March 2, 2012

Notre Dame Providence Box Score

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) – Jack Cooley scored a career-high 27 points and had 17 rebounds as No. 20 Notre Dame beat Providence 75-69 on Friday night to wrap up a double bye in next week’s Big East tournament.

Notre Dame (21-10, 13-5) locked up the No. 3 seed in the tournament and ended a two-game losing skid that followed a nine-game winning streak.

“It’s good to clinch that up. It really is,” Cooley said. “We get to wait to play. … And we get to watch great basketball while sitting in the hotel room.”

Cooley, who had just two points and no rebounds in the Irish’s loss at Georgetown on Monday, scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half, hitting 7 of 10 shots. He finished 10 for 15 from the field.

“He made a couple of shots and he’s a physically imposing post player. But I thought we played great position defense,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “There were a lot of ticky-tack things around the basket, but that’s how they saw it and how they called it.”

Vincent Council and Gerard Coleman had 17 points each and LaDontae Henton added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Providence (15-16, 4-14). But the Friars were cold out from the 3-point line, missing their first 13 attempts before hitting three straight and finishing 4-for-20.

Up three at the half, the Irish outscored the Friars 26-5 over the first 10 minutes of the second to take control in their regular-season finale.

“It was good to see us get into a rhythm. I’m certainly happy to see Cooley bounce back with a vengeance. We were able to throw it to him,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said.

Injured Tim Abromaitis and fellow senior Scott Martin were honored pre-game and at halftime Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley was inducted into Notre Dame’s Ring of Honor.

“I’m glad we delivered for him on his induction night. He spoke to the team afterward. He made a point of saying the team you were in December and what I’ve seen, you’re two different teams,” Brey said.

“It was great for our guys to get to meet him because he’s all over this place. Special night and great to have him back.”

The Irish opened up some distance with a 9-0 run that started with another Cooley basket and ended with a 3-pointer from Jerian Grant, making it 42-31.

Then came a 15-point spurt that built a big lead as Eric Atkins converted a three-point play to start the run and Tom Knight’s dunk ended it to put Notre Dame up 57-33.

Providence hustled and scrapped and cut it to eight with a minute left, forcing Notre Dame to re-insert Martin, who’d come out earlier for a curtain call. Gerard Coleman’s steal and layup got the Friars to within six with 48 seconds left.

But Notre Dame was able to hold on as Grant hit two from the line with 8 seconds remaining.

Dragicevich hit the game’s first 3-pointer with a half minute left in the half to put the Irish up 31-26. Gerard Coleman worked inside for a basket just before the buzzer and Notre Dame’s halftime lead was only three points.

Providence showed the quickness to match Notre Dame but was 0 for 10 on 3s in the opening 20 minutes. But their main problem was containing Cooley, whose career high coming in was 22 points.

Cooley had five rebounds and six points in the first four and a half minutes Friday night and scored 11 of the Irish’s first 13 points.

“At one point during the first half I just looked up and I was like `Has someone else scored?’ At that point I was realizing I was having a pretty good half and I needed to get the ball in,” Jack Cooley said.

The Friars took a one-point lead on Henton’s slam off a break