Ben Hansbrough scored 25 points, helping No. 8 Notre Dame remain perfect at home with a 76-69 victory over a stubborn Rutgers squad on Sunday afternoon.

The Fighting Irish (19-4, 8-3 Big East) gave up the first basket of the game but never trailed again. Rutgers (12-11, 3-8) stayed within striking distance throughout, cutting an 11-point deficit to three, 70-67, with 59 seconds remaining, but Hansbrough made six straight foul shots in the closing moments to seal it for Notre Dame.

Rutgers fell short despite outscoring the Fighting Irish from 3-point range and committing just seven turnovers. The difference came at the foul line, where Notre Dame made 27-of-34 attempts and the Scarlet Knights hit just 8 of 12. The Irish were in the bonus for the final 16:02 of the second half.

Scott Martin added 14 points for Notre Dame, while Jonathan Mitchell paced the Scarlet Knights with a career-high 24 points.