Jan. 26, 2012
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
2011-12 Notre Dame Men’s Basketball
Notre Dame 55, Seton Hall 42
January 25, 2012
Prudential Center – Newark, N.J.
Post-Game Notes
– Tonight was the 26th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Seton Hall. The Fighting Irish lead the series 18-8, including wins in nine of the last 10 encounters with the Pirates.
– Tonight’s win moved Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey past former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino and into sole possession of fifth place on the BIG EAST wins list (both BIG EAST regular season and tournament). Brey is 124-86 (.590) in league regular-season and tournament play during his 12 seasons with the Irish.
– Eric Atkins (So./G), Pat Connaughton (Fr./G), Jack Cooley (Jr./F), Jerian Grant (So./G) and Scott Martin (Sr./G) started tonight’s contest. It was the second straight game – and second time overall this season – that quintet has started. No Notre Dame player has started every game. Grant and Martin both have a team-high 20 starts this season.
– Seton Hall’s 42 points were the fewest ever for a Notre Dame opponent in a BIG EAST game (regular season or tournament). The previous low was 45 from Pittsburgh on March 11, 2010.
– The Pirates only made 15 field goals, which were the fewest ever allowed by Notre Dame against a BIG EAST opponent. The previous low was 17 on four occasions.
– Seton Hall shot 26.3% from the field (15-57), which was the lowest mark ever for an Irish opponent in BIG EAST play (regular season or tournament). The previous low as 28.1% by Georgetown on March 4, 2004. It also was the lowest for an Irish opponent in a game this season.
– The Fighting Irish led 19-18 at halftime. The Irish are 10-1 this season when leading at the intermission.
– Notre Dame’s 19 first-half points were the fewest in any half this season for the Irish. The previous low was 20 in the first half against Indiana (Dec. 17). It was the lowest point output in a half for the Irish since they tallied 19 in the opening stanza last season at St. John’s (Jan. 16, 2011).
– Seton Hall’s six made field goals in the first half tied the fewest ever for a Notre Dame opponent in the opening half of a BIG EAST contest (regular season or tournament). The Pirates 20.7% (6-29) shooting clip in the first half was the lowest for an Irish opponent in any half of play this season.
– Tonight was Seton Hall’s first home loss this season. The Pirates entered the contest 10-0 at home. They had a 12-game home winning streak overall.
– The Irish held a 39-38 rebound advantage. Notre Dame is 8-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
– Notre Dame is 11-1 at home, 2-3 in true road games and 0-4 in neutral site contests this season.
– An Eric Atkins three-pointer in the first half upped Notre Dame’s streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 429.
Eric Atkins (So./G)
– Scored in double-figures (14 points) for the 13th time this season
Jack Cooley (Jr./F)
– Registered his team-best sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds ââ’¬¦ it was his second straight double-double
– Scored in double-figures for the 10th time this season
– Has led the Irish in rebounding a team-high 13 times this season ââ’¬¦ has registered a double-digit rebound total a team-best eight times this season
Jerian Grant (So./G)
– Tallied a game-high 15 points ââ’¬¦ has scored in double-figures a team-high 16 times this season
– Led the Irish in scoring for the fifth time this season
– Tied a career-high mark with 10 made free throws (on 12 attempts)