Irish tie school-record with 33 assists to propel offense
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame took to the floor Tuesday night to take on the Detroit Mercy Titans. Despite, the sleepy matchup, a season high six NBA scouts were present to watch the Titans star, Antoine Davis. Surprisingly, Mike Brey did not make any adjustments to the starting lineup after Saturday’s disastrous performance against the Boston College Eagles.
The Fighting Irish opened the night going 4 for 4 from the field as they took a 10-5 lead three minutes into the game. In what has become an all-too-familiar routine, Notre Dame went another three minutes without a basket until Dane Goodwin hit a jumper to push the Irish lead to seven points at 14-7. After the initial lull, the Irish offense began to show signs of life on the offensive end throughout the first half. Fans saw shades of what used to be the staples of any Mike Brey team; cutting without the basketball, making the extra pass, and passing up a good shot for a great shot. Detroit hung close to the Irish through the twelve minute mark with the score 19-12 in favor of the Irish. However, Dane Goodwin took matters into his own hands the rest of the first half, finishing with 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field while adding 6 rebounds. John Mooney also chipped in 8 points and 7 rebounds to help the Irish take a 49-33 lead into halftime.
Overall in the first half the Irish shot 59.4% from the field and 41.2% from three point range. To further illustrate how well the ball was moving, the Irish notched 17 assists on 26 total baskets.
T.J. Gibbs came out in the 2nd half firing on all cylinders as he hit four three-pointers within the first five minutes, helping the Irish to a twenty point lead with fourteen minutes left in the game. Rex Pflueger was removed from the game early in the second half after his left knee buckled as he went to make a cut. From the looks of it, Pflueger appeared to be no worse for wear, signaling to the bench that he was ok. The medical staff took him into the locker room for further evaluation. Luckily, Pflueger quickly returned to the bench and appeared ready to return to action if needed. Thankfully for Irish fans, there was little drama the remainder of the game as the Irish never let Detroit climb within twenty.
Dane Goodwin scored a career high 27 points. T.J. Gibbs finished with a career high six 3 pointers, finishing the night with 18 points. Six of the eight Irish players finished in double figures. The Irish finished the night shooting 59.4% from the field and 51.3% on 3 point attempts. Notre Dame tied a school record with twenty 3 point field goals. The Irish also tied the school record of 33 assists. Antoine Davis led Detroit with 27 points and 4 assists.
The 7-3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish return to action on Saturday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion against the UCLA Bruins at 2 pm (CT).
