Irish boost record to 4-0 // Ellis' 17 spark `careless' win over Creighton

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Notre Dame freshman forward LaPhonso Ellis felthe never got into a rhythm against Creighton, despite histeam-leading 17 points.

"I was never into the flow of the game," said Ellis after NotreDame went 4-0 with a 77-64 victory Saturday. "I did some good thingsin the second half, when we needed it, but I never got into it."

Ellis scored four points in the final two minutes to help stifleCreighton's final threat in the non-conference game.

"We did what we wanted to do as far as getting an up-tempo game,but we were just too quick and too careless," said Notre Dame coachDigger Phelps. "We couldn't get a rhythm going."

Creighton coach Tony Barone said Notre Dame's tough playintimidated the Bluejays. "They beat you up, and beat you up, andbeat you up," he said.

Notre Dame withstood Bob Harstad's career-high 28 points forCreighton. "He was flashing into the middle, and we weren't pickinghim up," said Ellis. "On a given day, a given person can have the hothand, and he had the hot hand today."

Creighton (2-4) pulled with four points, 67-63, at 2:36 on athree-point goal by Todd Eisner. A pair of field goals by the 6-9Ellis and four free throws by Tim Singleton, who finished with 13points, helped the Irish to the winning margin.

Earlier, after trailing 10 points, the Bluejays pulled withintwo at 47-45 but never overtook the Irish.

Joe Fredrick, who suffered a facial cut in a collision with theBluejays' Kevin Johnson and later reinjured the cut, finished with 14points for Notre Dame.

Both teams struggled on offense in the first half.

Notre Dame went scoreless for four minutes after Singleton hit afree throw to give the Irish a 10-8 lead. But the Bluejays, duringthe same period, managed only a three-point goal by Porter Moser, whofinished with six points.

Creighton tied the game for the fourth time, at 30-30, late inthe half on a field goal by Harstad and two free throws by JamesFarr. The Irish then answered with an eight-point scoring streak,their longest of the half, on three-point goals by Jamere Jackson andKevin Ellery, and an Ellis field goal, for a 38-30 halftime score.