NEW YORK CITY – Notre Dame (6-2) was unable to overcome the three-point shooting barrage from Oklahoma (7-1) in an 85-80 loss to the Sooners in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening.
Four players finished in double figures in the points column for the Irish, led by junior T.J. Gibbs who scored 18 points. Juniors John Mooney and Juwan Durham each finished with 15 points while Harvey added 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a slow start to open the contest the game kicked into gear, as the Irish and Sooners battled to a halftime score of 43-36, with Oklahoma holding the lead at the break.
Notre Dame was in an early eight-point hole but used a 13-4 spurt to take its first lead of the game at 27-26 with under eight minutes left in the first frame. The Sooners used a late run to lead by seven after the first 20 minutes of play. Mooney posted a double-double in the first half, finishing the frame with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Oklahoma scored the first four points of the second stanza to take an 11-point lead, the largest of the game. However, the Irish immediately responded, reeling off nine straight points to cut the lead to two at 47-45. A three-point make by Gibbs sparked the run followed by back-to-back jumpers from Mooney.
Durham then took over on the offensive end for the Irish, scoring eight straight points for the Irish but the Sooners’ sharp-shooting from distance allowed Oklahoma to hold on to its advantage for the majority of the half. Notre Dame managed to cut the Sooner lead to as few as two points with under two minutes to play but Oklahoma made enough shots down the stretch to earn the 85-80 victory.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mooney posted his ACC-best fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The forward finished 6-of-12 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Mooney was extremely active on the offensive glass, pulling down six offensive rebounds.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish matched its season low for turnovers, recording just four in the contest, with just one coming in the second half. Notre Dame has posted fewer than 10 turnovers in five games this season.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Notre Dame played its 111th game at Madison Square Garden, the most at any venue away from campus in program history.
- Notre Dame’s bench outscored Oklahoma’s bench 30-16 in the victory.
- Mooney’s double-double was his fourth of the season and fifth of his career. The junior’s four double-doubles lead the ACC.
- Mooney has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five of his last six games.
- Durham scored a career-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, marking his second straight double-digit scoring performance.
- Durham blocked three shots and has now notched three or more blocks in four games this season. The junior leads the Irish with 18 blocks on the season.
- Gibbs scored 18 points and has now recorded 10-plus points in seven of eight games this season and 40 times in his career.
- With 11 points Harvey has finished in double figures five times this season and nine times in his career.
- Pflueger dished out a season-high six assists on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame travels across the country to face UCLA at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Pauley Pavilion. The game will air on ESPN2.
To purchase tickets Notre Dame men’s basketball tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
— ND —