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Grant helps Irish edge Spartans in OT

Dec 4, 2014 - 4:41 AM South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerian Grant threw the ball away with just over a minute remaining in overtime, Notre Dame's first turnover in nearly 26 minutes.

Luckily for the Irish, it didn't come back to haunt them.

Grant had a career-high 27 points to go with six assists as Notre Dame defeated No. 19 Michigan State 79-78 on Wednesday night in this installment of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Grant miscue came after Denzel Valentine sunk 2-of-3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, pulling the Spartans within 76-73 with 1:33 remaining in the extra session.

There was miscommunication between Grant and Steve Vasturia at the other end and Grant's pass intended for him in the left corner went out of bounds.

Travis Trice missed a desperation leaning triple from the left wing with the shot clock running down on the Spartans' next trip down the floor and Pat Connaughton sunk a pair of foul shots for Notre Dame. Trice nailed a jumper with seven seconds on the clock, pulling MSU within 78-75, but Demetrius Jackson split a pair of bonus shots to put the game away.

Notre Dame posted just four turnovers in the victory.

Jackson netted 22 points, Connaughton recorded 12 points and eight rebounds and Vasturia added 12 points for Notre Dame (7-1), which has won its last three games since a loss to Providence on Nov. 23.

"I've experienced a lot of exciting nights in that building there, and that's got to be one of the top ones. What a great college game, just a great game," said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey.

Branden Dawson provided 16 points and 18 rebounds, while Valentine nailed four triples and finished with 22 points and five boards for the Spartans (5-3), who have dropped their last two.

"It came down to a couple of plays again, a couple of turnovers for scores again and some mental mistakes," said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

Bryn Forbes also had four threes, totaling 18 points in defeat.

The Irish ripped off seven straight after Matt Costello's offensive rebound and putback with 5:33 to go in regulation staked the Spartans to a 61-57 advantage.

Grant's layup started the flurry and his three-point play finished it off to give Notre Dame a 64-61 lead.

Valentine then sandwiched 3-pointers around a Grant trey for a 67-67 deadlock with 50 seconds remaining in the period. Grant missed from beyond the arc at the other end and Valentine dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds with three seconds to go. Grant received an inbounds pass along the right wing, but wasn't able to get a shot off before time expired.

Earlier, Notre Dame led 37-35 heading into the break of a back-and-forth opening half.

A 9-2 Spartans swing gave them a 52-45 advantage a little before the midway point of the second half, but an ensuing 8-2 Irish spurt clawed them within 54-53.

Game Notes

The Irish moved to 6-0 at home this season ... Notre Dame, which shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56), came into the contest leading the nation in field-goal percentage ... Grant averaged an ACC-best 18.7 points heading into the game ... These two teams hadn't met since the 1979 NCAA Tournament regional finals, when the Magic Johnson-led Spartans beat the Irish 80-68.