Notre Dame takes down No. 15 Marquette 76-59
ASSOCIATED PRESS February 4, 2012 4:08PM
Notre Dame guard Pat Connaughton is fouled in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game with Marquette Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won 76-59 with Connaughton leading all scorers with 23 points. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Freshman Pat Connaughton had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Notre Dame made 11 3-pointers and beat No. 15 Marquette 76-59 Saturday.
Connaughton shot 5 for 8 on 3s to lead the Irish (15-8, 7-3 Big East) to their fourth straight win. Notre Dame has defeated five ranked opponents this season.
Eric Atkins chipped in 18 points and Jerian Grant had 12 in a strong performance by the Irish backcourt.
The loss snapped a seven-game conference winning streak for Marquette (19-5, 8-3). Darius Johnson-Odom scored 10 points for the Golden Eagles in the first half, but was held to just two points the rest of the game.
Vander Blue chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for Marquette. The Eagles shot just 2 of 13 from 3-point range.
Notre Dame made its move after falling behind 16-12 to the fast-paced Marquette team. The Irish used a 9-0 run with five points coming from Pat Connaughton to lead 21-16 with 6:48 left in the first half. Eric Atkins capped the three-minute run in a blur, flying past the Marquette defense for a fast-break layup.
Johnson-Odom helped the Golden Eagles keep pace with Notre Dame while the offense shot just 36.7 percent in the first half. Johnson-Odom scored 10 points and Blue added eight points and four rebounds.
Connaughton led a balanced Irish attack in the first half with eight points as Notre Dame went into the break with a 30-26 lead. The traditionally slow-paced Irish scored four fast-break points in the first half while holding Marquette to zero.
Notre Dame’s first four baskets in the second half came from 3-point range.
The loss snapped a seven-game, winning streak in the Big East for Marquette. Notre Dame’s has won four straight in the conference. Notre Dame has beaten five opponents who were ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game.
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