No. 22 Irish open with victory over Evansville

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A strong performance by its star and solid defense were the keys for No. 22 Notre Dame against Evansville in Saturday's season opener.

Jack Cooley scored the first nine points of the game and finished with 19, Scott Martin pulled down 17 rebounds and the Fighting Irish beat the Purple Aces 58-49 in the preliminary round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Jerian Grant added 11 points for Notre Dame, which limited Evansville to 31 percent shooting (19-for-61).

Cooley got the Irish off to a quick start and it wasn't until he took his first breather 5:34 into the game that another Notre Dame player scored. Cooley had 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the opening half to help send the Irish into the break with a 28-21 lead.

Colt Ryan led Evansville with 15 points and Ryan Sawvell, who was tasked with trying to slow down Cooley, added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

"That was basically a Big East game, how physical it was in there," said Cooley, who added 11 rebounds and six blocks. "It was a little unexpected because of their size, but they just came out and they played hard."

Evansville hung around throughout the second half but could never put together a run to pull ahead.

Notre Dame limited Cooley's minutes somewhat in the second half after the center picked up his third foul on an offensive charge 1:22 into the period.

Although he wasn't thrilled with Notre Dame's 13 turnovers, Irish coach Mike Brey credited the team's defense.

"That's the only way we won the game tonight - 31 percent shooting by them," Brey said.