Nov. 22, 2013
Box Score | Notre Dame Santa Clara Box Score
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Jerian Grant led four players in double figures with 20 points to help Notre Dame bounce back from a rare November home loss by beating Santa Clara, 84-69 Friday night at Purcell Pavilion.
Garrick Sherman and Eric Atkins each scored 16 points and Demetrius Jackson added 13 for the Irish (3-1). Forward Austin Burgett had a team-best 10 rebounds and provided a defensive spark off the bench for Notre Dame.
The win ended a long five-day layoff for the Irish after suffering their first November home loss since 1998, and first in Mike Brey’s 14 years as coach, an 83-70 defeat by Indiana State last Sunday.
Santa Clara (2-2), also idle since Sunday, lost its second straight game. The Broncos were led by Brandon Clark’s 21 points, and Jared Brownridge added 16.
Early in the second half, Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton stole the ball and passed ahead to Grant, who missed a wide-open dunk. John McArthur’s jumper on the other end got the Broncos within four points, which they would do three more times in the second half before the Irish pulled away.
Burgett’s blocked shot and dunk on the other end with 8:35 to play highlighted a 12-0 run by Notre Dame that put the Irish ahead by 16 points, finally giving them some breathing room in an otherwise tight game.
Santa Clara used four early Irish turnovers to take a five-point lead, but a 7-0 Notre Dame run gave the advantage back to the Irish, 7:10 into the first half.
The lead changed hands 12 times in the first half, until Notre Dame went on a 10-0 run with 4:05 left before halftime to go up by nine points. The run was fueled by 3-pointers from Grant and Atkins, but also featured the hustle Burgett, who in one sequence had a steal, grabbed an offensive rebound on the other end, and eventually got the assist on Grant’s 3 from the left wing. Grant scored the last seven points of the run.
Notre Dame led by as many as 11 in the first half, but Clark’s drive to the bucket with four seconds left cut it to a six-point Irish lead at halftime.
—
Notre Dame Postgame Notes
– Tonight was the second meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Santa Clara and the first since an 85-83 overtime victory for the Fighting Irish on Dec. 31, 1970 … both games have taken place at Notre Dame.
– The Fighting Irish scored a season-high 84 points (previous high was 80 versus Stetson).
– The Irish had a season-best +17 rebound margin (42-25) … the previous high was +11 against Stetson (38-27).
– Notre Dame led 41-35 at halftime … the Irish are 3-0 this season when leading at halftime.
– Notre Dame’s largest lead of the game was 16 points (69-53) with 8:03 left in the second half.
– Eric Atkins (Sr./G), Pat Connaughton (Jr./G), Tom Knight (GS/F), Jerian Grant (Sr./G) and Garrick Sherman (Sr./C) started tonight’s contest … that quintet has started all four games this season.
– A three-pointer from Pat Connaughton in the first half upped Notre Dame’s streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 481.
– The Fighting Irish wore white jerseys for the first time this regular season.
– Notre Dame is off to a 3-1 start for the second straight season.
– The Fighting Irish improved to 28-12 all-time against teams currently in the West Coast Conference (6-2 under head coach Mike Brey) … this is the eighth straight season that the Irish have faced a West Coast Conference opponent.
– Notre Dame is 49-1 at home in the month of November under Mike Brey.
– Notre Dame is 120-10 (.923) at home since the beginning of the 2006-07 season … the Irish are 72-2 in their last 74 non-conference home games.
Eric Atkins (Sr./G)
– Scored 16 points … it was the third time this season and the 52nd time of his career that he’s scored in double-figures.
Austin Burgett (So./F)
– Pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds (previous high was seven on two occasions) … the 10 rebounds are the most for any Irish player this season.
Jerian Grant (Sr./G)
– Scored 20 points … is the only Irish player to reach double-figures in all four games this season … has 58 double-figure efforts in his career (most of any current Irish player).
– Reached the 20-point mark for the second time this season and the 10th time of his career.
Demetrius Jackson (Fr./G)
– Scored in double-figures (13 points) for the first time in his career … pulled down a career-high eight rebounds … was 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
Garrick Sherman (Sr./C)
– Netted a season-high 16 points … it was his second double-figure effort of the season and the 12th of his career (11th time at ND).