National Basketball Association
Notre Dame 91, Northern Illinois 66
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 22, 2014
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Officials:
# Tim Comer, # Gary Prager, # Ron Tyburski
Attendance:
7471
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 16 Notre Dame 91, Northern Illinois 66: Pat Connaughton connected for season highs of 21 points and five 3-pointers as the host Fighting Irish won their seventh straight contest.
Zach Auguste scored 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds and Demetrius Jackson added 16 points, five assists and four steals for Notre Dame (12-1), which shot 58.9 percent from the floor, including 42.9 from the arc. Connaughton added 10 rebounds and Jerian Grant 11 points and six assists - all in the first half - for the Irish.
Darrell Bowie had 15 points and five rebounds for Northern Illinois (4-5), which lost for the fourth time in five games. Aaron Armstead scored 13 points and drained four 3-pointers and Pete Rakocevic added 10 points for the Huskies.
Connaughton scored 13 points in the first seven minutes of the second half on three 3-pointers and a pair of jumpers as Notre Dame extended a 13-point halftime lead to 67-48. Jackson scored six points during a 10-0 run to push the edge to 30 with 5:40 left and the Irish easily closed out their fifth consecutive triumph by double digits.
The Fighting Irish, who entered shooting a national-best 55.3 percent, scorched the nets at a 63 percent clip in the first half in taking a 48-35 lead. A 3-pointer by Northern Illinois' Michael Orris tied it 21-21 midway through the first half, but Steve Vasturia answered with a shot from the arc and Grant scored eight points in the last 10 minutes, including a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame placed five players in double figures and has placed at least four players in double figures in 12 of its 13 games this season. … The Fighting Irish moved up five spots to No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday. … Notre Dame F V.J. Beachem returned after missing five games with a foot injury and scored eight points and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
Top Game Performances
| Northern Illinois |
|
Notre Dame |
|
Darrell Bowie 15 |
Scoring |
Pat Connaughton 21 |
|
Travon Baker 4 |
Assists |
Jerian Grant 6 |
|
Darrell Bowie 5 |
Rebounds |
Pat Connaughton 10 |
|
Darrell Bowie 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Jerian Grant 6 |
|
Travon Baker 2 |
Steals |
Demetrius Jackson 4 |
|
Jordan Threloff 1 |
Blocks |
Bonzie Colson 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Northern Illinois
|
66 |
40.0 |
8-21 |
14-23 |
12 |
27 |
1 |
7 |
10 |
| Notre Dame
|
91 |
58.9 |
12-28 |
13-19 |
19 |
34 |
4 |
6 |
11 |