NOTRE DAME, Ind. – It was an epic battle in Purcell Pavilion with both the Fighting Irish and the No. 22/20 Ohio State Buckeyes facing off in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup. Notre Dame entered the second half with a 42-34 lead but Ohio State fought back and managed to escape with a 90-85 victory.
The Fighting Irish had four players contribute double digits in the scoring column with junior Prentiss Hubb leading the pack with an incredible career-high 26 point game. Junior Nate Laszewski had also had a noteworthy performance with 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back and forth battle in the first half. The first five minutes proved the game would be close with 3 point accuracy being the differentiating factor as the Buckeyes gained an 11-6 lead. The Irish came back and regained the lead with a 12-0 run thanks to strong point contributions from Hubb and Goodwin.
The middle of the half was a back and forth battle, but the Irish were able to reel off eight straight points, Ryan and Laszewski were catalysts with big offensive rebounds. An electric and-one dunk on the fast break from Laszewski with 36 seconds left ended the half with a 42-34 Irish lead.
Both the Irish and Buckeyes came out of the gate hot as Ohio State edged Notre Dame 24-19 over the first 10 minutes of the second stanza to trim the lead to 61-58. Entering the final eight minutes tied up at 62, the Buckeyes managed to take their first lead of the half off two makes from the free-throw line with 7:42 left in the game.
The final five minutes were a tight battle as neither team was up by more than four points until Ohio State’s E.J. Liddel’s jumper helped the visitors pull ahead 85-80 with 50 seconds left in the game.
Trailing 88-85 with 17 seconds left, the Irish had one last chance to send the game to overtime but the Ohio State defense stifled Notre Dame and didn’t allow the hosts to get a shot attempt off, going on to win by a final score of 90-85.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hubb was a key contributor scoring a career-high 26 points, with 18 coming in the second half for the Fighting Irish. Hubb’s three-point shooting kept the Irish in close contention as he buried 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) shots from distance.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish were had an efficient night from the floor, shooting 50.8 percent (30-for-59) from the field and 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from beyond the arc.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Laszewski nearly had his second straight double-double, scoring 17 points and leading the team on the boards with nine.
- Hubb logged a career high for total points scored in a game with 26.
- Hubb led the Irish from beyond the arc with five three-pointers and finished with an impressive 55.6 percent shooting from distance.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish hit the road and travel south to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on Kentucky at noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 12. The game is slated to air on CBS.