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No. 20 Notre Dame dominates Monmouth

Nov 13, 2012 - 4:40 AM South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Garrick Sherman posted 22 points and nine rebounds as No. 20 Notre Dame took an 84-57 win over Monmouth as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Jack Cooley had 16 points and nine rebounds while Pat Connaughton added 13 points and five assists for the Fighting Irish (2-0), who opened their season with a win against Evansville on Saturday.

"I thought we did a good job in the second half offensively attacking it and being better against traps," said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. "I thought defensively again for the most part we were really good. We played more zone in the first half-that changed, helped us get a little more of a spurt."

Dion Nesmith posted 13 points and was the only player in double-digits for the Hawks (1-1), who defeated Hofstra on Friday to begin their campaign.

"I take my hat off to Coach Brey and the Notre Dame team," said Monmouth head coach King Rice. "I've known Coach for a long time and I've watched his teams play for years. I recruited a bunch of kids on the Notre Dame team when I was at Vanderbilt, and he does a great job. Coach Brey just does a great job with the type of kids he gets."

A 12-2 run was capped on a Connaughton dunk halfway through the first frame to give Notre Dame a 19-9 lead.

Stephen Spinella followed with a basket and free throw, but the Irish got the next nine points.

Notre Dame later built its lead to 17, but a jumper from Ed Waite and 3- pointer by Andrew Nicholas got the Hawks' deficit to 35-23 at the break.

Monmouth kept it respectable early in the second half, but eight straight points by Notre Dame gave the team a 20-point lead with 13 1/2 minutes to play and its lead never dipped below 13 the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Notre Dame shot 53.4 percent in the game and grabbed 38 rebounds, while Monmouth had just 19 rebounds and shot 38.9 percent ... Notre Dame plays at Saint Joseph's on Friday ... Notre Dame has won all five meetings against Monmouth ... The Hawks are 0-21 against ranked opponents in team history, and 0-41 against the Big East.