Brooklyn, NY – Jerian Grant scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, as the 20th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish edged the BYU Cougars, 78-68, in the third-place game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Jack Cooley chipped in 19 points and 13 rebounds and Eric Atkins netted 16 points for the Irish (3-1), who rebounded from Friday's overtime loss to Saint Joseph's at the Barclays Center.
Tyler Haws scored a game-high 21 points, but the Cougars (2-2) allowed the Irish to shoot 52 percent from the field one day after Florida State gashed them at a 58-percent clip.
"I think that it was a good learning experience for us," Brigham Young head coach Dave Rose said of the tournament. "We a have a lot of work to do to get better."
After a tight first half, BYU scored seven straight points to break a 40-40 tie in the first five minutes after the break.
Notre Dame responded with a 12-0 run a little later. Atkins and Scott Martin each hit 3-pointers during the surge, which ended with Grant's steal and layup for a 54-49 lead at the midway point.
Notre Dame never relinquished the lead, though BYU was within 63-61 following a Haws jumper with 4 1/2 minutes to go.
Atkins answered with a 3-pointer from the corner, and another Grant steal at the other end resulted in an Atkins fastbreak layup for a seven-point cushion.
BYU's Brandon Davies scored on the inside the next time down, but Haws missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:02 remaining, and the Irish made 10-of-12 from the foul line down the stretch to seal the win.
"We were in a battle and were down seven in the second half, and to find a way to get out of here with a win I'm proud of our group," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said.
The largest margin in the first half was four, and the seventh lead change occurred on two Josh Sharp free throws in the final minute, giving BYU a 32-31 edge at halftime.
Game Notes
Davies finished with 12 points, while Brock Zylstra netted all 10 of his points in the first half in the loss ... Notre Dame shot 6-of-13 from behind the arc, while BYU made 3-of-14 from long range.
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