Feb. 19, 2018
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (16-12, 6-9 ACC) was unable to make with enough plays down the stretch against Miami (19-8, 8-7 ACC) on Monday evening inside Purcell Pavilion, losing by a final of 77-74.
The senior duo of Martinas Geben and Matt Farrell led the Irish in scoring, as Geben posted a team-high 19 points and Farrell notched 16. Other Notre Dame players to finish in double figures in the points column were sophomore T.J. Gibbs (11) and sophomore John Mooney (10).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Geben was the go-to-guy early for the Irish, scoring the first eight points for the Irish to open the contest. Despite the early prodcution from Geben, Miami built an early eight-point lead at 16-8 over the first six minutes of action.
Notre Dame immediately responded, going on a 10-0 run to go on top 18-16. Unfortunately for the Irish, Miami controlled the rest of the first frame, taking a 38-29 lead into the halftime intermission.
The Hurricanes led 47-42 with just under 14 minutes left to play before the Irish offense caught fire. Notre Dame knocked down eight straight shots from the field over the next six minutes to take a 62-57 lead with 7:51 left on the clock.
Miami responded emphatically, scoring the next 13 consecutive points to go back on top 70-62 with less than three minutes left in the game. Mooney halted the run by hitting a corner three to draw the Irish back within five. After the two sides traded buckets, Farrell knocked down a big three to make it a one-possession game at 72-70 with a minute left.
However, the Hurricanes made just enough plays down the stretch, as Gibbs’ full-court heave was off-line giving Miami the 77-74 win.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Farrell excelled in all facets of the game, scoring 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting while dishing out a team-high six assists. The senior also grabbed a career-high six rebounds. For the 11th time this season, Farrell knocked down four or more shots from beyond the arc, finishing 4-of-8.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish did the majority of their offensive damage against Miami underneath, outscoring the Hurricanes 40-28 in the paint.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Farrell has now scored 10-plus points in 20 games this season.
- With four made three-pointers, Farrell moved into a tie for 13th in program history for career three-point makes with 170. Farrell is tied with current assistant coach Ryan Ayers.
- Gibbs has recorded 10 or more points in 23 outings this season, including 16 straight.
- Geben has finished in double figures in the scoring column 17 times during his senior campaign, including each of his last five outings.
- Mooney turned in his seventh double-digit scoring performance of the season with 10 points.
- Nikola Djogo grabbed a career-high five rebounds against Miami.
- With Bonzie Colson, Rex Pflueger and D.J. Harvey all sidelined with injuries, the Irish used their ninth different starting lineup of the season.
UP NEXT
The Irish head to the state of North Carolina this weekend to take on Wake Forest at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. The game will air live on ESPN3/ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.