SOUTH BEND, Ind. Joe Namath Jersey . -- Notre Dame sent quite the message in its Atlantic Coast Conference debut. Eric Atkins scored 19 points, Pat Connaughton had 16 and the Fighting Irish upset No. 7 Duke 79-77 on Saturday. The victory comes in the wake of leading scorer Jerian Grants dismissal from school two weeks ago for an academic violation and provides a much-needed confidence boost as the Irish begin play in their new league. "Its really important for our group given the two weeks weve had to feel like, Hey, we may still have a shot at this thing. Because nobody else thought we had a shot," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. Atkins scored seven points during a decisive 20-4 run as Notre Dame rallied from a 10-point deficit and held on to win two weeks after squandering an eight-point lead in the final 50 seconds against No. 3 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden. "It definitely gives us a lot of life. Everybodys confidence is up now, winning such a big game," Atkins said. The Irish (10-4, 1-0) improved to 13-6 against top-10 teams at home under Brey. It was the first loss in an ACC opener for the Blue Devils (11-3, 0-1) in seven seasons. Rodney Hood, who led the Blue Devils with 27 points, said Duke played like an immature team, allowing the Irish to hold the ball for long periods and then score as the shot clock ticked down. "When we needed a stop, we didnt get a stop," Hood said. "We had some balls go in and out, but I can name at least 10 plays where it was a breaking point and we didnt pull it off." Duke used a 9-0 run to open a 49-40 lead early in the second half and stretched the lead to 60-50 when Andre Dawkins made a 3 from the top of the key with about 11 minutes left. But when Notre Dame went to a small lineup to try to guard the Blue Devils better from behind the arc, Demetrius Jackson hit a 3 to spark the 20-4 run. "I thought that was the biggest shot of the game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "If we get a stop, we could have gone up by 12. That was a huge shot." Atkins tied the game on a layup, and then followed with another basket inside on a pass from Connaughton. Steve Vasturia, who wasnt getting much playing time before Grant was dismissed, hit a 3-pointer to give the Irish a 68-64 lead after Duke freshman Jabari Parker, who struggled all game, badly missed a 3. "That was a huge shot to really make us believe," Brey said. The Blue Devils closed within one point twice in the final 2 minutes, but the Irish didnt wilt under the pressure. Atkins made a layup after Duke cut it to 72-71, and then Garrick Sherman hit a free throw with 16 seconds left after missing the first. Duke still had a chance to tie the game, but Hood dribbled too deep and had a pass stolen by Jackson. Each team finished with six turnovers. Krzyzewski blamed the loss on Dukes defence. "We just stopped playing the defence that we were playing," he said. Sherman had 14 points as the Irish outscored Duke 44-16 in the paint. Quinn Cook had 22 points for Duke, which was 12 of 28 from beyond the arc, one shy of its season high. Parker, who grew up 90 miles away in Chicago, failed to score in double figures for the first time this season. He missed his first four shots, including a 12-foot baseline air ball, and had a jumper blocked by Austin Burgett. Cook looked frustrated at the end of the first half when it appeared Parker ran the wrong play. Parker had seven points on 2-for-10 shooting and wasnt in the game at the end. "He just wasnt having a good game," Krzyzewski said. Brey said good team defence played a role in Parkers off day. "I think there was a great team awareness of him. I wish we could have used some of that on Hood," he said. Brey improved to 1-1 against his former boss. "Its a historic day for us, our first ACC game," Brey said. "To beat a program like Dukes will always be a great memory for us starting off in Atlantic Coast Conference play." Deacon Jones Womens Jersey . They all do actually — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 22, 2014There is no confirmation that the date is actually happening, but that didnt stop Embiid from getting dressed up. Fresh cut..... Getting ready for dinner http://t.co/NNIfKyZQzx — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 23, 2014 Almost 930.. Joe Namath Rams Jersey . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/kurt-warner-jersey/ .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes hope they now have the leadership tandem in place to turn the franchise around. CHICAGO -- Clayton Kershaw had his usual velocity, and that was about it. The rest of his considerable repertoire appeared in brief flashes during one of the shortest outings of his brilliant year. A.J. Ellis and company took care of the rest. Kershaw became the majors first 20-game winner and Ellis hit a pair of two-run homers, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 14-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday. "Obviously, you want to go eight or nine every time and be the reason why your team won," Kershaw said. "But sometimes your team does it for you and you just have to be out there. So that was the way it happened today and Ill take it." Kershaw (20-3) pitched five shaky innings in his shortest start in 3 1/2 months, but the NL West-leading Dodgers roughed up Edwin Jackson on their way to a 13-hit attack that included four homers. Matt Kemp hit a three-run shot in Los Angeles six-run first, and Yasiel Puig added another three-run homer in the sixth. The Dodgers improved baseballs best road record to 48-31 and clinched a post-season berth when Milwaukee lost 4-2 at Pittsburgh on Friday night. They began the day with a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the division. "We cant really worry too much about these other teams," Kemp said. "I think whatever happens, happens. But we want to win out, for sure." Jackson (6-15) recorded just two outs in his first appearance since he was placed on the disabled list last month with a right lat strain. He was charged with four hits and five runs in his fourth consecutive loss. "I felt good. It was just a matter of putting people away," Jackson said. "I had three ABs with two strikes on hitters and wasnt able to put them away." Manager Rick Renteria was noncommittal when asked about the plans for Jackson for the rest of the season. "I havent had a conversation with anyone yet," he said. Los Angeles batted around during its biggest first inning of the season. Kemps drive to left was his sixth homer this month and No. 22 on the year. Juan Uribe then chased Jackson wiith an RBI single before Ellis went deep for his second homer of the season. Eric Dickerson Rams Jersey. Ellis connected against Eric Jokisch again in the third for his second career multihomer game. He also had two homers against the Cubs in a 6-1 victory in Los Angeles on Aug. 3, 2012. "He always gives you good at-bats, but youre starting to see the hits come along, too," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Anthony Rizzo had an RBI double in Chicagos three-run first, and the last-place Cubs added two more in the ninth. But that was it for Chicago in its second straight loss after a three-game sweep of Cincinnati. Kershaw struck out nine in his sixth consecutive win. The left-hander, a prohibitive favourite for his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award, is 17-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his last 20 starts. Kershaw had pitched at least eight innings in each of his previous seven outings. But he never looked comfortable in his second career start at Wrigley Field. He walked three, matching a season high, and also hit a batter. "It was a battle," he said. "It was just hard today." STAY TUNED The Dodgers have not decided on a starter for the series finale Sunday. "Every guy in the bullpen plus Danny Haren are options," Mattingly said before Fridays win. TRAINERS ROOM Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder inflammation) said he is feeling a lot better and hopes to begin a throwing program this weekend. The 27-year-old left-hander was removed from his start last Friday at San Francisco after just one inning, and then had a cortisone shot on Monday. Cubs: C Welington Castillo was hit by a foul ball in the first and departed with a left rib contusion. The team said he is undergoing further evaluation. UP NEXT Dodgers RHP Roberto Hernandez (8-11, 4.06 ERA) takes on LHP Felix Doubront (2-1, 1.50 ERA) on Saturday afternoon. Hernandez, who was acquired last month in a trade with Philadelphia, is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts this year against Chicago. Doubront pitched six scoreless innings in a 6-4 victory at Pittsburgh in his previous start last Saturday. ' ' '