It took a while, and it has subjected the Irish to much derision (*cough*) to this point; but Notre Dame finally notched their first road win of the season. They got a 90-80 win over an up-and-down Villanova team in Philly.
Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey made a minor tweak to his lineup by starting Zach Hillesland over Ryan Ayers -- something others had been calling for some time -- to provide more of a spark to start games. It seemed to work, as the Irish jumped out in this game and took control of the game in the first half.
Luke Harangody had his usual strong performance inside with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Not a shock considering Harangody has been very consistent all season long. Not to mention the fact that Villanova has a very weak frontcourt that Harangody could abuse.
The big difference in this road game was that guard Kyle McAlarney shot like he was playing in South Bend. McAlarney went for 30 points, on 10-15 shooting (5-8 on 3s). With McAlarney hitting from outside, it opens things up for the rest of the team and prevents opponents from collapsing completely on Harangody and preventing penetration from McAlarney and other players on the perimeter.
