Big Second Half Powers Irish Past Wake Forest

NOTRE DAME, IN — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish erupted for a 54-point second half on the way to a 90-80 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons inside Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday evening.

The Fighting Irish had four players score in double figures, led by T.J. Gibbs, who had 23 points and four assists. John Mooney tacked on a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin combined to score 32 points off the bench.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After falling behind 27-21, Notre Dame went on a 5-0 run with 7:42 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Gibbs, to narrow its deficit to 27-26. Wake Forest answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Fighting Irish down 41-36 entering halftime.

Notre Dame narrowed its deficit to 45-43 before going on a 6-0 run to seize a 49-45 lead with 15:35 to go in the contest. The Fighting Irish kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 90-80 win. Notre Dame got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 18 of its 54 total points.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Gibbs poured in a season-high 23 points to lead the Irish offense. The senior finished 7-of-13 from the floor and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Gibbs also added four assists, two rebounds and a steal to complete his impressive performance.

Gibbs also became Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer in ACC regular-season competition on Wednesday. Gibbs now has 761 points, surpassing Steve Vasturia (739) for the all-time lead.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Irish were clutch from the free-throw line in the victory, finishing 22-of-25 from the stripe to finish at 88 percent. Mooney led the way with a 7-for-7 effort while Gibbs was also a flawless 6-for-6.

NOTES

• Notre Dame improves to 6-4 against Wake Forest in the all-time series, including a mark of 6-2 in ACC regular-season play.
• For the 10th time this season, the Irish finished a game with less than 10 turnovers, giving up just seven on Wednesday.
• Mooney recorded his 16th double-double in just 19 games this season and the 37th of his career.
• Gibbs notched his third 20-point scoring performance of the season and 14th of his career.
• Goodwin finished in double figures in the scoring column for the 14th time this season and 22nd time in his career.
• Laszewski finished with a season-high 18 points, marking the seventh time this season and 16th time in his career he has scored at least 10 points.

UP NEXT

The Fighting Irish are back in action at Purcell Pavilion at noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 1 as Notre Dame hosts Georgia Tech. The game will air on RSN.