Abromaitis leads Notre Dame to 90-72 win over UCF

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Even though Central Florida coach Kirk Speraw wasn't sure of the proper pronunciation for Tim Abromaitis' last name, he knew the Knights had to be aware of him.

"He worried me a lot. He impressed me with the way he's been playing all year long," Speraw said. "He's not just a shooter, which is the first impression you get of him. As you watch him, he's well-rounded. He does a lot of things well. He played very good defense."

Abromaitis, a junior making his first start, scored a career-high 31 points Sunday to lead Notre Dame to a 90-72 victory over the Knights.

Abromaitis was 10-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line for the Irish (8-1). His basket at the halftime buzzer tied the game at 41 and matched his previous career high of 17 points.

"I think it's really my teammates who set me up for that. I got a lot of easy shots out there," said Abromaitis, who did not play as a sophomore last season.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he decided to start Abromaitis instead of Jonathan Peoples because he wanted to get another offensive threat on the floor early, and because at 6-foot-8, Abromaitis gave the Irish a bigger lineup.

Brey said one of the keys to the continued development of Abromaitis is that he is so even-keeled.

"I think it's helped him handle whatever we've thrown at him," Brey said.

Luke Harangody, who added 29 points, said Abromaitis takes some pressure off him.

"This is just the beginning," Harangody said. "He's one of the hardest working players I know."

Harangody, who was on the bench for the final 5:40 of the first half after picking up his third foul, hit a 15-foot jumper and had a three-point play to spark an 8-0 run to start the second half. Notre Dame extended the lead to 11 points three times before a 9-0 run gave the Irish a 75-55 lead with 7:55 left following a pair of free throws by Abromaitis. The Irish led by as much as 85-61 when Carleton Scott scored inside, and Central Florida (6-2) never again got closer than 17 points.

Keith Clanton led UCF with 14 points and seven rebounds and A.J. Rompza and A.J. Tyler added 13 points each. With his father, Michael Jordan, watching from the upper press box, freshman Marcus Jordan was 4-of-4 shooting for nine points in 20 minutes of play.

Speraw said Jordan is just starting to get comfortable.

"He'll continue to improve and get better," he said.