By By DAN WEISS / Niles Daily Star
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Everybody knows junior point guard Chris Thomas is Notre Dame's superstar, but it was the supporting cast that lifted the Irish to a 78-64 victory over Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon in the Joyce Center.
Thomas was his usual brilliant self with a game-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers, but senior guard Torrian Jones and sophomore guard Chris Quinn were also impressive.
Jones handed out a career-high six assists to go along with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds while Quinn scored 15 points.
Notre Dame, ranked No. 21, travels to Milwaukee, Wisc., tonight for a matchup with No. 22 Marquette at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Despite a distinct height advantage, Notre Dame held a slim 35-30 rebounding advantage and allowed the Mountaineers to grab 18 offensive rebounds.
Thomas reached 20-plus points for the 25th time in his 69-game career and has scored in double figures 57 times.
Notre Dame missed just one free throw, going 19-for-20 at the line. Sophomore forward Torin Francis scored 13 points while going 7-for-7 at the charity stripe.
Nick Dodson and Landy Thompson led Mount St. Mary's with 17 points apiece.
Notre Dame…………78
Mount St. Mary's….64
Notre Dame: Jordan Cornette 2 0-0 5, Torin Francis 3 7-7 13, Chris Thomas 7 3-3 22, Chris Quinn 4 5-6 15, Torrian Jones 5 2-2 12, Rick Cornett 1 2-2 4, Colin Falls 2 0-0 4, Russell Carter 1 0-0 3, Greg Bosl 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 19-20 78
Mount St. Mary's: Kiel Butler 1 0-0 2, Nick Dodson 7 3-3 17, Antonio Johnson 2 2-2 6, Landy Thompson 7 0-1 17, Chris Sumner 2 0-0 6, Mychal Kearse 3 0-0 6, Guss Durr 0 0-0 0, Nick Whitney 0 0-0 0, Pat Atangana 0 1-2 1, Koki Adasi 0 0-0 0, Charles Cook 0 0-0 0, Jamion Christian 1 0-0 2, Jason Carbone 2 0-0 5, Jason Epps 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 6-8 64
Halftime score: Notre Dame 40, Mount St. Mary's 27
3-point shooting: Notre Dame 9 (Thomas 5, Quinn 2, Cornette, Carter), Mount St. Mary's 6 (Thompson 3, Sumner 2, Carbone). Team fouls (fouled out): Notre Dame 13 (none), Mount St. Mary's 20 (none). Team records: Notre Dame 2-0, Mount St. Mary's 0-5