CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Prentiss Hubb, T.J. Gibbs and John Mooney combined to score 51 of Notre Dame’s 65 total points, but the Fighting Irish fell to the No. 9/11 North Carolina Tar Heels 74-65 to open the season on the road Wednesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 23-19, Notre Dame went on a 9-0 run with 4:40 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Hubb, to take a 28-23 lead. The Irish managed to enter the halftime break with a 31-30 advantage. Notre Dame relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 31 points.
North Carolina proceeded to take a 71-59 lead in the second stanza before Notre Dame went on a 6-0 run to shrink the deficit to 71-65 with 2:50 to go in the contest. North Carolina responded and outscored the Irish the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 74-65.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Hubb had a career night, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting to lead the Irish in points. The sophomore knocked down a career-high five shots from beyond the arc and paced the Irish in assists with five.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish did a good job of taking care of the basketball in the opener, recording just six turnovers in the hostile environment, while the Tar Heels posted 18 turnovers on the other end.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Gibbs finished in double figures for points for the 57th time in his career after scoring 18 at North Carolina.
- With 22 points, Hubb finished with 20-plus points for the first time in his career and has now recorded 10 or more points 12 times in his career.
- The Fighting Irish shared the ball well, recording an assist on 67% of made baskets.
- Notre Dame turned the ball over six times while dishing out 16 assists.
- Notre Dame got a team-high eight rebounds from John Mooney.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 9, when they will host Robert Morris at Purcell Pavilion for their home opener at noon. The game will air live on ACCNX via the WatchESPN app (subscription required).