Dec 4, 2001

CHICAGO (AP) - DePaul guard Imari Sawyer was suspended Tuesday for one game by the university, three days after he punched a Notre Dame player below the belt during a lopsided loss to the Irish.

Coach Pat Kennedy announced the suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct. He said Sawyer, a sophomore averaging 10 points and 8.5 assists a game, will sit out Wednesday's game against Ohio.

Sawyer punched David Graves during the second half of Notre Dame's 82-55 victory over DePaul on Saturday. Graves writhed on the floor and needed several minutes on the bench to recover.

"It was a blatant punch," Graves said. "It was a foul play, and you can hurt somebody. He doesn't normally do that. But it's a foul play and unfortunate."

Sawyer finished with 2 points and failed to score from the floor for just the second time in his 34-game career. He was not available to comment after the game.