Finish What You Start, Notre Dame Basketball Scores Big Win
The lead to this story is an easy one: another nail-biting ACC game, another chance for Notre Dame to blow a late lead, or perhaps, another chance to save a season.
Irish point guard Prentiss Hubb saw to it that this latest one didn’t get away, leading the Irish to a 78-74 win at Georgia Tech with clutch play down the stretch and a career-high 25 points.
It was an impressive, gritty and arguably a season-saving late-game performance that should bring Notre Dame a fresh mindset with a week off before its next game.
Irish head coach Mike Brey said afterward the importance of this win — especially with his team finally closing things out late — can’t be understated.
“It seems like we are in these all the time,” Brey said, sounding equal parts relieved and exhausted. “But I’m proud of our group because we made some fearless plays to get outta here with a win tonight, just a heckuva game.”
This marked the fifth time in six ACC games so far this season that the Irish (11-6, 2-4 ACC) had a chance to win late.
But in the previous four before Georgia Tech (8-9, 3-4), Notre Dame had lost three of those, including two straight last week at NC State and versus Louisville.
“I thought it was important as I watch the game unfold that we really need to finish this one,” Brey said of winning at Georgia Tech for the first time in five tries since 2015, “because if you lose a third one (late) in game situations, and you’re 1-5? So, I think we can grow here with this one.”
As he did late in the second half of Notre Dame’s other ACC win this year — an 88-87 thriller at Syracuse 11 days earlier — Hubb also put the Georgia Tech game on his back down the stretch.
Notre Dame’s show-stopping sophomore scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, a scoring stretch that included an athletic put-back basket and 5-of-6 free throw shooting inside of the last two minutes to keep the Irish out front.
“To be able to get this win, especially under the circumstances of coming close in these last four games,” said Hubb, who has scored at least 22 points in three of his last four games, “…especially on the road can help lead us on a winning stretch.”
Senior guard T.J. Gibbs nicely complemented Hubb, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the second half.
Hubb and Gibbs combined to score 31 of Notre Dame’s final 34 points in the game.
“Obviously, Hubb and Gibbs were fearless for us,” Brey said. “Hubb was fabulous but you know he’s trending this way. I think he is trending to being one of the better guards in the league.”
Talk About Clutch
Up only 63-62 with less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Irish scored at least one point on each of its last eight possessions.
In an entertaining game, these two teams were tied 12 times and swapped the lead 10 times — most of those coming in the second half.
Neither team ever led by more than seven points.
“It’s only the second time we’ve won (in the ACC), but God,” Brey said. “It’s just been great games and this was another great one.”
Sophomore guard Nate Goodwin won’t make the headlines but his 10 points in the first half were critical to a 29-27 Irish halftime lead when his teammates were struggling offensively.
Goodwin finished with 15 points, including 3-of-4 three-point shooting on a rough 8-of-26 three-point night for the Irish.
Making History
With his 10 points and 13 rebounds Wednesday, Irish senior forward John Mooney recorded his 11th consecutive double, which tied the Notre Dame record streak set by Luke Harangody in 2008-09.
Looking back to last season, Mooney also had a streak of eight consecutive double-doubles, making him the only Notre Dame player in program history to have two of these streaks of at least eight games.
Mooney also remains the only player in the country averaging more than 10 rebounds a game and the nation’s only player averaging 15-plus points and 13-plus rebounds.
But staying true to form, Mooney was more interested after the game in his team’s gutsy win than any personal accolades.
“It was probably going to come down to crunch time game situations,” Mooney said of Brey’s pre-game message. “It’s just about making plays and staying solid. Play Notre Dame basketball and good things will happen.”
Up Next: After enjoying a needed week off — its longest break of the ACC season — Notre Dame returns to action at home against Syracuse next Wednesday (7 p.m., Jan. 22) for their second regular-season matchup already this season.
In the first meeting on Jan. 4, Notre Dame claimed its first (and only other) ACC win, beating the Orange, 88-87, in the 50th meeting of a longstanding series that dates back to 1914 and spans through both Big East and ACC league play.
In the first meeting — a game that featured 12 lead changes and nine ties — the Irish trailed 84-81 with 1:39 remaining before outscoring the Orange 7-3 down the stretch to steal the win.
The Orange lead the all-time series 29-22 and have won eight of the last 12 meetings.
Syracuse claimed a 72-62 victory over the Irish last season at Purcell Pavilion, the only meeting between these two teams in 2018-19.
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