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No. 23 Notre Dame edges Gonzaga

Dec 12, 2010 - 4:25 AM South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Tim Abromaitis scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and No. 23 Notre Dame took a close one from Gonzaga, 83-79, at the Joyce Center.

Carleton Scott scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half, while Eric Atkins chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for the Fighting Irish (9-1), who bounced back from Wednesday's 14-point loss to Kentucky.

Elias Harris led four Bulldogs in double figures with 19 points. Steven Gray posted 18 points and eight assists, while Robert Sacre and Mangisto Arop netted 16 points apiece in the team's third straight setback.

Notre Dame got to the free throw line 24 more times than Gonzaga (4-5) but missed 4-of-6 attempts from the stripe after a Gray layup pulled the Bulldogs within 77-72 in the final minute.

Harris put in a quick bucket after Atkins' two misses, but Gray missed a rushed three-pointer between 1-for-2 showings at the line from Scott and Atkins.

Arop banked in a three from the top of the key to get within two, 79-77, though Ben Hansbrough made two successful trips to the foul line in the final 11.6 seconds to clinch the tight decision.

Both teams hit over 50 percent from the field in the first half, but it was Scott's effort that propelled the Irish to a 43-37 lead at the break.

Marquise Carter's jumper five minutes into the second half tied the game at 50-all before Abromaitis scored eight straight points. He nailed three- pointers on consecutive possessions, then threw down a dunk following a Gray turnover to bring the momentum back in Notre Dame's favor.

Arop stopped the spurt with a make from long range, but the Irish responded by scoring 10 of the next 11 points.

Two Abromaitis free throws gave the hosts a 10-point lead just past the midway point, and Atkins drained a three to finish the run for a 68-54 cushion with 8:09 to play.

It stayed a double-digit affair until Arop drained a three for a 73-65 game with 1 1/2 minutes left. After trading free throws, Gray hit another from behind the arc to make the final minute a little more interesting.

Game Notes

This was the first-ever meeting between the teams...Notre Dame went 24- of-36 from the foul line, compared to Gonzaga's 10-of-12 effort...Both teams went 11-of-20 from three-point range...Hansbrough finished with 13 points.