Irish Finish Non-Conference Schedule With Win Over Coppin State

NOTRE DAME – Notre Dame (10-3) wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday afternoon inside Purcell Pavilion with a 63-56 victory over Coppin State. The Irish are now 9-1 at home this season.

Three Irish players finished in double figures in the points column. Junior T.J. Gibbs scored a team-high 15 points. Junior John Mooney recorded 14 points and freshman Dane Goodwin added 13 to give the Irish the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It took the Irish a while to shake off the rust from the Christmas break on Saturday, as Notre Dame held a 29-27 lead over the Eagles at the halftime break. The Irish led by as many as 10 points in the first frame but a late push from the visitors cut the advantage to two after the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Eagles carried their momentum from the end of the first half into the beginning of the second, as the visitors outscored the Irish 19-9 over the first eight minutes of the half to take a 44-36 lead. After the score moved to 47-39 Notre Dame scored 17 of the next 19 to regain the lead at 56-49 with five minutes left in regulation. The Irish didn’t trail the rest of the way and went on to win by a final score of 63-56.

NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Goodwin was efficient on the offensive end, going 4-for-7 from the field en route to his 13 points. The freshman also added six boards and an assist in 34 minutes of action.

NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish finished with just six turnovers in the contest and have now recorded less than 10 turnovers in eight of 13 games this season.

NOTES OF THE GAME

  • The Irish are 2-0 against the Eagles in the series.
  • For the 10th time this season and 18th time in his career, Mooney finished in double figures in the points column.
  • Goodwin scored 13 points, marking the fourth time the freshman has hit double-digit points in a game this year.
  • Durham tied his career high in blocked shots with six and has now notched three or more blocks in eight games this season. The junior leads the Irish with 39 blocks on the season. Durham’s six block performance gives the junior four games this season of five or more blocks.
  • For the 11th time this season and 45th time in his career, Gibbs finished in double figures with 15 points.

UP NEXT
The Irish open ACC play on New Year’s Day, as the team travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPNU.
To purchase tickets Notre Dame men’s basketball tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.

— ND —