The Irish survive a 2nd-half Cardinals surge to seize sole possession of first place in the ACC
Feb 9, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Blake Wesley (0) dribbles as Louisville Cardinals guard Jarrod West (13) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore | Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Tonight the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men’s Basketball team took on the Louisville Cardinals at home. The Irish were looking to improve their at home record to 10-1 and earn two victories over Louisville in the same season for the first time in program history. How did they do? Let’s take a look!
Louisville got on the board first with a layup by Jae’lyn Withers, followed by a three-point bucket by El Ellis, and the Cardinals were up 5-0. The Irish answered at 17:52 with a layup by Prentiss Hubb, and then a dunk by Paul Atkinson, Jr. (5-4, Louisville)
Roosevelt Wheeler made a jumper for Louisville, and Cormac Ryan quickly responded with a layup. After a defensive rebound by Atkinson Jr., Dane Goodwin got on the board with a layup of his own. Notre Dame on top, 8-7.
After the 15:25 media timeout, Blake Wesley got on the board with a three-point shot, which Louisville countered with a three-point shot by El Ellis. Atkinson Jr answered with an easy layup on the other end of the court. After a defensive rebound by the Irish, Cormac missed a three-point shot and the Irish are only 1-for-5 with their three-point shots so far.
Wesley got the defensive rebound on the next Louisville possession and Atkinson Jr. scored another layup. After two turnovers in a row, Louisville’s Jarrod West sank a layup. 15-12, Notre Dame up, 11:38 media timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Trey Wertz sunk a three-point beauty, followed by a jumper by Louisville’s Withers. On Hubb’s next try at a three-point shot he missed again, making him 0-3 for the night on three point shots. This was followed by a hookshot jumper by Dane Goodwin. (20-14, Notre Dame.)
Louisville stole the ball from Wertz but couldn’t convert it into points, and on an Irish fast break, Goodwin sank a two-point layup. Louisville called timeout and Notre Dame was up by eight, 22-14.
Following the timeout, Withers made a layup, to get Louisville within six (22-16). On the next Irish possession Goodwin missed his shot but Louisville wasn’t able to score on their next possession, either. On the following Irish possession, Ryan made his first three-point shot, and then Atkinson Jr. made a layup; Irish up 27-16.
After a Louisville scoring drought, Ellis made a three-point shot at 4:38, which the Irish answered with a layup by Wesley. At the 3:30 media timeout, the Irish were up, 29-19.
As the first half drew to a close the two teams both struggled to get points on the board, but at 1:59, Ryan made a layup, followed by a Louisville layup by Dre Davis. Wesley then made a beautiful pullup jumper, followed by a layup which drew the foul but Wesley missed the free throw. As the final seconds of the half ticked off the clock, Louisville’s Ellis made a turnaround jumper, and the Notre Dame lead at the half was 35-23.
Half Time Stats
Field Goals
Notre Dame: 16-30, 53%
Louisville: 10-30, 33%
Three-Point Shots
Notre Dame: 3-12, 25%
Louisville: 3-18, 17%
Free Throws
Notre Dame: 0-1, 0%
Louisville: 0-0, 0%
Top Scorers
Wesley - 9 points
Atkinson - 8 points
Ryan - 7 points
Goodwin - 6 points
Wertz - 3 points
As the second half began the Irish got on the board first with a Atkinson Jr. layup. On the next Louisville possession Withers challenged Goodwin and got the bucket and drew the foul. Withers made the free throw, Notre Dame still up, 37-26.
Notre Dame couldn’t get anything to fall on their next two possessions and Louisville’s Dre Davis made a second-chance layup to pull within nine points. Goodwin tried for yet another three-point shot on the next Irish possession and missed. The Irish just couldn’t get the threes to fall tonight.
