GREENSBORO, N.C. – With the game tied at 77 and the clock winding down, Cormac Ryan came up with a huge block on a Wake Forest attempt with five seconds left. Ryan raced down the floor with Trey Wertz trailing and found the junior on a toss back. Wertz buried the 30-foot shot at the buzzer to send the Irish to the second round of the ACC Tournament by a final score of 80-77.
Notre Dame is set to play No. 6 seed North Carolina on Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. ET on ACCN with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
The Irish featured a balanced attack in the winning effort. Wertz and Juwan Durham led the Irish in scoring with 16 points apiece. Ryan and Prentiss Hubb each added 14 points to help the Irish complete the comeback.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish got off to a slow start in the opening round game, finding themselves in an early 14-point hole at 21-7 with 12:10 left in the first half. Notre Dame fought back and cut the lead in half by the end of the first frame, trailing 44-37 at the break.
Durham and Ryan did a lot of the heavy lifting on the offensive end, each scoring 12 points to keep the Irish within striking distance.
Notre Dame was unable to make a run over the first 13 minutes of the second half, as Wake Forest led 75-63 with seven minutes left in the game. The Irish then locked in on defense, sparking a 14-0 run over the next six minutes of play to take their first lead of the second half at 77-75 with 1:54 to play.
Wake Forest managed to level the score at 77-77 with 51 seconds left off a jumper, setting up the frenetic finish.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Wertz was the hero on Tuesday, knocking down the buzzer beater to give the Irish the win. The junior finished 5-of-6 from the field, including a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range. Wertz also added four rebounds and two assists.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
- The Irish are now 11-5 in program history in the ACC Tournament.
- Notre Dame improves to 5-1 all-time when playing in the Greensboro Coliseum during ACC Tournament play.
- The Irish improve to 8-5 against Wake Forest in the all-time series.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame advances to take on No. 6 seed UNC in the second round of the ACC Tournament at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 10. The game will air on ACCN.