South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Jerian Grant scored 20 points and the 20th-
ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish set a school record for most consecutive Big
East wins with a 71-44 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Scott Martin added 15 points and six rebounds for the Irish (20-8, 12-3 Big
East), who have won nine straight conference games. Jack Cooley and Eric
Atkins donated 13 points apiece.
Notre Dame shot 61.4 percent from the field and outscored West Virginia by a
41-16 margin in the second half.
Kevin Jones ended with 15 points and eight boards for the Mountaineers (17-11,
7-8), who have lost six of eight. Darryl Bryant tallied 10 points.
Jones' jumper and two Bryant free throws gave the Mountaineers a 17-11 lead
with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
But Alex Dragicevich and Grant bookended an 8-2 Notre Dame flurry with three-
pointers, making it a 19-19 contest. The remainder of the frame was tight and
the Irish took a 30-28 edge into the break.
Notre Dame took control early in the second half, starting the frame on a 28-7
run. Grant tallied 12 points during the surge to help give the home team a
58-35 margin with 10 minutes to play.
GAME NOTES:
The Irish own a 27-12 edge over WVU in the all-time series. When it comes to
games played in South Bend, Notre Dame has taken all but two of 19 encounters
versus the Mountaineers. The last Mountaineer win at Notre Dame was a 57-55
decision on January 17, 1987...Cooley also had six rebounds, but his double-
double streak ended at four...The Irish improved to 15-1 at home this
season...Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton had zero points after scoring 21 against
Villanova on Saturday...West Virginia shot just 31.5 percent from the field.
The Sports Network