Grant leads No. 14 Notre Dame past Georgia Tech in double overtime
Jerian Grant scored 24 points to lead No. 14 Notre Dame to an 83-76 comeback win in double overtime over Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Pat Connaughton knocked down a 3-pointer just over a minute into the second overtime and added a right-handed scoop 40 seconds later for the Irish. Battling foul trouble most of the game, Zach Auguste's low post bucket with two minutes left put the Irish up by seven.
After not scoring in the first half, Steve Vasturia added 17 points for Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0 ACC), which won its 10th straight. The Irish also matched their previous best start under coach Mike Brey.
Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 20 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (9-4, 0-1) in their ACC opener. Charles Mitchell added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Irish went up six in the first overtime on Vasturia's 3-pointer, but hit just 2 of 6 free throws in the final minute. Demarco Cox's offensive tip in with 11 seconds left sent the game to the second extra period.
Georges-Hunt's baseline drive and layup put Georgia Tech ahead, 59-58, with 37 seconds to play in regulation. Grant tied it by hitting one of two free throws with 25 seconds left.
Georgia Tech had the last shot to win it in regulation, but Georges-Hunt lost the ball on a drive to the hoop, leading to overtime.
After losing a lead they held most of the game, Chris Bolden's 3-pointer with 2:30 left put the Yellow Jackets up by one point.
Grant answered on the other end with a left-handed leaner through the lane to give Notre Dame the lead back, 58-57 with 2:03 to go.
The Yellow Jackets led by eight four minutes into the second half after a pair of Georges-Hunt free throws. That's when the Irish comeback got going.
Demetrius Jackson grabbed Notre Dame's first offensive rebound of the game with 13:43 to play, and his putback started a 7-1 Irish run to get them within two. Jackson finished with 11.
Grant's dunk and 3-point play cut the Georgia Tech lead to one at 10:03. Grant's feed to Connaughton along the baseline for another dunk gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game, 47-46 with 9:13 to play.
Georgia Tech, last in the ACC in 3-point shooting, hit its first three 3s in the opening 2:30 of the game to take a 13-2 lead.
The Irish, who lead the league in 3-point shooting, hit only 1 of 7 in the first half. They were also third in the nation in fewest turnovers per game coming in, but had their average of 9 by halftime. Grant accounted for five turnovers himself.
Despite their offensive struggles, the Irish only trailed by four points at halftime after Jackson's one-handed leaner with 32 seconds to go.
TIP-INS
Notre Dame: The Irish play three games in the next seven days, and will face Georgia Tech again in 11 days, with the second meeting in Atlanta slated for Jan. 14.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets play four of their first six ACC games on the road.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame travels to North Carolina on Monday.
Georgia Tech hosts Syracuse on Wednesday.
