Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/98978
Past Three, Next Three Against an outmatched Chicago State team, Notre Dame fired at will from deep in the first half to build a comfortable cushion and roll unimpeded to a 92-65 home victory Nov. 26. The Fighting Irish connected on 12 of 22 three-point attempts (54.5 percent) and 36 of 59 attempts from the field (61.0 percent). Notre Dame made 10 of 16 shots from three-point land in the first half to establish a 51���32 advantage at the break. Junior guard Jerian Grant scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the opening 20 minutes, and he added 10 assists for his first double-double of the year. Junior point guard Eric Atkins (13 points and 11 assists) and senior forward Jack Cooley (11 points and 11 rebounds) also got in on the double-double fun. Feeding off a packed Purcell Pavilion and choosing to be the aggressors from the opening tip, the Irish thoroughly thumped No. 8 Kentucky, 64-40, three nights later to make quite a statement early in the season. Notre Dame led by as many as 20 points midway through the second half and was ignited by Atkins��� acrobatics and soft touch through the first 20 minutes. Atkins made 6 of 7 field goal attempts in the first half to push Notre Dame to a 36-25 advantage at the break. As a team, the Irish shot 55.6 percent in the first half, while limiting the young Wildcats to just 9-of-24 shooting (37.5 percent) from the field and 1 of 8 from behind the three-point line before the two teams headed to the locker room. Atkins finished with a co-game-high 16 points, Cooley pounded his way to 13 points and 11 rebounds ��� his sixth double-double of the season ��� and Jerian Grant chipped in 13 points and six assists. Freshman forward Cameron Biedscheid recorded 10 points and a pair of big triples that kept Notre Dame���s foot on Kentucky���s neck. After moving up to No. 22 in the Associated Press poll, Notre Dame was simply superior to Brown Dec. 8. Against some scrappy Bears guards, the Fighting Irish, coming off an eight-day hiatus, were as sharp as they���ve been all season. Most impressive in Notre Dame���s 84-57 victory at Purcell Pavilion was the team���s 22 assists on 34 field goals, along with a season-low three turnovers. Much of that can be attributed to Atkins, who has been superb through the squad���s 8-1 start. Atkins is averaging 10.9 points and 7.0 assists (tied for eighth nationally) per game, and he scored 10 points and registered 12 assists against Brown. He���s turned the ball over just 16 times this year while averaging 36.9 minutes per contest. ���He���s a player-coach out there,��� Irish head coach Mike Brey said. ���I think he���s had three or four games without a turnover. He���s just so solid. He can play long minutes; he���s in great shape. I just like having him out there and like it flowing with him. He just did a great job orchestrating.��� Notre Dame���s previous low turnover total this season was nine against St. Francis (Pa.) Nov. 24. It was Atkins���s third double-double of the year (and his career), highlighting a four-game stretch in which he had 33 assists and one turnover. ���How about Eric Atkins for the Heisman?��� Brey said. The Irish hit the road for a Dec. 15 tilt with Purdue at the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis before hosting IPFW Dec. 17, Kennesaw State Dec. 19 and Niagara Dec. 21. The Irish open Big East play at home against Seton Hall Jan. 5. ��� Wes Morgan