the last two years to Cross and also to Hillhouse in 2017.

“I want to get that sour taste out of my mouth, not just for me but for them (the seniors) last year,” Carroll said.

Menard’s final 3 points of the night — a long-distance shot that tied the game at 44

at the midway point of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame’s Matt Pechota answered with a 3-pointer, one he banked in.

Then it was Mekhi Conner’s turn to dial up from long distance for the Green Knights, putting the visitor up 50-44. Another Xavier missed shot and Tre Rawlins finished off a long outlet pass at the other end.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame kept putting pressure on Menard (15 points), doubling him whenever possible. The Falcons couldn’t make anything and even when Notre Dame threw up an airball, Carroll was there to clean up, get fouled and complete the three-point play.

“We didn’t make very good decisions the last couple of minutes. We settled too much looking for

threes,” Kohs said. “They don’t fall, they score the other way and we were chasing the last few minutes.”

Rawlins and Conner added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Notre Dame, whale Parker Hunter and Anthony Parker scored the exact same for Xavier.

Menard hit two threes from deep range and Carroll added one, plus a traditional 3-point play to put the game in a 44-all midway through the quarter. Then Matt Piefhota broke the tie by banking in a 3-pointer of his own.

The action was end to end in the opening half, but it didn’t generate a ton of points.

The star attraction matchup combined for just eight points — five for Carroll and three for Menard.

But other teammates contributed, which led to a 22-all count at halftime. Timaury Gay had seven first-half points for Notre Dame while Hunter had nine for Xavier.

Xavier scored the first eight points of the second half, including back-to-back 3-pointers, a deep one from Menard and a bank shot from Parker. Then the Green Knights regrouped.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Ben Carroll, Notre Dame: Scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to keep his career alive and reach his third straight SCC tournament final

WE MEET AGAIN

Notre Dame handed West Haven its only loss of the season so far — 63-47 on West Haven’s home floor.