Jan. 29, 2018
By Robby Hamman
DURHAM, N.C. — Playing its second game in less than 48 hours, Notre Dame (13-9, 3-6 ACC) ran out of gas in the second half on the road at No. 4 Duke (19-3, 7-3 ACC), as the Blue Devils won by a final score of 88-66.
Sophomore T.J. Gibbs paced the Irish in scoring, pouring in 22 points. Fellow sophomores John Mooney and Nikola Djogo also finished in double figures. Despite being saddled with foul trouble for the game, Mooney scored 14 points in 25 minutes of action before fouling out. Djogo added 10 points for the Irish.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame trailed the Blue Devils by eight points going into the halftime break with the score 42-34. The undermanned Irish trailed for much of the first half but hit enough shots to stay within striking distance. Mooney led Notre Dame in the scoring column at the half with 12 points while Gibbs added 11.
The Irish knocked down a three-pointer out of the half to cut the Duke lead to just five. Duke responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead back up to 13 at 50-37. Notre Dame made one last run at the Blue Devils, cutting the host’s lead to six at 58-52 with 12:21 left in the game. However, Duke was too much for the Irish on Monday, as the Blue Devils went on to win by a final score of 88-66.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
For the second consecutive game, Gibbs surpassed the 20-point mark by scoring a team-high 22 points for the Irish. The guard excelled at the free-throw line, knocking down 9-of-10 attempts.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Irish shot 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, going 15-for-18 from the charity stripe.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- With 22 points, Gibbs finished with 20-plus points for the seventh time during his sophomore campaign and second straight game.
- Gibbs has recorded 10-plus points in 10 straight games.
- Nikola Djogo finished with 10 points and has now tallied double-digit points in two games this season.
- Mooney’s 14-point performance marks the fourth time this season that he has finished with 10-plus points.
UP NEXT
The Irish return to the state of North Carolina this weekend, as Notre Dame takes on NC State at noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 3. The game will air live on ESPN.
— 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.