More: Five in a row
Notre Dame Sophomore Jerian Grant was having a nightmare night shooting the basketball Wednesday night in Morgantown, just 3 for 16, until it really counted. After he intercepted a pass with two minutes to go and the game tied, Grant calmly walked the ball up the floor, got a high screen, and drilled an NBA three pointer to give the Irish a 48-45 lead with 1:52 left, a lead they hung to for the rest of the game, winning 55-51 on the road at West Virginia, their fifth straight victory.
Grant finished with just 12 points on the night, and his three at the end was the middle of an Irish 9-0 run, all on three, to go from three down to six up within 1:36 time. Eric Atkins tied the game at 45, and Scott Martin, with the shot clock winding down, drilled the dagger to put them up 51-45. It was the lone three pointer made by Atkins all night, missing his first six attempts, while Martin has found his shooting touch again, sinking five of seven baskets, including another three just before halftime, and finishing with 12 points.
The late barrage of threes camouflaged the fantastic game Jack Cooley had on Wednesday, where he had 21 points and 12 rebounds, seven of those offensive, and sank four of six free throws down the stretch to ice the game away. He struggled at times on the defensive end guarding Deniz Kilicli, who finished with 16 points, but any time the Mountaineers had a run during the game, Cooley was the guy to make the play for the Irish.
The Mountaineers only had four players score points, with Jabarie Hinds leading the way with 17 on 8-12 shooting from the floor. Kevin Jones added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Gary Browne had the other four WVU points. Chuck Bryant, who is averaging over 17.5 points per game, and had 32 points just three days ago against Providence, was shut out on six shots, the first time he's failed to score since Nov. 10, 2010. Bryant did have eight assists, which was as many as the entire Notre Dame team. They were just 2-16 shooting from beyond the arc, and only attempted three free throws on the night however.
The Irish defense held WVU to just 24% shooting in the first half and 16 points, tying the school record for fewest points allowed in a half in the shot clock era. The Mountaineers seemed to figure out the Irish defense, getting a three point lead twice late in the second half, but ND Head Coach Mike Brey switched back into a 2-3 zone, and it worked to perfection.
Notre Dame now sits alone in third place in the Big East, 8-3 in the conference and 16-8 overall after their fifth straight win. Amazingly enough, their schedule lightens up some going forward, as their next three opponents are a combined 10-25 in conference play, and two of them are at home. West Virginia falls to 16-9, 6-6 in league play, right in the middle of the pack.
The Irish next play DePaul in South Bend Saturday afternoon at Noon.
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