Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Notre Dame 74, Duke 64
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 13, 2015
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Officials: # Sean Hull, # Jamie Luckie, # Tim Nestor
Attendance: 22026

No. 9 Notre Dame 74, No. 2 Duke 64: Freshman Bonzie Colson matched his season high with 17 points off the bench as the Fighting Irish defeated the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament semifinals at Greensboro, N.C.

Demetrius Jackson contributed 15 points, five assists and three steals for third seed Notre Dame (28-5), which faces fifth-seeded North Carolina in Saturday’s championship game. Jerian Grant had 13 points while Steve Vasturia and Pat Connaughton each added nine for the Irish, who shot 50 percent from the field.

Jahlil Okafor poured in 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds for second-seeded Duke (29-4), which saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end. Justise Winslow chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Tyus Jones scored 10 for the Blue Devils, who went 3-of-17 from 3-point range.

Jackson scored nine as Notre Dame ran off 12 straight for an 18-5 lead and Colson had 14 points as the lead swelled to 16 before the Irish settled for a 41-26 edge at intermission. Notre Dame produced 30 points in the paint and shot 53.1 percent from the field while forcing seven turnovers in the first half.

The Irish responded twice with runs after the Blue Devils cut the lead to eight, but Okafor scored four in a 6-0 burst to trim the lead to 66-61 with 3:58 left. Duke got within 68-64, but Okafor missed two free throws and Connaughton drained a foul line jumper with 1:12 to go to make it 70-64.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame’s 28 wins are the second most in a season for the program in its history, behind only the 1908-09 team that went 33-7. … Okafor scored 15 points in the opening 20 minutes on 7-of-11 shooting while his teammates were 4-of-16. … The Irish made only 2-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc, but made 22-of-25 free throws.
Top Game Performances
 
Notre Dame   Duke
Bonzie Colson 17 Scoring Jahlil Okafor 28
Demetrius Jackson 5 Assists Tyus Jones 5
Jerian Grant 7 Rebounds Justise Winslow 11
Bonzie Colson 7 Free Throws Made Quinn Cook 2
Demetrius Jackson 3 Steals Grayson Allen 1
Zach Auguste 2 Blocks Jahlil Okafor 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Notre Dame 74 50.0 2-8 22-25 13 26 4 7 10
Duke 64 45.0 3-17 7-14 10 31 4 6 12