WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – It was another game for the taking for Notre Dame men’s basketball (10-19, 2-16), for it was a one-possession game at the half on the road at Wake Forest (18-11, 10-8). However, the Fighting Irish just could not find its rhythm offensively and couldn’t take advantage of two separate four-minute Demon Deacon scoring droughts in the second half, falling by the final of 66-58. It marked Notre Dame’s 11th loss by single-digits in ACC play.
Freshman Ven-Allen Lubin was a bright spot in tonight’s contest with a career-high 19 points. He scored 11 of the team’s 22 second-half points. He led the team in rebounding with eight and also collected three blocks.
Trey Wertz was back in the starting lineup in the absence of injured guards JJ Starling and Marcus Hammond. Wertz responded with 12 points and five assists. Cormac Ryan was the third and final Irish player in double figures with 12 points – also tied his career high of four steals.
Notre Dame actually shot better than Wake Forest, 39.6 percent (21-53 FG) compared to 35.6 percent (21-59), yet the Demon Deacs poured in 12 threes to ND’s five. Wake Forest was led by Tyree Appleby’s 21 points.
How It Happened
An early 8-0 run by the Irish, fueled by a hot shooting start, allowed the visitors to jump out to a 15-8 advantage. As Wake Forest began to connect from three, Notre Dame kept pace with a 4-for-4 start from beyond the arc. All-in-all, the Irish started 10-of-15 from the field and garnered a 25-18 lead at 9:38 because of it, with all six players who saw time registering points.
The Demon Deacons worked their way back in with some more threes, as their sixth of the half spurred an 8-0 run which put them ahead 32-27. Wake would ultimately hit eight treys and maintain their lead for the remainder of the half. However, Wake never built a lead larger than five as the Irish made it a one-possession game at halftime, trailing 36-39.
Wertz led at the midway point for the Irish with 10 points, followed by eight from Lubin and seven from Ryan. Both sides made 12 field goals in the half. The Irish turned seven Demon Deacon turnovers into 11 points, while Wake owned the boards at 19-13.
The start of the second half was a tough one for both sides, but more so for the Irish. Both squads simultaneously went on a four-plus minute scoring droughts. However, Wake ended theirs sooner and sprinted off on a 7-0 run, while Notre Dame’s lasted nearly six minutes, with Ryan ending it with a long jumper. As a result, the Irish found themselves down 42-51 at the 10:56 media timeout.
Next, Wake’s Appleby went on a tear, scoring eight straight points for the Deacs. Lubin did his best to limit the damage for he had nine of the team’s 11 second half points when trailing 61-47 with seven minutes to go.
The Irish defense held Wake to without a field goal for the final five minutes of the game, but their offensive woes only allowed them to cut the deficit to six. ND ultimately ran out of time and fell 66-58.
Up Next
The final week of the regular season is upon us, which means Coach Brey’s final game inside Purcell Pavilion. Senior Day occurs on Wednesday, March 1, when the Irish host the Pitt Panthers. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
— ND –