Slap the Sign
Fansided

No. 25 Notre Dame rolls over Mount St. Mary’s, 93-67

By Nicholas D. Blazek

facebooktwitterreddit

Steve Vasturia keeps upping his career-high in scoring at the urging of coach Mike Brey, and the No. 25 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are benefitting nicely from it. The Irish routed visiting Mount St. Mary’s 93-67 thanks to his effort.

Vasturia scored 19 to lead the Irish (9-1), going 7-of-7 from the floor, including 3 three-pointers, as well as making both of is free throws. Brey said it’s been something he’s been talking with Vasturia about.

More from Notre Dame Men's Basketball

"“This was a process we started with him about 10 days ago, like, stop playing so safe, go for it a little bit,” Brey said. “We’ve created a monster.”"

Jerian Grant has provided much of the offense for the Irish early on this season, but as they enter ACC play, they’ll need more than just Grant. Mountaineers (2-5) coach Jamion Christian knew that Grant and Demetrius Jackson were the biggest weapons, and leaving Vasturia open was a calculated risk.

"We were going to let Vasturia try to beat us tonight,” said Mountaineers’ coach Christian. “And he did.”"

Vasturia topped double figures for the third straight game.

Grant hit his average of 19 per game, while Jackson tallied 15, and Zach Auguste added 19 points and eight rebounds.

The irish used a 30-4 run in the first half to take a four-point game and blow it wide open by halftime.

Chris Martin was the Mountaineer’s leading scorer with 19, hitting on 5-of-9 from three-point range. Will Miller was the only other player to reach double figures in scoring with 12.

The nation’s leader in field goal percentage, shot 59 percent from the field and tallied their second highest point total of the season. They started the game 5-of-5 and had an 11-point lead less than three minutes in. A Martin 3-pointer cut the lead to 22-18, the Irish hit their stride with their big run to end any hopes the Mountaineers may have had.

Highlights courtesy of UND.com

The Irish will play Florida State on Saturday for their 11th game in 30 days. They will once again be in the comfort of home at Purcell Pavillion for the 8 p.m. start.