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Notre Dame finishes off Wolfpack without injured Laszewski

Notre Dame jumped to a 23-6 lead, then needed a second wind to rally past NC State, 69-57, Saturday in an ACC men’s basketball game at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

The Irish (16-7, 9-3 ACC), winners of six of their last seven, finished the day alone in second place in the league standings after No. 9 Duke routed North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Miami fell at Virginia.

Notre Dame answered emphatically after falling behind 40-37 with 14:25 left in the second half, with a 24-6 burst, capped by a Prentiss Hubb 3-pointer at the 4:20 mark. And the Irish did so with Nate Laszewski on the bench.

The 6-foot-10 senior bumped legs early in the first half while taking a charge, and suffered a lower-leg injury. He ended up with a blank stat line and five minutes logged.

"It's a bruise — so it's nothing structural,” ND coach Mike Brey said after the game. “So, hopefully, he should be back Wednesday (vs. Louisville)."

Notre Dame’s second-half zone defense befuddled the Wolfpack (10-14, 3-10), and Trey Wertz had a strong game off the bench for the Irish. He was one of five Irish double-figure scorers, with 12 points, and added three rebounds and two steals in an efficient 25 minutes.

Paul Atkinson Jr. (15 points/10 rebound) and Dane Goodwin (12/10) each had double-doubles for Notre Dame. Blake Wesley broke out of a shooting slump (7-of-13 from the field) and added 14 points, while Hubb scored 13, with three 3-pointers.

The Irish outshot NC State, 52.9% to 30%, but doubled the Wolfpack’s turnover total (14 to 7). Terquavion Smith led NC State with 19 points.

Next up for the Irish is a home date with slumping Louisville Wednesday night (7 p.m.; ESPNU). The Cardinals (11-12, 5-8) have lost five in a row and eight of their last nine.

BOX SCORE

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