NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame broke out on the offensive end in a big way on Tuesday evening inside Purcell Pavilion, tying two program single-game records on the way to defeating the University of Detroit Mercy by a score of 110-71.
The Irish dished out 33 assists, tying the Notre Dame program record, and made 20 three-pointers, which also tied the program record.
Six players finished in double figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Dane Goodwin with a career-high 27 points. Others to finish with 10-plus points were T.J. Gibbs (18), Juwan Durham (16), John Mooney (15), Nate Laszewski (14) and Prentiss Hubb (13).
HOW IT HAPPENED
After jumping out to a 24-15 advantage, Notre Dame went on a 7-0 run with 9:53 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Goodwin, to increase its lead to 31-15. The Fighting Irish then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 49-33 advantage. Notre Dame relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 49 points.
Following intermission, Notre Dame kept widening that lead, expanding it to 65-48 before going on an 11-0 run, finished off by Goodwin’s three, to grow the lead to 76-48 with 12:14 to go in the contest. The Fighting Irish kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 110-71 win. Notre Dame shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting 13 shots from deep to score 39 of its 61 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
On a night when numerous players filled up the stat sheet, Goodwin turned in the best performance of his career. The sophomore led the Irish in scoring with a career-high 27 points on an incredibly efficient 10-of-13 shooting from the floor. The guard went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and added seven boards and three assists to complete his magnificent performance.
STAT OF THE GAME I
The Irish had remarkable ball movement in the win, handing out 33 assists on 41 made baskets. The 33 assists tied for the most assists in a game in program history. The other 33 assist performance came against Manhattan on Feb. 19, 1986. Hubb led Notre Dame with a career-high 12 assists while Gibbs also recorded a career-best eight.
STAT OF THE GAME II
Notre Dame was on fire from beyond the arc, tying the program record with 20 three-point makes. The Irish finished 20-for-39 from three-point range, equaling the 20 makes in a win over Villanova on Feb. 28, 2011. Gibbs (6), Goodwin (5) and Laszewski (4) did the majority of the damage, combining for 15 makes from distance.
NOTES
- With the win the Irish improve to 42-12 against Detroit Mercy, including a record of 20-4 when playing at home.
- The Irish shot a season-high 59.4 percent (41-of-69) from the field in the win.
- The 110 points are the second most the Irish have scored during the Mike Brey era and the most the team has scored in a 40-minute game during his tenure.
- Mooney recorded his seventh double-double in just nine games that he has played in this season, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds.
- Hubb recorded the first double-double of his career with 13 points and a career-high 11 assists.
- Goodwin’s career-high 27 points are the second most a Notre Dame player has scored in a game this season and the first 20-point performance of his career.
- Gibbs matched his career high for three-point makes in a game with six and dished out a career-high nine assists.
- Durham set his season high in blocks with five on the evening, marking his fourth game four or more blocks on the season.