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Irish Drop Tough Battle With St. Mary's In Las Vegas

ND MBB vs. St Mary’s Box Score

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (2-1) fell 62-59 in a close battle with St. Mary’s (CA) (4-0) in the first game of the 2021 Maui Jim Maui Invitational, being held in Las Vegas this year, late Monday night.

The Irish held a 58-57 lead with just over a minute remaining, but St. Mary’s forward Dan Fotu connected on a shot-clock beating three pointer to give the Gaels a lead they would not relinquish. Cormac Ryan, who led the Irish with a season-high 16 points, missed the back end of two free throws that could have tied the game with seven seconds remaining.

Notre Dame will now face tournament host Chaminade at 7:30 p.m. local time Tuesday evening in Las Vegas (10:30 p.m. ET) in its second game of the tournament. After the contest with Chaminade, the Irish will face either Texas A&M or Butler in their game of the event.

The Gaels opened the game with a 7-0 run, setting the tone for a battle that would be defined by numerous runs from both teams. The struggle featured 16 lead changes, 10 ties and no lead larger than seven points.

Another 7-0 run by the Irish tied the game at 31-31 at halftime, as Notre Dame’s defense held St. Mary’s without a field goal over the final four minutes. Dane Goodwin paced the Irish offense in the first half with 10 points.

The second half proved even tighter with neither team able to build more than a three-point lead. Paul Atkinson Jr. scored 11 of his 13 points in the second 20 minutes, while Ryan added nine of his 16.