GAME NOTES: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off event opens at Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday with a matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Massachusetts Minutemen in non-conference action.

Notre Dame has played three home games to open the 2014-15 season as part of the preliminary round for the Hall of Fame Tournament, and has won all three. The Irish are coming off a 104-67 demolition of Coppin State in their last outing.

Massachusetts has had similar success through three games this season. The Minutemen are 3-0, with an overtime win over Manhattan, 77-68, in the preliminary round of the Tip-Off event being the most recent.

Although the two programs have rich basketball pasts, the two sides have never met on the court before. Saturday's clash will represent the first meeting head-to-head in history.

Notre Dame picked apart Coppin State Wednesday night by shooting 65.6 percent from the floor with five players recording double-digit point totals. Zach Auguste led the team with 21 points in the win, pulling down seven rebounds in the process. V.J. Beachem contributed 19 points off the bench, and Jerian Grant added 15 points with eight assists. Martinas Geben netted 12 with six boards, and Demetrius Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Pat Connaughton scored eight and pulled down a team-best 12 rebounds. The Irish connected on 71.4 percent of their shot attempts in the first half to take a commanding 53-23 advantage into halftime.

Auguste leads a group of four Notre Dame players in scoring through three games, averaging 20.0 ppg on 74.2 percent shooting from the field. Grant checks in behind Auguste at 15.3 ppg with a team-best 7.7 apg, and Connaughton is next in line at 12.7 ppg with a team-high 10.0 rpg for the double-double average. Beachem rounds out that foursome with 11.7 ppg through three contests played.

UMass and Manhattan were very evenly matched throughout the entire contest Tuesday in Amherst, as the sides went into halftime knotted at 28-28, and then at the end of regulation, 61-61. The Minutemen ended up shooting an even 40 percent in the game, but defensively couldn't keep the Jaspers from connecting on 45.8 percent of their tries. Cady Lalanne led UMass with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Trey Davis contributed 14 points to his team's effort, and both Maxie Esho and Derrick Gordon chipped in with 12 points apiece. Jabarie Hinds rounded out the UMass players in double figures with 10 points.

The Minutemen have been a force offensively through three games played, netting an average of 81.0 ppg on 44.2 percent shooting from the field. Four players are averaging scoring totals in double figures, led by Esho's 18.7 ppg mark. Lalanne has averaged a double-double through three games with 16.3 ppg and 12.0 rpg, adding 13 blocked shots to his stat line. Davis contributes 15.7 ppg, while Gordon checks in at 14.7 ppg with a team-high 13 assists. UMass is nearly outscoring its opponents by 10 points per game, allowing just 72.3 ppg so far.

The battle of two very strong offenses will ensue in this contest, the opening game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off event. Notre Dame and Massachusetts will match up very well together, so whichever team can play stronger defense will walk away victorious.