Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from an incident in which police used pepper spray to subdue him after an off-campus party.SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame’s near-flawless first half was enough to overcome a flawed second half Wednesday.
The Irish opened Big East play with a 93-78 win over Providence in Purcell Pavilion thanks to their first-half marksmanship.
Notre Dame (12-2, 1-0) shot 55.6 percent in the first half and was even stronger from three-point range, hitting 9 of 16.
Jonathan Peoples hit 5 of 5 threes and had 17 points in the first half, and Abromaitis sank 3 of 5 threes and had 13 points at the break to lead the way.
Peoples finished with 23 points, and Abromaitis had 22.
Luke Harangody scored 19 and had 13 rebounds, breaking his tie with LaPhonso Ellis for the most double-doubles in school history. Harangody now has 57.
The victory was coach Mike Brey’s 200th with Notre Dame, but the Irish made him sweat it out.
Notre Dame, which led 53-32 at halftime, shot only 37.9 percent in the second half and made 2 of 6 three-pointers.
The Irish scored just five points in the second half’s opening 5 minutes as the Friars went on a 17-5 run to cut their deficit to 58-49 with 14:30 to play.
But Notre Dame used a 6-2 run for a 64-51 lead with 10:28 remaining.
The Irish’s lead didn’t dip below double digits the rest of the way, and Notre Dame outscored Providence 20-15 in the final 5 minutes.
Jamine Peterson scored 24 for the Friars (8-5, 0-1), and Sharaud Curry added 24. Providence was held to 40.8 percent shooting.
Tory Jackson ignited a big run less than 3 minutes into the game with a steal leading to a breakaway layup and a foul. Jackson missed the free throw, but the play started a 9-0 run that Abromaitis capped with a three-pointer with 15:27 to play in the first half for a 15-4 lead.
After the Friars cut their deficit to 15-10 with 12:49 remaining in the first half, the teams got into a three-point shooting contest.
Notre Dame’s Ben Hansbrough hit a three and Peoples sank two threes, while Providence’s Jamine Peterson and Curry each hit a three-pointer in a 2 1/2 -minute stretch that left the Irish with a 24-16 lead with 10:57 left in the half.
Peoples and Abromaitis kept the three-point barrage going from there as both sank two more threes during a 14-7 run that gave Notre Dame a 38-23 advantage with 7:23 to play in the half.
Peoples hit his last three of the half with 3:31 to go for a 44-31 lead, and the Irish closed the first on a 9-1 run for a 53-32 halftime lead.
