CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Junior guard Nikola Djogo turned in the performance of his career to propel Notre Dame (12-10, 2-7 ACC) to a hard-fought 79-73 win at Boston College (11-9, 2-6 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.
Djogo poured in a career-high 21 points to lead the Irish on the offensive end in just the fourth start of his career and first of the season. The Irish had three other players score at least 15 points in the contest, as junior T.J. Gibbs (19), freshman Prentiss Hubb (16) and junior John Mooney (15) each accomplished the feat.
The Irish found a flow on the offensive end that had been missing in previous outings, as the Irish finished 27-of-51 from the floor (52.9 percent) and 10-of-20 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In his first start of the season, Djogo made an instant impact for the Irish, scoring 11 of the team’s first 16 points en route to a 16-9 lead in the early stages of the contest. Boston College managed to score the next seven points to level the score at 16-16. The Irish responded and held a lead for the rest of the first frame, taking a 36-31 advantage into the break. Djogo and Hubb combined to score 24 points to carry the offense in the opening 20 minutes.
The hosts had a strong start to the second half and were able to take the lead at 52-50 with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation. However, two makes from the free-throw line from Djogo with 7:58 on the clock gave Notre Dame the lead for good at 60-58. The Irish stretched its advantage to as many as nine points late in the game before securing the 79-73 victory.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Djogo exploded on the offensive end on Saturday, erupting for a career-high 21 points, nearly doubling his previous career high of 12 points (vs. UNC 1/13/18). The junior finished 7-of-10 from the floor, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range in his first start of the season. The guard added three rebounds and two assists to complete his incredible performance.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
With 19 points, Gibbs became the 63rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career. Notre Dame has the fifth most 1,000-point scorers in NCAA history with 63 and the most since the 2000-01 season (24). Gibbs now sits at 1,006 points for his career in just his junior season.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Notre Dame improves to 23-10 against Boston College in the all-time series. The Irish increase their winning streak in the series to 13 games, which is tied for the longest active streak against Division I foes for the Irish (St. Francis PA – 13).
- The Irish are a perfect 12-0 against the Eagles in ACC play.
- For the 50th time in his career and 16th time this season, Gibbs finished in double figures with 19 points.
- Djogo scored a career-high 21 points against the Eagles.
- Hubbi turned in his eighth double-digit scoring performance of the season, finishing with 16 points against the Eagles.
- Mooney completed his ACC-best 14th double-double of the season and the 15th of his career with a 15-point, 13-rebound performance.
- Mooney has now recorded a double-double in eight straight games, all coming in ACC play.
- Djogo earned his first start of the season and fourth of his career on Saturday.
- Juwan Durham returned to the floor in limited minutes after missing the last four games with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame remains on the road, as the Irish travel to the Sunshine State for a midweek matchup against Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
To purchase tickets Notre Dame men’s basketball tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
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