Jerian Grant (22) scored 17 points in Wednesday’s 71-63 win over Boston College. Twelve of those points came from long range field goals. Pit file photo
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat started as a dominant performance by Notre Dame quickly turned into a troubling night for the Irish.
With five minutes left in the first half, Notre Dame held a 25-point lead. But Boston College’s Dimitri Batten half-court shot coupled with some impressive play by the Eagles cut the deficit to just 16 heading into the break.
Boston College continued the rally in the second half, cutting the score to just 67-61 with 1:47 left in the game. Olivier Hanlan nailed four consecutive three’s to get within six, but the rally seemingly stopped there.
The Irish would finish the Eagles off 71-63 to improve to 9-2 in the ACC (21-3 overall). Jerian Grant and Steve Vasturia each finished with 17 points in the victory Wednesday night.
”It got to 25 so fast, you worry about concentration and focus a little bit,” Irish coach Mike Brey said. ”Then the guy throws in a half-court shot at halftime and I’m thinking … I never expect a league game to be easy.”
Zach Auguste added another 16 points for Notre Dame while Pat Connaughton finished with 11 after scoring the 10 of Notre Dame’s first 16 points.
Hanlan finished with 28 points on the night for Boston College as the Eagles fall to 9-12 (1-8).
The Irish are off to their best start since opening the 1978-79 season 22-3. Notre Dame will look for win number 23 on the road Saturday against a revenge-seeking Duke.
