The Virginia men’s basketball team topped Notre Dame, 62-56, Saturday night at Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Indiana in a seesaw conference tilt between the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense and its No. 3 scoring offense.
The No. 3 Cavaliers (15-0, 3-0 ACC) held the No. 13 Fighting Irish (15-2, 3-1 ACC) 29 points below their season average to start conference play 3-0 for the first time since 2009-10. Notre Dame—entering the night, the nation’s sweetest-shooting team from the floor—hit just 33.9 percent of its shots despite knocking down 10 of 24 from beyond the arc.
Virginia—which trailed by seven early in the second half—pulled away with a 9-0 run after Fighting Irish senior guard Jerian Grant’s game-tying jump shot with four minutes to play. Junior guard Justin Anderson ignited the decisive run, knocking down a 3-pointer off junior guard Malcolm Brogdon’s assist 15 seconds after Grant’s bucket.
The Fighting Irish’s next three possessions yielded a blocked layup, a miss in close from Grant and a turnover by athletic junior forward Zach Auguste. Brogdon extended the Cavalier lead to five when he laid the ball in with 1:12 to play.
Notre Dame came up empty on offense as Brogdon and Anderson put the game away at the foul line.
Though Fighting Irish senior wing Pat Connaughton knocked down 8-15 shots en route to a game-high 21 points, Virginia mostly bottled up Grant. The Preseason All-ACC honoree finished with six points on 2-8 shooting but also handed out six assists against a single turnover.
Senior forward Darion Atkins paced Virginia with team highs of 14 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes on court. Brogdon finished with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds as five Cavaliers scored seven points or more.
Virginia hosts Clemson (9-6, 1-2 ACC) Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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