Notre Dame vs. Indiana Box Score
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team fell to 4-5 on the season after a 64-56 loss to Indiana (9-2) in the final game of the Crossroads Classic held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dane Goodwin scored 15 points to lead the Irish and has reached double figures in scoring in all nine games this season. Paul Atkinson Jr. added 11 points and 11 rebounds to earn his second double-double of the season while Blake Wesley finished with 14 points and two steals.
The Irish earned a three-point lead at the first media timeout behind two inside baskets from Atkinson Jr. and two team steals, forcing three early Indiana turnovers.
The lead stretched to 13-8 with 10:54 left in the first half as the Irish defense doubled up the Hoosiers 12-6 on the backboard and held them to 3-11 shooting to begin the game.
Notre Dame maintained the lead through the eight minute break, as the Irish defense continued to force IU into tough shots. A Dane Goodwin corner three provided a 21-15 Irish lead with 7:42 left.
Indiana put together a mini-run to cut the Irish lead to two, but Wesley responded with a deep three pointer with 4:40 remaining to keep Notre Dame in the lead.
Foul trouble did become an issue, as Wesley (with a team-high eight points at the time) and Atkinson Jr. (a team-high five rebounds) were forced to the bench for the final minutes of the first half with two fouls a piece. With those two players on the bench, Indiana was able to put together a 15-3 run and take a three-point lead with two minutes remaining.
Indiana worked their lead up to eight points at 37-29 early in the second half as the Notre Dame offense continued to sputter early. Notre Dame shot 3-of-11 from the field to start the second 20 minutes while Indiana pushed the lead to 45-35 with 11:41 left.
The Irish offense then started to wake up and put together an 11-1 run over a three-minute span to tie the game at 46-46 with 6:51 left. A Prentiss Hubb three-pointer started the scoring, followed by six points from Goodwin including a mid range jumper to knot the score. The Irish defense held IU to a 1-9 during the run.
IU responded and seized control of the end of the contest. The Hoosiers connected on a three-point field goal to claim a 52-47 lead with 4:16 remaining and never relinquished the advantage.
Notre Dame returns home for two home games before Christmas, hosting Western Michigan on Monday and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Wednesday in Purcell Pavilion.