National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Notre Dame 87, Hartford 60
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Officials: # Jerry Heater, # Tim Kelly, # Bob Testa
Attendance: 6803

No. 13 Notre Dame 87, Hartford 60:
Demetrius Jackson led the way with 18 points and Pat Connaughton added 16 as the Fighting Irish cruised past the visiting Hawks.

Jerian Grant collected 15 points and six assists as Notre Dame (13-1) closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with its ninth straight win. Zach Auguste contributed 15 points and seven rebounds and the Irish knocked down 13 3-pointers, led by four apiece from Jackson and Connaughton.

Mark Nwakamma collected 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for Hartford (7-6). Yolonzo Moore II scored 12 points as the Hawks fell for the fifth time in the last seven games.

Hartford came out strong and took a 10-3 lead on Nwakamma’s jumper just over four minutes into the game before Connaughton buried a pair of 3-pointers and Jackson added another in a 19-6 spurt. Another 3-pointer from Connaughton made it a 37-24 gap and Jackson closed the first half with four straight points to send Notre Dame into the break up 43-28.

Grant’s 3-pointer just over seven minutes into the second half pushed the lead to 62-41 and Auguste scored five straight points to make it a 30-point cushion with eight minutes left. The Hawks managed to cut the deficit to 21 points before the Irish bench closed it out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame entered the game leading the nation with a team field-goal percentage of 55.6 percent and shot 53.2 percent from the field against the Hawks. … The Irish have scored at least 83 points in five straight games. … Every Hartford starter turned the ball over at least twice.
Top Game Performances
 
Hartford   Notre Dame
Mark Nwakamma 16 Scoring Demetrius Jackson 18
Mark Nwakamma 5 Assists Jerian Grant 6
Mark Nwakamma 6 Rebounds Zach Auguste 7
John Carroll 1 Free Throws Made Zach Auguste 3
Wes Cole 2 Steals Pat Connaughton 3
John Carroll 1 Blocks Demetrius Jackson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Hartford 60 45.5 9-26 1-2 17 24 2 6 16
Notre Dame 87 53.2 13-30 8-10 15 36 3 7 13