(photo courtesy Notre Dame Athletics)

(Palo Alto) — It was far from a work of art. It was a win, though, and Notre Dame’s men’s basketball team will take it.

Notre Dame relied on a stubborn defense to hold Stanford in check and emerge from Maples Pavilion with a 47-40 triumph in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. The Irish are now 10-4 on the year while Stanford falls to 11-3.

This one was best described as a “rock fight”, as both teams were putting up plenty of bricks from the floor. Stanford finished the night shooting 23 percent from the floor (13-56) and 13 percent from three (4-30). The Irish shot 32 percent from the floor (18-56) and 19 percent from three (3-16) with 30 of their 47 points scored in the paint.

Freshman Jalan Haralson, who led all scorers with 13 points, helped the Irish break open a lead in the second half with a string of five straight points.  Then another freshman, Brady Koehler, came off the bench and hit a pair of threes as the Irish opened up a 38-22 advantage.

Stanford chiseled its way back, putting together a 13-1 run to pull within 39-35 with 5:32 left, but Garrett Sundra knocked down consecutive threes to help put the game away.

The Irish continue their West Coast swing when they face Cal Friday night in Berkeley. Tipoff is at 11 pm EST.