Freshman Pat Connaughton scored 23 points nailing five of Notre Dame's 11 three pointers to lead the Fighting Irish to their fourth win in a row with a 76-59 victory over 15th ranked Marquette. It's also the third win over a ranked opponent in a span of 15 days.
This was a nice back-and-forth affair for about three quarters of the contest. Neither team led by more than five in the first half before Notre Dame took a 30-26 lead at the break. The second half was more of the same. The Irish took a seven point lead only to see the Golden Eagles slice it back to three. Then after Marquette made it a four point game with 10:32 left, Notre Dame went on an 18-2 run to go up by 20 and basically put the game away. Marquette would not threaten again.
Connaughton had the best game of his young career. In addition to the 23 points, he grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with three assists, two blocks and a steal. Four other Irish scored in double figures led by Eric Atkins' 18. Jerian Grant added 12 and Scott Martin chipped in 11.
Notre Dame now finds themselves 15-8 overall and 7-3 in the Big East. They next be in action Wednesday night at West Virginia.
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