NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame (4-1) handed Duquesne (3-1) its first loss of the season on Tuesday evening by a score of 67-56 on the back of a dominant defensive performance in the showcase game of the Gotham Classic. The Irish held the Dukes to 35.0 percent shooting on the evening.
Junior John Mooney continued his impressive run of play, registering a double-double and leading the team in points (16) and rebounds (11). Freshman Prentiss Hubb scored a career-high 14 points and junior T.J. Gibbs added 11 in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish offense was clicking early, as Notre Dame jumped out to a 10-point lead at 17-7 courtesy of four consecutive makes from three-point range. The Irish led for the remainder of the first frame, taking a 33-27 lead into the half. Hubb led Notre Dame in scoring with 10 points over the opening 20 minutes.
The Dukes used a 10-0 run early in the second stanza to draw level with the Irish at 38-38 before Notre Dame hit a free throw followed by a dunk to retake the lead at 41-38 with 12 minutes to go. The lead changed hands over the next five minutes of play and Duquesne held a 52-51 lead with seven minutes in regulation.
Notre Dame locked in on the defensive end over the next six minutes to win the game, allowing the Irish to go on a 13-0 run to take control of the game at 64-52 with just over a minute to play. The Irish went on to win by a final score of 67-56.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mooney notched his third straight double-double on Tuesday evening, scoring a team-high 16 points and leading the Irish in rebounding with 10 boards. The junior did a majority of his damage in the second half, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Mooney also added two blocks and three assists in the win.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish defense turned in its best performance of the season, holding the Dukes to 35.0 percent shooting, the lowest of any opponent Notre Dame has faced this season. The Irish also blocked a season-high 10 shots, led by Juwan Durham’s three in nine minutes of action.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- The Irish finish the Gotham Classic with a record of 3-1.
- Notre Dame finished with nine turnovers and has not recorded 10 or more turnovers in each of the last four games.
- The Irish dished out 15 assists on 22 makes from the field.
- Gibbs scored 11 points and has now recorded 10-plus points 38 times in his career.
- With 16 points, Mooney has now finished in double figures in four of five games this season and 12 times in his career.
- Hubb scored a career-high 14 points, recording his second straight game with 10-plus points.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame continues its seven-game home stand to open the season at noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 24 against DePaul. The game will air live on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app.
To purchase tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
— ND —