Jack Cooley Leads Notre Dame Past Dartmouth, 65-47
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jack Cooley wasn't expected to lead Notre Dame in scoring very often this season, but the Fighting Irish big man dominated inside for the second straight game.
Cooley didn't get much help from leading scorers Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant, but others rose to the occasion Saturday in a 65-47 victory over Dartmouth.
"We had some keys before the game, and one of them was to get the ball inside," Cooley said. "After the success we had last game, we just figured we'd keep doing it and build on it for the rest of the season."
Cooley's 22 points against the Big Green tied the career high he set Thursday against Maine.
"I loved how our big guys played," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said of Cooley, Tom Knight and Mike Broghammer. "It's something that we kind of got to the other night against Maine, and I think it's something that's going to be good for us. It was very, very helpful."
Atkins and Grant were held scoreless. Alex Dragicevich scored 15 points and Joey Brooks had 13, while Knight and Broghammer combined for 12 points on the inside to help fill the void.
With Scott Martin sidelined after sustaining a mild concussion in the previous game, Notre Dame (7-4) used its seventh different starting lineup of the season. Not one player on the Irish has started all 11 games.
"Isn't that amazing how we change one night from the next?" Brey said. "I think that's a good thing that we played a different way and we were OK with it and we're still very unselfish. I thought Eric and Jerian were still passing and weren't hung up as much on scoring, and that's a learning curve for us."
Gabas Maldunas led Dartmouth (2-6) with 12 points and nine rebounds, and was the only Big Green player to score in double figures. Dartmouth shot just 30 percent from the field.
Notre Dame closed the first half on an 18-9 run to lead 37-24 at halftime. The Irish led by as many as 22 in the second half and scored 19 points off 15 Dartmouth turnovers.
"I think what we witnessed today was us just physically not being able to stay with a Big East team," said Dartmouth coach Paul Cormier. "If we shoot like we did, we're not going to be in it or real competitive in a game like this."
Dragicevich said the Irish were able to turn strong defensive stands into scoring opportunities. He said Dartmouth was getting long possessions, but the Irish converted when the time came.
"We did a really nice job of when the rebounds came, to get it out, outlet and make them play faster," Dragicevich said. "That was really good."
After consecutive games with 22 points, Cooley said his confidence is as high as it's ever been at Notre Dame.
"It's as (high as) it was in high school. It's all the way back up there," Cooley said. "I'm extremely confident now in my game and know I can go out there and score as I did before."
