Notre Dame 70, Bryant 59

[December 10, 2013]  SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame 70, Bryant 59: Jerian Grant scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half as the Fighting Irish jumped out early and held off the visiting Bulldogs down the stretch.

Grant added nine assists while Pat Connaughton collected 17 points and 11 rebounds for Notre Dame (7-2). Garrick Sherman added 14 points and 13 boards as the Irish built up a 44-30 advantage on the glass against the Northeast Conference challenger.

Alex Francis scored 17 points to lead Bryant (6-4), which has suffered back-to-back losses. Joe O’Shea added 13 points while leading scorer Dyami Starks was held to 12 on 4-of-12 shooting.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by O’Shea gave the Bulldogs a 25-21 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the opening half before Notre Dame began to take control. Grant’s 3-pointer gave the Irish a 26-25 lead and he scored seven points during an 18-2 burst ending the half.

Bryant cut it to 40-34 less than three minutes into the second half but never managed to take back the lead. Grant’s first field goal of the second half was a 3-pointer that gave Notre Dame a 59-52 lead with 1:35 left and the Irish finished it off at the foul line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bryant’s rough road trip continues with a visit to No. 2 Ohio State on Wednesday. … Monday’s contest was part of the Gotham Classic, which concludes at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 21 with Notre Dame taking on Ohio State and Bryant facing Delaware. … The Fighting Irish improved to 59-4 in their last 63 home games.

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