Cooley leads No. 22 Irish over Purdue 81-68 - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Jack Cooley had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 22 Notre Dame to its seventh straight victory, 81-68 over Purdue on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic.

Eric Atkins had 17 points and seven assists, Pat Connaughton scored 16 and Garrick Sherman 11 for the Fighting Irish (9-1), who have won every game during their win streak by double digits. Former Purdue player Scott Martin chipped in with five points for Notre Dame on 2-for-8 shooting.

Purdue freshman Rapheal Davis scored all 21 of his points in the second half, helping the Boilermakers trim a 23-point second-half deficit to single digits at one point. Ronnie Johnson scored 15 points and D.J. Byrd added 13 for Purdue (4-6).

Notre Dame outrebounded Purdue 38-33 and outscored the Boilermakers 24-14 from the free throw line.

The schools had not played each other in basketball since 2004.

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