Irish lean on Hubb, Gibbs, and Goodwin to record road victpry
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame took on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this evening in McCamish Pavilion. The Irish were looking to end a 2 game skid, while Georgia Tech was coming off a victory over Boston College.
Notre Dame got off to a 2-0 lead in the game’s opening minute with a layup by Juwan Durham. The Irish missed their next 4 field goal attempts before John Mooney registered two free throws. The Irish conceded two layups and a transition three point shot prior to the under-16 timeout, which left them trailing 7-4. Dane Goodwin hit a jumper out of the timeout to pull cut the lead to one point. Goodwin and Nate Laszewski combined for 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block off of the bench over the next four minutes to give the Irish a 14-13 lead with 10:57 remaining in the half. Prentiss Hubb used a steal and three pointer to give Notre Dame a 4 point lead on Georgia Tech’s first possession after the timeout. After a jumper by the Yellow Jackets, Durham hit a jumper and threw down a dunk as the Irish lead 21-15 with 7:55 left in the half. Following the under-8 timeout, Georgia Tech used a mini 6-0 run to draw even with Notre Dame at 24 with 3:15 left in the half. Rex Pflueger committed two turnovers and the team missed 3 shots during the Yellow Jacket run. Goodwin put the Irish back on top out of the timeout by knocking down a three point shot with. Those would be the only points Mike Brey’s squad would score over a 2:59 span. Prentiss Hubb scored on a layup with two seconds left in the half to give the Irish a 29-27 lead at halftime.
Dane Goodwin led the Irish with 10 points in the first half. The Irish only shot 33.3% from the field and were an ugly 30.8% from three point range. Georgia Tech did not fare much better, shooting 36.7% from the field and 25% from behind the arc. The Yellow Jackets were led by Michael Devoe’s 8 points.
Durham, Mooney, and Hubb all scored in the paint within the first five minutes of the second half to leave the score tied at 35. Devoe continued to hurt the Irish in the 2nd half, as he scored 5 points in a minute to put the Yellow Jackets up 40-38 with 13:15 left in the game. Notre Dame proceeded to miss its next 5 shots and added a turnover during the next two minutes. Devoe then recorded an old fashioned three point play to extend the lead to 43-38. With the score 49-44, T.J. Gibbs hit back to back jumpers to draw the Irish within 1 with 8:59 left. Hubb scored on a jumper on the ensuing possession as Notre Dame regained the lead at 50-49 with 8:26 on the clock. Gibbs continued to have the hot hand as he hit on 1 of 2 free throws and scored on another jumper to put the Irish up 53-51 with 6:52 remaining in the game. After a layup by Tech, Hubb nailed another three pointer to put the Irish up 56-53. The teams continued to trade baskets for the next two minutes, with the Irish holding a 61-60 lead at the under-4 media timeout. Mooney hit a jumper to extend the Irish lead to 3 with 2:48 in the game. After the Yellow Jackets answered with a bucket, Prentiss Hubb scored on a layup to keep the Irish up 3 with a little over two minutes left in the game. However, Moses Wright scored his 7th straight point for Georgia Tech after knocking down two free throws to pull back within one. Immediately, Hubb responded with yet another layup to push the Irish lead back up to 3. Following a Mike Brey timeout, T.J. Gibbs hit a three pointer to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 6 with 1:04 left in the game. The Irish knocked down their free throws down the stretch and walked out with a 78-74 victory.
The Irish were led by Prentiss Hubb’s 24 points. T.J. Gibbs added 17 points, while Dane Goodwin chipped in another 14. John Mooney recorded another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Notre Dame finished the night shooting 43.1% from the field and knocked down 14-19 free throws. Michael Devoe led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Georgia Tech finished the night shooting 51.7% from the field.
Notre Dame returns to action in one week against the Syracuse Orange at Purcell Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 6pm (CST).
