• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Irish rally to down Duke in thriller

Jan 29, 2015 - 5:40 AM South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - The top-10 ACC showdown at Purcell Pavilion lived up to its billing, and it was Notre Dame -- particularly Jerian Grant -- providing the big plays down the stretch to steal a signature win from Duke.

Grant finished with 23 points, 12 assists and six rebounds as the eighth- ranked Fighting Irish survived a 77-73 nail-biter against the fourth-ranked Blue Devils.

Duke led by 10 midway through the second half before the Irish rallied for their fourth comeback victory during a five-game winning streak.

Grant was the catalyst, but Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1 ACC) had plenty of contributors. Pat Connaughton chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds, Zach Auguste scored 14 points and Steve Vasturia drained a huge 3-pointer in crunch time.

"That one absolutely lived up to the hype," said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. "Two really good teams going at it."

There was a slight letdown for Duke (17-3, 4-3) following the celebration of Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th career victory over the weekend, as no one other than Jahlil Okafor made a field goal over the final 12-plus minutes.

"I thought our guys played winning basketball and obviously they did too," said Krzyzewski. "Grant had a great game. He's a terrific player."

Okafor totaled 22 points and 17 rebounds but struggled at the foul line, making just 2-of-7 with two critical misses under three minutes remaining.

Vasturia's two free throws followed Okafor's empty trip to give Notre Dame a 71-70 lead with 2:15 remaining, and after Okafor was short on a strong post move on the left block, Grant calmly dribbled away the shot clock. Tyus Jones nearly stripped the ball away with time winding down, but Grant recovered just in time and sent a contested prayer up at the foul line that found the bottom of the net with 1:07 to go.

Duke's Quinn Cook followed with two free throws inside the final minute, and again Grant killed time with what seemed like aimless dribbling. This time, though, he swung the ball to Vasturia for a corner 3-pointer that put the Irish in front 76-72 with 22.9 seconds showing.

"We has always been the kid that makes the right play," Connaughton said about Grant. "It's never about him getting the points, it's all about him making the winning play."

Grant's block of Cook at the other end then helped the Irish seal the impressive win.

Midway through the first half, Grant made two 3-pointers -- including one from the inside the shamrock at midcourt -- during a 14-2 run that gave Notre Dame a 25-18 lead.

There was a brief scare for Okafor when he grimaced and had his right knee looked at on the bench later in the period. The future NBA lottery pick was quickly cleared and returned with a baseline spin move for a layup that put Duke back in front at 29-28.

Cook capped his 13-point first half with a 3-pointer and layup inside the final 90 seconds, and the Blue Devils went into the break with a 39-36 advantage. Cook was 5-for-5 from the field in the first half and 0-for-6 in the second.

Twenty-five points were scored before the first media timeout of a fast-paced second half, but when play resumed only the Blue Devils kept their foot on the gas. Jones scored four quick points, Justise Winslow drained a 3-pointer and Okafor slammed home a rebound to suddenly give Duke a 60-51 cushion.

Another Okafor bucket inside made it a 10-point game at 65-55, but the Irish fought back with 12 consecutive points to regain the lead. Auguste tied it with a left-handed hook shot in the lane with 7:10 to play, then found a cutting Grant for a layup with a bounce pass the next time down.

Okafor ended Duke's drought with consecutive buckets, but the Blue Devils missed their final three shots and went just 4-of-9 from the foul line over the final four-plus minutes.

Game Notes

Notre Dame is 6-1 in its last seven home games against top-10 teams ... The Irish have won 16 of their last 17 games ... Duke was 3-0 against ranked opponents this season ... Jones and Winslow scored 14 and 13 points, respectively ... This was the first top-10 matchup at Purcell Pavilion since No. 10 Notre Dame defeated No. 4 Pittsburgh on Feb. 9, 2003 ... These programs meet again in Durham on Feb. 7 ... Notre Dame next plays at Pittsburgh, while the Blue Devils have another tough road game at No. 2 Virginia on Saturday.