By Paul Gotham
NOTRE DAME, IN – Eric Atkins scored 21 of a career-high 30 as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rallied to defeat the Canisius Golden Griffins in overtime 87-81 in non-conference action in the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon.
Atkins hit 6 of 9 from the floor including 5 of 6 behind the three-point arc as the Irish erased a seven-point deficit in their first game after the dismissal of their leading scorer.
The senior guard used a Garrick Sherman to get free for a pull-up 3-pointer to give Notre Dame an 85-81 advantage with 13 seconds remaining in overtime.
“I was just looking to make a play,” Atkins said. “I saw that their big man didn’t step up. I had an opening from three, and I was shooting it good all game. I stepped up and took it.”
The shot was redemption for the senior guard who had a similar chance at the end of regulation. Canisius guard Chris Perez stripped the ball as Atkins looked to lift into his release sending the game into extra time.
“I knew he was going to try to shoot the ball,” Perez explained. “He basically put the ball in front of me, and I was able to tap it out of his hands.”
With his team searching for answers to the loss of their leading scorer, Atkins drilled back-to-back threes to give Notre Dame a 68-66 edge with 4:29 remaining.
“I think it’s very fitting that Eric Atkins, given the week we’ve had, would just say ‘I got your back. I’m going to carry us and figure it out,’” commented Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey.
Atkins and Canisius senior point guard Billy Baron dueled throughout the affair.
Baron matched his career high 33 hitting 10 of 20 and 4 of 8 behind the arc.
Atkins might not have had either chance had it not been for a favorable call the Irish received late in regulation.
With less than a minute remaining and the shot clock winding down, the Canisius defense, as it did on so many occasions, created a loose ball. Billy Baron looked to secure the ball along the baseline and call a timeout giving his team possession with 28 seconds to go.
Officials ruled Baron out of bounds and elected to give Notre Dame the ball and a fresh shot clock.
“We called timeout and they said they got the ball,” Canisius Head Coach Jim Baron stated. “I’m like what are you talking about, we called timeout. We got possession. The explanation was we didn’t have possession.”
By rule the play was reviewable on the replay monitor.
“I was just real disappointed because I think you go to the monitor,” Jim Baron continued. “I said go to the monitor and look at it just to see what it is. It cost the game. We could’ve had last possession of the game. Played great defense, the clock went down, and now you’re going to give them back possession after we played great defense?”
More frustrating about the play and the call was that officials ruled Billy Baron out of bounds which would have indicated he never had possession of the ball. The shot clock was down to two seconds at the time of the call.
“That was a pivotal part,” Jim Baron continued. “We did a great job on defense. We didn’t foul them. The ball went out of bounds. I just want to see it.”
Canisius outscored Notre Dame 11-6 in the opening moments of the second stanza.
Billy Baron fed Jordan Heath for a pick-and-pop three from the left wing. Perez drilled a pull-up trey. Chris Manhertz converted a rebound and putback, and Billy Baron nailed a catch-and-shoot three ball for a 44-37 Griffs advantage with 15:56 to go.
“They’re really good,” Brey said of Canisius. “We beat a heckuva basketball team. Canisius is solid. They’re old. They’ve got a great player in Baron. I think they’re going to win their league.”
Notre Dame took its first lead of the second half at 56-54 on a Steve Vasturia 3-pointer in transition.
ND grabbed its largest advantage in regulation at 70-66 on a Sherman drop step in the lane with 3:28 on the clock.
Billy Baron and Canisius battled back. Baron found Josiah Heath open underneath for a dunk. The Warwick, Rhode Island native then fed Manhertz for a slam. Baron tied the game at 73 on a traditional three-point play as he drove from the top of the key and finished after taking the contact.
Canisius used an inside-outside attack to open an early nine-point lead. Manhertz scored six straight in the lane. The senior forward finished an up and under move for a 7-3 Golden Griffins lead. He followed with a bucket at the rim on a high-low feed from frontcourt mate Jordan Heath. Manhertz and Billy Baron combined on a pick and roll from the top of the key for an 11-5 Canisius advantage. Jordan Heath made it a 14-5 game with a 3-pointer on a drop off pass from Chris Perez.
Atkins scored on back-to-back possessions knotting the score at 27 with 3:57 left in the half. With Billy Baron on the bench, Atkins took advantage going end-to-end on consecutive trips.
Pat Connaughton briefly gave Notre Dame the lead at 29-27 when he hit a pullup jumper in transition.
Billy Baron drove the lane from the top of the key tying the score at 29. Perez followed with a pair of free throws and Jordan Heath put back his own miss for a 33-31 Canisius halftime lead.
Canisius limited Notre Dame to 1 of 7 behind the arc in the first half. Notre Dame entered play shooting 41.2 percent behind the arc good for 32nd in the nation. Canisius came in limiting opponents to 26.5 percent (4th nationally). The Irish finished 8 of 19 (42.1 percent) for the game.
Manhertz notched his first double-double of the season and tenth of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Jordan Heath followed suit with 13 points and 11 rebounds. It was his second double-double of the season.
Sherman scored 17 and grabbed 10 boards for the Irish.
Zach Auguste added 12 points for the Irish.
It was announced last week that Notre Dame leading scorer Jerian Grant was no longer enrolled at the university because of academic reasons.
Canisius converted eight Notre Dame first half turnovers into an 8-2 advantage in points off turnovers. Notre Dame committed a season-high 16 turnovers.
The meeting was the 24th all time between the two schools with Notre Dame holding a 20-4 advantage. Canisius last defeated the Irish on February, 4 1961 in Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium.
Paul Gotham is the founder, owner, editor and lead writer at Pickin’ Splinters. Paul is the Communications and Media Director of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He is a contributor at USA Today and member of the USBWA. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PickinSplinters.
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