Harangody's return gives Irish big lift over Marquette

MILWAUKEE - Turns out Luke Harangody was going to play basketball again for Notre Dame after all.

And Marquette can, in fact, be beaten in overtime.

Harangody returned to the court after missing five games with a bone bruise on his right knee that threatened to end his season, and Notre Dame ended Marquette's remarkable recent run of success in overtime games with a 63-60 victory Saturday.

It was the regular-season finale for both teams, providing a potential boost to the Irish's NCAA Tournament hopes and a slight setback for the Golden Eagles.

The Big East tournament runs Tuesday-Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York - and Harangody will be there, coming off the bench instead of starting.

"He's working himself back into it," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "He obviously has got to get into game shape. It's a chance for a group that's playing well to get better. (To) keep bringing him off in that role gives us a great lift."

Tim Abromaitis had 18 points and hit enough late free throws to save the game for the Irish (21-10, 10-8 Big East). Notre Dame scored the first 5 points of overtime to take control, then held off a late Marquette surge.

Harangody had 5 points and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes - not a typical performance, but better than the alternative. Brey said earlier this week that Harangody might miss the rest of the season.

Harangody said his knee felt fine, and he doesn't mind coming off the bench.

"I'd do anything that was possible," he said. "We thought I might have been done for the season. It was nice to just get back on the court today."

Senior Lazar Hayward scored 18 points but fouled out in overtime in his final home game for the Golden Eagles (20-10, 11-7), who had won four straight.

Marquette's recent winning streak included 3 straight overtime road victories at St. John's, Cincinnati and Seton Hall.

Marquette coach Buzz Williams said not having Hayward's leadership and inside on the floor at the end of the game made it tough on his team.

"It's no good, because we're not going to rebound the ball as well," Williams said.

The Golden Eagles saluted their seniors with a ceremony on the court after the game, and Hayward celebrated what has been a surprisingly successful season.

"A lot of people did not think we would be where we are now," Hayward told the crowd.

Hayward passed George Thompson to move into second place on Marquette's all-time scoring list.

Jimmy Butler added 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Williams said his team broke character by "surprise" shots, deviating from the typical flow of their offense, and didn't do a good enough job of handling the "ball control football" of a relatively slow-paced, defense-oriented game.

"If we're not going to be exactly who we have to be on both ends of the floor, then we're going to get beat," Williams said.

Notre Dame's Carleton Scott hit a 3-pointer just before the final horn to send the game into overtime.

Notre Dame took a quick 56-51 lead, but Butler later cut the lead to 2 on a 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left.

Marquette sent Abromaitis to the line and he hit them both, giving Notre Dame a 60-56 lead with 13.8 seconds left.

Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom drove for a layup, and Abromaitis hit only 1 of 2 on his next trip to the free-throw line. Notre Dame then fouled Johnson-Odom with 3.8 seconds left, and he hit both free throws.

Marquette then sent Abromaitis back to the line with 2.7 seconds left, and he hit them both. David Cubillan's long 3-point attempt fell short at the final horn.