Notre Dame 66, Cincinnati 60
CINCINNATI -- Jerian Grant scored 19 points and Scott Martin hit four 3-pointers, lifting No. 17 Notre Dame to a 66-60 victory over No. 21 Cincinnati on Monday night at Fifth Third Arena.
Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0 Big East) went 9-for-16 from 3-point range, led by Martin, who was 4-for-7 on long-distance shots. Jack Cooley added 11 points for the Irish, who got 10 points apiece from Eric Atkins and Pat Connaughton.
Sean Kilpatrick hit three 3-pointers and scored 15 points for Cincinnati (13-3, 1-2 Big East).
Notre Dame made seven consecutive 3-pointers in one stretch, including six straight to close the first half.
The Irish were 8-for-11 from beyond the arc after Grant hit a 3-pointer to put them ahead 40-29 early in the second half. However, Cincinnati roared back to take a 47-45 lead on Ge'Lawn Guyn's 3-pointer with fewer than 13 minutes left.
The Irish responded with a 10-0 run to regain control. Martin's fourth 3-pointer put the Irish ahead 62-51.
Cincinnati, which shot 9-for-20 from 3-point range, has a three-game home losing streak for the first time since 2007.
The Bearcats played with more energy in the first half Monday after coach Mick Cronin blasted his team's effort following a 53-52 upset loss at home Saturday to St. John's.
Kilpatrick scored seven of the Bearcats' first 12 points, including a 3-pointer that put Cincinnati ahead 12-9.
Cooley, who leads the Big East Conference in field-goal percentage and rebounding, scored the first six points for the Irish.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Jaquon Parker, sandwiched around Cheikh Mbodj's block of Cooley's shot attempt, put Cincinnati ahead 20-11. Parker and Kilpatrick led the Bearcats with seven points each in the first half.
Cincinnati hit five of 15 attempts from 3-point range before halftime. Notre Dame, meanwhile, went 6-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first half, including two 3-pointers each from Connaughton and Martin.
NOTES: The Fighting Irish planned to stay overnight in Cincinnati, where they had a private room reserved at the team hotel to watch the school's football team face Alabama in the BCS national championship game. .. Bearcats guard Cashmere Wright recorded his 426th career assist, moving him past Cincinnati legend Oscar Robertson into sole possession of fourth place on the school's all-time list. .. University of Cincinnati president Santa J. Ono shaved his head following Monday's game, fulfilling his promise to do so if the Bearcats won 10 games in a row. Cincinnati began the season with 12 consecutive victories.
