Monday, December 1, 2008

At the sports desk: ND men's hoops--McAlarney and maturity

The Irish cruise over Furman--what's notable is this:

"On the heels of last week’s career-high 39 points and a school-record 10 3-point baskets against top-ranked North Carolina, McAlarney picked up where he left off Sunday against Furman. With All-American power forward Luke Harangody home with pneumonia, McAlarney scored a game-high 32 points on nine 3-pointers in 28 minutes to lead the No. 8 Irish (5-1) to a 93-61 victory....“I’m just proud we were mature enough to be focused and ready to play,” coach Mike Brey said. “No one got out of character even though Harangody wasn’t here.”

The Irish were coming off that long trip to Hawaii, and there were fears of a letdown. Good for them that they played focused.