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HOOPS: Notre Dame Shows No Mercy In 110-71 Win Over Detroit Mercy

**BOXSCORE**


Still reeling after a one-point home upset loss Saturday to ACC foe Boston College, Notre Dame had no choice Tuesday but to bounce back against a one-win Detroit Mercy team in front of an intimate crowd at Purcell Pavilion.

And if playing one of the best games in the history of the program can help cure some of those previous ills, Notre Dame’s 110-71 win over the Titans might serve as a needed elixir.

The 110 points were the most for a Notre Dame team since 2002 when it scored 116 in a four-overtime game against Georgetown and the most in a regulation game since 1986 when Digger Phelps hung 126 on Miami, Fla.

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Notre Dame tied a school record with 20 threes in 39-point win.
Notre Dame tied a school record with 20 threes in 39-point win. (USA Today/Sports)

Irish head coach Mike Brey admitted to feeling much better after this one following back-to-back losses to Maryland and Boston College last week.

“When you’re in the funk, and over 20 years I’ve been in and out of the funk a lot,” Brey said, “luckily I’ve gotten out of the funk quick enough to stay around 20 years.”

A 39-point win in which his team tied a program record with 33 assists on its 41 baskets will help lift any coach’s spirits.

“When you get 33 assists” Brey said. “I don’t care who you are playing, that is pretty powerful. Maybe this sets up a better week for me.”

This historic three-point shooting night, along with balanced scoring and some great bench work from sophomore guard Dane Goodwin was the formula to beat an old foe that was a mainstay on the Irish schedule through the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s and ’50s.

Goodwin finished with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-7 three-pointers. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

As a team, the Irish tied a school record with 20 made three-point shots.

“You’re just hoping that you’re not the team they start making shots against,” said Detroit Mercy head coach Mike Davis. “And we were.”

Goodwin led a group of six Irish who scored at least 13 points.

Senior guard T.J. Gibbs had 18 points with a career high eight assists. Senior forward Juwan Durham had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with nine rebounds and five blocks.

Sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb added 13 points and a career-high 11 assists, while sophomore forward Nate Lasweski added 14 points off the bench.

Everything the Irish did in the first half Tuesday is what was missing the last two games against Maryland and Boston College when the Irish hardly led and never stood a legitimate chance at winning either.

“We just tried to use that as fuel for the fire,” Durham said. “And just try to come in play as hard as we could and that’s what we did today.”

Senior Irish forward John Mooney added 15 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double and seventh of the season.

Meeting Of The Minds

Brey has spoken frequently this season about the necessity of having Goodwin and Laszewski contribute on a more consistent basis.

This here-today gone-tomorrow sophomore duo has been equal parts exhilarating as it has been frustrating this season.

Brey called the pair into his office Monday and said, “help me help you.”

Goodwin, a fiery, intense competitor, suggested that Brey be harder on him during practice.

“Note taken,” Brey said. “I do ride him a little bit because he can disappear at time in practice. But I guess I have to ride him more and he loves it.”

The results were quick. These two critical parts to the team combined for 41 points on 15-of-24 shooting.

Goodwin scored 16 of his points in the first half — on 6-of-7 shooting — that helped drive the Notre Dame rout.

“It was good to see a couple (shots) go down, especially after the last two games when I was struggling a little bit,” said Goodwin, who went only 3-of-17 field-goal shooting and 1-of-9 from three-point range in the losses to Maryland and BC.

Goodwin and Laszewski combined for 9-of-16 three-point shooting, and added 10 rebounds and five assists against Detroit Mercy

A “Super” Lative Night

Notre Dame parlayed some frustration, and some merciful Detroit Mercy defense, to pile up a long list of career, season and even program highs.

In addition to Goodwin’s career scoring night, the Irish as a team recorded season highs with:

*49 first-half points

*110 game points

*59-percent field-goal percentage

*20 made three-pointers

*51-percent three-point percentage

*45 bench points

…. and all the others mentioned above.

Up Next: A game not played as frequently as yesteryear, one of the prouder longstanding rivalries in Notre Dame history rekindles Saturday (3 p.m. EST) when UCLA visits Purcell Pavilion.

The Bruins lead the all-time series 20-29 and beat Notre Dame 65-62 last season in a competitive game at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins (7-3) have won two straight games. Its losses are by 10 points to Hofstra, 15 to BYU and 13 to Michigan State.

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