NOTRE DAME, Ind. – John Mooney scored a season-high 18 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead the Irish to a comfortable 79-50 win over Howard to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Four Irish players finished in double figures in the scoring column in the victory. Mooney’s 18 led the way and Dane Goodwin (11), Juwan Durham (11) and Rex Pflueger (10) combined for 32 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After jumping out to a 15-9 advantage, Notre Dame went on an 8-0 run with 10:23 left in the first half to increase its lead to 23-9. The Fighting Irish then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 41-21 advantage. Notre Dame did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 41 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Notre Dame kept widening the lead, expanding it to 72-45 before going on a 7-0 run to grow the lead to 79-45 with 1:29 to go in the contest. The Fighting Irish cruised the rest of the way for the 79-50 win. Notre Dame took care of business in the paint, recording 20 of its 38 points in the lane.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mooney was a beast underneath leading the Irish in points (18) and rebounding (16) in the winning effort. Both the 18 points and the 16 rebounds are season highs for the senior.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish moved the ball exceptionally well on the offensive end, recording a season-high 22 assists on 32 made shots from the field. Mooney paced the team with five helpers while Prentiss Hubb and T.J. Gibbs each added four.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- The Irish are now 1-0 against Howard in the all-time series.
- Mooney posted his second double-double of his career with 18 points and 16 rebounds. The senior now has 23 double-doubles in his career.
- Durham finished in double figures for the first time this season and the sixth time in his career with 11 points on the night.
- For the second straight contest Goodwin finished in double figures for scoring with 11 points, totaling 10 double-digit performances in his career.
- Pflueger finished with 10 or more points for the first time this season and 20th time in his career, scoring 10 against Howard.
- The Fighting Irish held the Bison to only 31.1% shooting from the field.
- Notre Dame never trailed on the way to a 79-50 victory.
- The Notre Dame bench made an impact by scoring 28 points to its scoring output.
- Notre Dame had a 45-32 edge on the boards in the win.
- The Notre Dame defense forced 17 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish are back in action at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 15, when they will host Marshall at Purcell Pavilion. The game will air live on ACCNX via the WatchESPN app (subscription required).
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish are back in action at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 15, when they will host Marshall at Purcell Pavilion. The game will air live on ACCNX via the WatchESPN app (subscription required).