No. 23 Notre Dame 58, Evansville 49: Jack Cooley had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Fighting Irish in its season opener.

Jerian Grant was the only other player in double figures with 11 points for Notre Dame (1-0), which jumped out to an early 10-point lead and kept Evansville (0-1) at bay in a sluggish offensive performance by both teams.

Colt Ryan scored 15 points and Ryan Sawvell added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Purple Aces, who were as close as 43-36 with 5:57 to play before the Irish pulled away.

The 6-foot-9 Cooley, who also blocked six shots, came out strong and scored nine straight points in a 12-0 run to lift Notre Dame to an early 14-4 lead, but a 3-pointer by Ned Cox and a three-point play from Lewis Jones got the Purple Aces within 28-21 at the half.

The Fighting Irish appeared on the verge of breaking it open a number of times in the second half, twice building 13-point leads, but could not extend the advantage until the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Notre Dame F Scott Martin did not score until there was less than a minute to play, but he pulled down 17 rebounds to help the Irish to a 44-33 edge on the glass. ... Both teams were woeful from 3-point range, with the Fighting Irish connecting on 4 of 17 attempts and Evansville making only 5 of 21. ... 6-foot-10 Notre Dame forward Garrick Sherman scored three points in his first action since transferring from Michigan State after the 2010-11 season.