National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Notre Dame 74, Sam Houston St. 41
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Where: Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Officials: # Jim Bruno, # Guy Pagano, # Robert Riley
Attendance: 6614

Freshman Pat Connaughton scored a career-best 24 points to help Notre Dame overpower visiting Sam Houston State 74-41 on Wednesday in a Progressive CBE Classic regional matchup.

The Fighting Irish (3-0) broke the game open by scoring 23 unanswered points over a 7:30 span to turn a one-point edge into a 38-14 cushion with 1:04 left before intermission. Connaughton scored 14 of his 17 first-half points during the blitz, including four 3-pointers.

Notre Dame shot 53 percent from the floor (27-for-51) and hit 10-of-19 shots from 3-point range. The Bearkats, meanwhile, were only 3-for-15 from long range and shot 34 percent (18-for-53) overall.

Jerian Grant added 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Fighting Irish, who have allowed only 94 points in their first two CBE Classic contests.

Marcus James had 16 points and eight rebounds for Sam Houston State (1-1).
Top Game Performances
 
Sam Houston St.   Notre Dame
Marcus James 16 Scoring Pat Connaughton 24
DeMarcus Gatlin 3 Assists Jerian Grant 7
Michael Holyfield 8 Rebounds Jack Cooley 6
Marcus James 1 Free Throws Made Jerian Grant 4
DeMarcus Gatlin 1 Steals Jack Cooley 3
Marcus James 1 Blocks Mike Broghammer 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Sam Houston St. 41 34.0 3-15 2-5 11 31 1 3
Notre Dame 74 52.9 10-19 10-20 21 30 3 10