NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame (11-9, 1-6 ACC) was unable to end its losing skid against No. 3/3 Virginia, dropping its fourth consecutive contest with a 82-55 loss in Purcell Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
Junior John Mooney notched his sixth consecutive double-double, his ACC-best 12th of the season, with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cavaliers’ top scoring defense.
Sophomore D.J. Harvey and junior T.J. Gibbs added nine points each, and freshman Dane Goodwin finished with eight points and four rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish got out to a slow start, failing to score until the 13:35 mark of the first half, but Mooney and Goodwin spurred the Notre Dame offense before the break. Goodwin hit a pair of three-pointers at the 2:26 and 0:58 marks of the half to keep the deficit under 20 points. Mooney tallied seven points and grabbed six rebounds, but Notre Dame trailed 42-25 at the break.
Mooney set the tone for the Irish early in the second half with a pair of three-pointers, the second making the score 52-37 and cutting the Virginia lead to 15 with 15:04 on the clock. Harvey closed the deficit to 12, hitting another three to make the score 54-42, the closest margin since the 10:45 mark of the first half.
The Irish shot 66.7 percent (8-12) from the field to open the second half, but Virginia went on an 8-0 run to regain a 20-point advantage with 9:28 left to play. Notre Dame trailed by as much as 30, down 77-47 with 3:40 on the clock, but cut the final margin to 27.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mooney shot 75 percent from behind the arc (3-4) on the way to his 13th career double-double. He is one of five major conference players averaging a double-double, and he leads the ACC in rebounding and double-doubles.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
Mooney and Goodwin shot a combined 83.3 percent (5-6) from deep, scoring five of the team’s eight three-pointers.
NOTES OF THE GAME
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The Irish finished with seven turnovers, the 10th time this year that they have committed fewer than 10 in a game.
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Mooney completed his ACC-best 12th double-double of the season and the 13th of his career with a 15-point, 10-rebound performance.
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Mooney finished with 10 rebounds, which marks the 14th time he has tallied at least 10 boards this year.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame has a quick turnaround, as it welcomes No. 2/2 Duke to Purcell Pavilion. The Big Monday matchup will take place on January, 28 at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN. To purchase tickets Notre Dame men’s basketball tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
— ND —