SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball squad (8-5) got back in the win column on Tuesday night and did so with its defense and grad transfer who has been waiting to break out. The Fighting Irish defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4), 59-43, marking the fewest points allowed all season.
In fact, it marked the fewest points allowed since the 2014-15 season (90-42 win over Chicago State on 11/29/14). In addition, the Notre Dame defense forced a season-high 17 turnovers in which they converted into 17 points.
Offensively, the Irish got a lift from graduate student and Niagara transfer Marcus Hammond, who led the team with a season-high 15 points. Hammond shot 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Fellow grad student Dane Goodwin got back into double figures for the first time since Syracuse on Dec. 3, recording 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including a pair of threes.
Freshman JJ Starling almost secured his first career double-double with 11 points and a season-high eight rebounds. Starling has now recorded double-digit points in five consecutive games – a career best.
How It Happened
Notre Dame started 3-of-16 from the field and found itself in an early 14-7 hole. Enter sparkplug Marcus Hammond. He went on a 6-0 solo run after a Laszewski layup and pulled the Irish within one, down 16-15.
The Irish simply couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall in the first half, starting 0-for-12. Dane Goodwin broke the streak with a trey at 4:55, which also give the Irish their first lead of the game at 18-16. Naturally, Hammond followed with an immediate three, forcing a Jacksonville timeout now up 21-16.
All-in-all, the Irish produced a 14-2 scoring run over a seven-minute stretch in which they forced four turnovers. They rode that momentum into a 21-19 halftime lead.
Hammond already had a season-high nine points at the break. Goodwin and Laszewski were next with five points each. The defense was the highlight of the half, forcing nine Jacksonville turnovers in which they converted into 10 points. The 19 points were the fewest allowed in a half all season.
Notre Dame started the second half by making nothing but three-pointers. In fact, their first six made baskets were all three-point plays (five treys and one and-one). Hammond made a pair along with Ryan, plus contributions from Goodwin and Starling. Then Starling and Lubin added layups which equated to a 13-2 run over three minutes to garner a 43-36 advantage at 10:21.
Next, the Irish extended the run to 19-4, building a double-digit lead at 49-38. Starling then scored six of the team’s final 10 points to bring us to the 59-43 final.
Up Next
The Fighting Irish can add another ranked win to their resume when No. 14/16 Miami rolls into town on Friday, Dec. 30. It’ll be a matinee matchup with the game tipping off at 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
— ND –