SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Al Skinner hadn't faced any questions all season about a loss.

He handled his first ones Tuesday night, when Notre Dame ended his fourth-ranked Boston College Eagles' 20-game winning streak with a 68-65 victory.

"We just made mistakes that allowed Notre Dame opportunities that we normally don't make. We have to learn from that," he said. "The thing I'm most concerned about was our lapses on defense. We knew what we wanted to do, but at times we were just zoning out."

That allowed Colin Falls of the Irish to hit seven 3-pointers and score a career-high 23 points as Notre Dame ended another long winning streak on its home court.

Louis Hinnant, who had 13 points, said the Eagles knew it would be tough to go undefeated in the Big East, even if they were the first team in conference history to start the season 20-0.

"We feel we don't have anything to hang our heads over," he said. "We just have to try to keep getting victories."

The Eagles (20-1, 9-1) were playing their first game this season on national TV. They and top-ranked Illinois (24-0) were the only unbeaten teams left in Division I. The Illini are alone now, after surviving a scare in beating Michigan 57-51 on Tuesday night.

With the Eagles off until a home game against Rutgers on Feb. 16, Skinner said the loss wasn't all bad.

"It definitely comes at a good time," he said. "It gives us a chance to get refocused, sit down and start again."

BC, which trailed by as many as 11 in the second half, closed to 62-59 as Jared Dudley made two free throws and then converted a three-point play. But Chris Thomas, who had 19 points and nine assists, made four free throws over the final 1:11 as the Irish avoided a repeat of their previous game, when they squandered an 11-point lead in the final six minutes in a loss at No. 8 Syracuse on Saturday.

"We stayed poised when they made runs," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said.

Every time Notre Dame needed a big basket, Falls hit a 3-pointer. He hit two 3s six minutes into the second half to give the Irish an 11-point lead, and when BC cut the lead to 54-41 with 8:25 left he hit another. He did it again when the Eagles cut the lead to three with 6:43 left.

"We had that refuse-to-lose mentality tonight," Falls said.

Falls was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers, a career-best effort from outside the arc.

Chris Quinn and Dennis Latimore each added 10 points for the Irish.

Dudley led BC with 16 points, and Jermaine Watson had 11.

The Eagles were the latest team to arrive at the Joyce Center undefeated and leave with a loss. The most famous Irish win over an unbeaten team occurred in 1974, when UCLA came in 13-0 and on an 88-game winning streak. The Bruins lost when the Irish outscored the Bill Walton-led Bruins 12-0 over the final 3:32 to win 71-70.

The Irish also beat a top-ranked UCLA team that was 14-0 in 1971; beat No. 1 San Francisco (29-0) in 1977; and beat top-ranked DePaul (25-0) in double overtime in 1980.

It was Notre Dame's second win over a ranked team in three games as it beat No. 19 Connecticut 78-74 on Jan. 30. And for the second straight home game, students flooded the floor to celebrate.

"It's a great win for our resume. That's the bottom line," Thomas said.

Smith said the loss means the Eagles are going to have to keep proving they are a top team.

"We always have something to prove," he said. "We have to prove ourselves every day. We still feel confident we can win the Big East. Losses happen."