Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 61, Notre Dame 55
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, February 3, 2014
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Officials: # Tony Greene, # Bryan Kersey, # Jamie Luckie
Attendance: 25850


No. 1 Syracuse 61, Notre Dame 55: Trevor Cooney scored a career-high 33 points and tied a school record with nine 3-pointers as the host Orange downed the Fighting Irish to remain one of two undefeated teams in Division I.

Cooney went 11-for-15 from the field on a night in which Syracuse (22-0, 9-0 ACC) had little else going for it offensively after shooting a season-high 57.4 percent in Saturday’s overtime win over Duke. Leading scorer C.J. Fair was limited to a season-low six points on 2-of-13 shooting – after posting a career-high 28 against Duke – as Cooney’s teammates shot a combined 10-of-32.

Garrick Sherman had 16 points and eight rebounds to pace Notre Dame (12-11, 3-7), which has dropped four of five. Freshman Steve Vasturia poured in a career-high 13 points while Pat Connaughton contributed 11 points and eight boards.

Cooney nearly outscored Notre Dame by himself with 17 points in the opening stanza, drilling four straight 3-pointers over a six-plus minute span to help Syracuse overcome a ragged start. Cooney’s jumper with six minutes left in the first half capped a stretch in which he scored 14 straight points for the Orange while his fifth 3-pointer of the opening 20 minutes sent Syracuse into the break with a 31-18 lead.

Another 3-pointer from Cooney early in the second half stretched the margin to 14 before Notre Dame held the Orange scoreless for nearly six minutes to close within 43-40 with 8:43 remaining. Jerami Grant ended the drought a little more than two minutes later and Cooney caught fire again, draining two more 3-pointers and converting a three-point play in a 1:20 span to hold off the stubborn Irish.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cooney became the fourth Orange to hit nine 3-pointers, matching Gerry McNamara, Andy Rautins and James Southerland. … Syracuse tied the 1980-81 Virginia team for the third-best start in ACC history, trailing only North Carolina in 1956-57 and North Carolina State in 1972-73. … Notre Dame’s 18-point first half was its second-lowest offensive output in a half under coach Mike Brey.

Top Game Performances
 
Notre Dame   Syracuse
Garrick Sherman 16 Scoring Trevor Cooney 33
Eric Atkins 6 Assists Tyler Ennis 8
Pat Connaughton 8 Rebounds Rakeem Christmas 6
Garrick Sherman 4 Free Throws Made Jerami Grant 3
Eric Atkins 2 Steals Trevor Cooney 4
Garrick Sherman 1 Blocks Rakeem Christmas 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Notre Dame 55 40.8 6-18 9-14 12 29 1 6 12
Syracuse 61 44.7 10-16 9-13 16 25 5 9 10