Gibbs Leads Irish In Win Over Pitt, 80-72

NOTRE DAME, IN – The Irish turned in their fifth straight 80-point performance in an 80-72 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening inside Purcell Pavilion. The win gives Notre Dame an undefeated homestand of 3-0.

T.J. Gibbs led the Irish in the scoring column, finishing with 21 points, while John Mooney turned in another solid all-around performance with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Juwan Durham and Nate Laszewski each chipped in 11 points to help on the offensive end.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The visitors jumped out to a 19-13 lead after the first nine minutes of action but the Irish offense kicked into gear and managed to take a nine-point advantage into the halftime break at 42-33. The half was capped off by a transition three-pointer by Prentiss Hubb that beat the halftime buzzer.

Notre Dame was in control the entire second half, never allowing the Panthers to get closer than five points over the final 20 minutes of play. The Irish lead ballooned to as many as 19 points at 69-50 with over seven minutes to play and then the hosts cruised to the 80-72 win.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Gibbs has hit his stride on the offensive end as of late and Wednesday’s performance was no different. The senior poured in a game-high 21 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. The guard also added four assists, three rebounds and a steal in the winning effort.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Irish scored at least 80 points in a game for the fifth straight game, marking the most consecutive games with 80 or more points since accomplishing the feat in the 2014-15 season. The last time Notre Dame scored at least 80 points in five straight conference games came during the 2007-08 season in BIG EAST play.

NOTES

• Notre Dame improves to 35-31 against Pitt in the all-time series, including a mark of 19-11 when playing at home.
• Mooney pulled down the 800th rebound of his career against Pitt. The senior is the seventh player to hit the 800-rebound mark under Mike Brey.
• Gibbs reached the 350-assist milestone on Wednesday for his career, becoming just the 10th player in the Brey era to accomplish the feat. Gibbs currently has 353 assists.
• Mooney recorded his 18th double-double in just 21 games this season and the 39th of his career. Mooney’s 18 double-doubles are tied for the most in the country at the DI level this season.
• Gibbs notched his 19th double-digit scoring performance of the season and 75th of his career.
• Durham finished in double figures in the scoring column for the eighth time this season and 13th time in his career.
• Laszewski finished with 11 points, marking the eighth time this season and 17th time in his career he has scored at least 10 points.

UP NEXT

The Fighting Irish travel to Clemson to begin a three-game road swing. Notre Dame and the Tigers are set to square off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9. The game will air on ACCN.