The Notre Dame Fighting Irish started the scoring with a three and never trailed after that as they defeated the Stetson Hatters, 80-49, on Sunday to finish their opening weekend slate. The Irish, ranked No. 21 in the nation, are now 2-0.
Notre Dame vs. Stetson final score: Fighting Irish win easily, 80-49
A stellar defensive effort gave the Fighting Irish their second win of the season on Sunday.
Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Spor
It was a balanced attack for the Fighting Irish, who completely overwhelmed the Hatters from the get-go. The defense clamped down in the first half, holding Stetson scoreless for three minutes on two separate occasions. That helped give the Fighting Irish a 30-point lead at halftime, and they kept the boot on the throat for the entirety of the game.
With 11 minutes left in the game, coach Mike Brey had enough of a lead that he felt comfortable putting three freshmen in to get some game experience. It was a solid defensive effort from Notre Dame, who held Stetson to 32 percent shooting and harried them into 13 turnovers.
Both the guards and the forwards led a balanced attack for the Fighting Irish. Guard Jerian Grant and center Garrick Sherman led Notre Dame with 15 points each. As a team, Notre Dame shot 56 percent from the floor and three players hit double-digit points.
Senior Notre Dame guard Eric Atkins finished with eight points, giving him 995 over his collegiate career.
Notre Dame's next game is against the Indiana St. Sycamores on Nov. 17.
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