Jack Cooley scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday night as Notre Dame upset No. 1 Syracuse 67-58 and handed the Orange their first loss after 20 consecutive victories…Fans stormed the court after the Irish’s rousing victory. It was the eighth time Notre Dame has beaten a No. 1 team — that ties for fourth-most all-time, with North Carolina having the most with 12.
The Orange (20-1, 7-1) played without starting center Fab Melo, who did not make the trip and will not play Monday against Cincinnati.
Without Melo in the middle, the 6-foot-9, 248-pound Cooley was a major force for Notre Dame (12-8, 4-3) and the Irish won the rebound battle 38-25.
Melo had started all 20 of the Orange’s first games, was their leading rebounder with 5.7 a game, averaged 7.2 points and three blocks. School officials gave no explanation why the talented center did not make the trip. C.J. Fair started for the Orange.
James Southerland scored 15 points for Syracuse, which shot just 34 percent and had its lowest scoring game of the season. Scott Martin added 13 for Notre Dame, which hit 50 percent of its field-goal attempts.
Southerland’s 3-pointer with 53.9 seconds left brought the Orange to within 62-56 before the Irish held on as Jerian Grant sank four free throws in the final 32 seconds.
It was the first time the Irish have beaten a top-ranked team since 1987 when they defeated North Carolina, also in South Bend. One of the Irish’s most dramatic victories over a No. 1 came in 1974, when they stopped UCLA’s 88-game winning streak by 71-70.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was denied his 877th career victory, which would have put him in sole possession of fourth place among Division I men’s coaches.
