National Basketball Association
Notre Dame 75, Providence 69
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, March 2, 2012
Where: Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Officials:
# Doug Shows, # Pat Driscoll, # Lamar Simpson
Attendance:
9149
By SportsDirect Inc.
Notre Dame 75, Providence 69: Jack Cooley scored a career-high 27 points and added 17 rebounds and an extended second-half run helped the No. 19 Fighting Irish clinch a double bye in the Big East Tournament.
After struggling in the first half, host Notre Dame (21-10, 13-5 Big East) scored nine straight points early in the second, beginning a long 24-2 surge that made it 57-33 with 9:55 remaining.
The Friars (15-16, 4-14) missed 14 straight shots during the onslaught, going nearly 10 minutes without a field goal.
Providence came into the game leading the Big East in 3-point shooting, but missed its first 13 shots from long range before LaDontae Henton finally connected with 8:28 remaining and his team down 25.
That basket set off a late 28-9 flurry that got the Friars as close as six, 69-63, in the final minute, but Notre Dame was able to maintain its edge at the foul line.
Cooley carried the load for Notre Dame early, scoring 21 of his team's first 27 points and grabbing 10 boards in the first half. His teammates totaled 10 first-half points on 4-for-19 shooting.
Eric Atkins added 10 points and nine assists for the Fighting Irish, who had five players finish in double figures and defeated the Friars for the ninth straight time.
Vincent Council finished with 17 points and 10 assists to lead Providence, while Henton added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Gerard Coleman scored 17.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame finished 16-1 at home. ... The Friars fell to 4-9 all-time at Notre Dame and 9-16 overall against the Irish. ... Providence lost despite finishing with 18 assists against only five turnovers.
Top Game Performances
| Providence |
|
Notre Dame |
|
LaDontae Henton 18 |
Scoring |
Jack Cooley 27 |
|
Vincent Council 10 |
Assists |
Eric Atkins 9 |
|
LaDontae Henton 12 |
Rebounds |
Jack Cooley 17 |
|
Gerard Coleman 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Jack Cooley 7 |
|
Gerard Coleman 2 |
Steals |
Alex Dragicevich 1 |
|
Brice Kofane 2 |
Blocks |
Jack Cooley 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Providence
|
69 |
39.4 |
4-20 |
9-11 |
18 |
33 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
| Notre Dame
|
75 |
47.3 |
5-10 |
18-26 |
20 |
39 |
4 |
3 |
9 |