Atkinson Jr. got fouled by Louisville’s Wheeler, and made one free throw at the line. Louisville responded with a Davis jump shot in the paint. Wesley missed a three-point jumper and Louisville got the defensive rebound, but couldn’t turn the possession into points. Atkinson Jr. made a layup on an opponent turnover, and then a free throw from another Louisville foul made by Wheeler.
Louisville wasn’t ready to play dead though, and made a three-point bucket at the hands of JJ Traynor. Dane Goodwin responded quickly with a three-point shot of his own, and then Louisville fired right back with a dunk by Withers. Notre Dame’s lead was seven, 44-37. 11:51 remaining in the game.
On a fast break off a opponent turnover, Wesley made a layup, and then El Ellis responded and made one of his own. The two teams continued to trade scores back and forth ... Goodwin layup, Traynor dunk, Goodwin layup, Locke jumper. Notre Dame still up by seven, 50-43.
Locke fouled Hubb, and Hubb made both of his shots at the line. On the next Louisville possession, Withers made the layup and drew the foul, and then missed this free throw shot. Notre Dame then took the ball down court but couldn’t get anything to fall. After a bad pass from Wertz, Louisville took the ball down court and Withers made a three-point jumper. Notre Dame responded with a Goodwin two-point jumper. Notre Dame up, 54-48.
After a two-point jumper by Davis, Louisville had closed the gap to within four points, Notre Dame 54 - Louisville 50. Media timeout with 7:15 left in the game.
Following the break, Mason Faulkner made a second-chance layup and drew the foul, and headed to the line where he made the free throw. Wesley turned over the ball on the next possession and Davis made a fast break down the court, finishing with a dunk. Louisville now lead the Irish, 55-54. 6:05 to go, and Brey called a timeout.
Cormac shot a three-point shot and missed, and on the next Louisville possession Davis missed a three-point shot of his own. On the Irish possession, Withers fouled Atkinson Jr., who headed to the line and made 1-of-2 shots at the line, tie game 55-55.
At the other end of the court Louisville’s Davis tried for a three and missed, and the Irish took it down court and Wertz made a driving layup to go up by two. Brey doing everything he could to get his guys energized.
Ellis missed a two-point shot for Louisville and Atkinson Jr. got the rebound. Ellis then fouled Atkinson Jr., who headed to the line and made both of his free throw shots. Now the Irish lead had increased to four, 59-55.
With the shot clock winding down Ellis threw up a three-point shot and missed, and Notre Dame’s Atkinson Jr. got the rebound. On the Irish possession Hubb threw up the three-point shot and made up. Notre Dame’s lead was now 62-55.
On the next Louisville possession, Locke and Faulkner both tried to sink three-point shots and both missed. Hubb got the defensive rebound and Notre Dame called a timeout. 1:54 remained on the clock.
Hubb missed a jumper on the next Irish possession, and then Ellis made a bad pass which was recovered by Atkinson Jr. Wertz then turned over the ball, stolen by Davis, and Louisville called a timeout; 37 seconds left on the clock. It’s been five and a half minutes since the last Louisville score.
Withers drove on Ryan and made the layup, and Louisville called another timeout (their last timeout). 62-57 Notre Dame.
Faulkner fouled Goodwin with 12 seconds left in the game and Goodwin made one of two shots from the line. Louisville’s Withers threw up a three-point shot and missed and that was the game. Notre Dame defeated Louisville, 63-57, and sits in first place in the ACC.
Final Stats
Field Goals
Notre Dame: 25-55, 45%
Louisville: 25-65, 38%
Three-Point Shots
Notre Dame: 5-20, 25%
Louisville: 5-30, 17%
Free Throws
Notre Dame: 8-13, 62%
Louisville: 2-3, 67%
Top Scorers
Wesley - 11 points
Atkinson - 17 points
Ryan - 7 points
Goodwin - 16 points
Wertz - 5 points
Hubb - 7 points
Next up, Notre Dame travels to Clemson to play on Saturday, February 12th, at 7pm ET.
