Non-call helps Notre Dame survive rough outing at Clemson
It looked for a long time Tuesday night like No. 10 Notre Dame's blowout loss last weekend against Duke might cost it two games.
The Fightin Irish were beaten so bad by the Blue Devils - a 30-point drubbing - they seemed to have a hangover on the road at unranked Clemson. The Tigers nabbed an early eight-point advantage and it was a dogfight from there.
Clemson had a chance to win in the final minutes but missed two jump shots in the final 12 seconds and saw a chance at a massive upset slip through it fingers. Notre Dame escaped with a 60-58 win, but the Tigers have a legitimate argument that Steve Vasturia fouled Rod Hall in the final seconds and Hall should have been on the foul line with a chance to tie.
Vasturia clearly knocked Hall to the floor as both went after a loose ball but officials allowed play to continue.
Once again, Notre Dame has guard Jerian Grant to thank for keeping it in the game and providing a chance to steal a win -- and that's exactly what this was -- late. Grant scored 22 points, including a jumper with 47 seconds left that proved to be the deciding points. Fellow guard Demetrius Jackson added 11, including several badly needed buckets in the final minutes to help get the Irish over the top.
Clemson had even more success on the offensive glass against Notre Dame than Duke did, gradding 13 offensive rebounds. Buit the Tigers didn't make 60 percent of their shots against Notre Dame the way the Blue Devils. They shot 43 percent and made only five of 17 attempts from behind the arc.Forward Jaron Blossomgame scored 17 points with 14 rebounds for Clemson, which has lost two straight after a four-game win streak.
A little better shooting night from the Tigers and Notre Dame might have been really searching for answers. As it is, the Irish have to feel fortunate to have survived this one with the proverbial ugly win.
- - - - - - -
[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
