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EVENTS
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Xavier did its job in containing All-American Troy Murphy, but once again David Graves led Notre Dame to victory. Graves scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half when sixth-seeded Notre Dame built a 14-point lead en route to an 83-71 victory over 11th-seeded Xavier in a first-round Midwest Region NCAA Tournament contest at Kemper Arena. While Murphy struggled, making just 3-of-10 shots, Graves went 5-of-5 in the first 20 minutes as the Fighting Irish took a 40-26 lead into the locker room. The 6-6 Graves came off the bench for 13 of Notre Dame's last 14 games and responded to his starting assignment by making 7-of-7 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, in 38 minutes. Last season, Graves scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half as Notre Dame posted a 76-64 victory over Xavier in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Matt Carroll played all 40 minutes and finished with 21 points and six rebounds as Notre Dame (20-9) improved to 15-3 all-time against Xavier. Murphy had 19 points and eight rebounds and Ryan Humphery added 15 and six as the Irish shot 63 percent (31-of-49). David West had 19 points and eight rebounds and Lionel Chalmers added 14 points off the bench for Xavier (21-8). West, the the Atlantic 10's Player of the Year, made just 2-of-6 shots in the first 20 minutes when the Musketeers shot a sub-par 38.5 percent (10-of-26). |
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