Notre Dame 73, Boston College 69

[February 17, 2014]  BOSTON — Notre Dame 73, Boston College 69: Pat Connaughton enjoyed his homecoming with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Fighting Irish got past the Eagles for their first road win of the season.

Connaughton, an Arlington, Mass., native, went 7-of-14 from the field and Eric Atkins had 16 points to go with five rebounds and four assists for Notre Dame (14-12, 5-8 ACC). Zach Auguste added 10 points and Tom Knight contributed 10 to go with a team-high nine rebounds for the Fighting Irish, who won their second straight game.

Olivier Hanlan scored 18 points and Ryan Anderson put up 11 alongside a game-high 11 rebounds for Boston College (6-19, 2-10). Joe Rahon chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench, while Patrick Heckmann registered eight points also in a reserve role for the Eagles.

A 3-pointer by Steve Vasturia staked Notre Dame to a nine-point lead at the midway point of the second half but Boston College battled back to within four points on two occasions. Auguste's jumper made it 65-59 with 2:40 remaining and a layup by Garrick Sherman made it a 10-point game in the final minute.

Hanlan scored on a layup and Heckmann nailed a 3-pointer to make it 71-66 but after the Fighting Irish missed three straight free throws, Sherman made a pair of ice the game. Connaughton led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, including nine of the first 11 points for Notre Dame, which led 38-35 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Fighting Irish shot 6-of-13 from behind the arc, while the Eagles managed 7-of-14. ... Auguste, who reached a double-digit scoring total for the fifth time in his last six games, is also a Massachusetts native, hailing from Marlborough. ... The teams combined to make 29-of-38 free throws.

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