Notre Dame vs. Northeastern: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

In the first matchup of the long-awaited second round of the NCAA tournament, Notre Dame pulled away late to secure a 69-65 win over Northeastern.     

Northeastern tested the ACC tournament champions throughout the afternoon, but the Irish survived thanks to a strong second half. NCAA March Madness provides a look at the final score from the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh:

The Irish were led by forward Zach Auguste and guard Jerian Grant, who were dominant on the afternoon. Auguste had two early fouls but still found a way to finish with 25 points and five rebounds.

Auguste also hit two late free throws to seal the victory for the Irish following a steal from Grant.         

Grant got off to a slow start but finally got going just before the first half ended. He carried that momentum into the second half to tally 17 points for the Irish. Julius Hodge of the ACC Network offered his take on the sensational guard:

His huge steal and dunk late in the game also helped create some separation after a run from Northeastern. David Gardner of Sports Illustrated provides a look at the play:

On the other side, David Walker was the trigger man for the Huskies with the first points of the second round. The guard contributed 15 points and seven assists to lead the charge for Northeastern. Scott Eatherton also finished with 18 points and eight rebounds despite playing with four fouls for much of the second half.

Though the Huskies weren't able to come up with a win, Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports points out the opener of the second round was exactly what fans expect:

"

Jerian Grant magic now. https://t.co/LOACpU7tjq

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) March 19, 2015"

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with six different lead changes before the Irish took a 31-27 lead into the locker room. Grant's nine points in the final nine minutes of the first half sparked Notre Dame before the buzzer sounded.

Gathering any sort of confidence was a huge necessity for the Irish after their recent woes in the NCAA tournament. Despite the struggles over the years, ND head coach Mike Brey still believed his team has what it takes to make a late run.

"I don't lose a lot of sleep on it, maybe because I'm an older coach now and I have a great contract," Brey said, per Dan Gelston of The Associated Press, via The Washington Post. "But I do feel, going in, this group has the makings of being different because of how they played the regular season."

Brey's squad showed some grit in the second half behind Auguste and Demetrius Jackson. While Jackson wasn't a stat-sheet stuffer, his importance was felt with his ball-handling and eight total assists to go along with his nine points.

Jackson's ability to find players like Auguste and Pat Connaughton in the paint was crucial for Notre Dame down the stretch. ESPN Stats & Info notes just how important getting production inside has been for the Irish this season:

Notre Dame now advances to the third round of the tournament for the first time since the 2011 season. Coming off its win in the conference tournament, the Irish are rolling at the right time in the season.

Up next for Notre Dame is a matchup against either No. 6 Butler or No. 11 Texas. The other second-round match in Pittsburgh will tip off at 2:45 p.m. ET. With the Irish's next game set for Saturday, the turnaround time will be quick, but they appear ready for anything as one of the hottest teams this March.  

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