NOTRE DAME 71, WEST VIRGINIA 44: A white-hot shooting performance and a 13-0 run early in the second half propelled No. 18 Notre Dame to its ninth consecutive victory, and 17th straight over visiting West Virginia.

The Fighting Irish (20-8, 12-3 Big East) led by two at the half before breaking the game open when Jerian Grant hit a pair of 3-pointers to key the surge that made it 50-32 with 13:01 remaining.

Notre Dame hit 61.4 percent from the floor and nine of its first 13 shots from long range, led by Grant's 4-of-5 effort.

The Mountaineers (17-11, 7-8), who have lost six of their last eight games to slide onto the NCAA Tournament bubble, stayed close early by dominating the offensive glass. West Virginia shot only 40.7 percent in the first half but led for much of the period thanks to eight extra field-goal attempts generated by seven offensive rebounds.

Grant led all scorers with 20 points for Notre Dame, which also got 15 points from Scott Martin and 13 apiece from Eric Atkins and Jack Cooley.

Kevin Jones, the Big East's leading scorer and rebounder, paced West Virginia with 15 points and eight rebounds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The nine consecutive wins in conference play mark an all-time best for Notre Dame. ... The Fighting Irish improved to 17-2 all-time against West Virginia. ... The Mountaineers host No. 10 Marquette on Friday, while Notre Dame hits the road to face St. John's (Saturday) and No. 8 Georgetown (Monday).