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Irish Surge Past Chaminade Via Dominating Second Half

ND MBB  vs. Chaminade Box Score

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (3-1) advanced to the fifth-place game of the 2021 Maui Jim Maui Invitational with a 90-64 over Chaminade (2-2) late Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The victory earned the Irish a match up with Texas A&M (5-1) at 11:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. PT) Wednesday night on ESPN2. 

It was truly a team effort for Notre Dame against the Silverswords, as six Irish players – including the entire starting five – ended the game in double figures. Dane Goodwin led all scorers with 17 points, while Nate Laszewski added a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Blake Wesley contributed 14 points and six rebounds off  the bench. 

Goodwin sparked the Irish out of the gate early in the game with back-to-back transition three pointers to put the Irish up 12-4 and force an early Chaminade timeout. The Silverswords would not go quietly in the first half, however, as the tournament host put together a run to get back into the game with three consecutive three pointers and a contested runner in the lane. 

Wesley kept the Irish going late in the first half. Taking advantage of his open floor game, the freshman connected on a contested three pointer, rebounded his own miss for another basket, then scored in transition at the buzzer to give the Irish a 41-38 lead. 

Halftime adjustments might be an overused term, but whatever the Irish did in the locker room at the break paid huge dividends. The defense clamped down and the offense exploded for a 21-0 run to put the game away. 

Goodwin was again the spark with two buckets in the paint, plus a three pointer at the top of the key on a great pass from Paul Atkinson Jr. Chaminade would not score their first point of the second half until close to seven minutes elapsed and the game was firmly in Notre Dame’s control. 

The Irish shot 63.6% in the second half, scored 49 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and hit six three point shots. Senior Prentiss Hubb found his groove in the second 20 minutes, leading the Irish in scoring with 11 points while Laszewski logged 10 of his 15 points. 

NOTES: The double-double for Nate Laszewski (15 points, 15 rebounds) is the second of the season and fifth of his career • it is the 50th 15-15 performance of the Mike Brey era and Laszewski becomes the 11th player to hit the mark • J.R. Konieczny and Elijah Taylor both recorded their first career points in the contest • the six Irish players in double figures marks the first time since December 10, 2019, against Detroit Mercy that Notre Dame has accomplished that feat.