CLEMSON, S.C. – After three straight wins at home, the Irish hit the road on Sunday evening and picked up a valuable road win to extend their winning streak to four in a 61-57 victory over Clemson.
Notre Dame improved to 15-8 overall and 6-6 in ACC play following the win.
The Fighting Irish had three players score in double figures, led by Rex Pflueger, who had 18 points. Mooney tacked on a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and T.J. Gibbs helped out with 10 points.
We’ll celebrate this one for a moment but we know there’s more work to do.
Together as one.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/R3SOgPRZTJ
— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) February 10, 2020
HOW IT HAPPENED
After jumping out to a 6-5 advantage, Notre Dame went on a 6-0 run with 15:12 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Pflueger, to increase its lead to 12-5. The Fighting Irish then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 29-27.
Clemson kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 38-31 advantage before Notre Dame went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Mooney’s three, to seize a 39-38 lead with 11:21 to go in the contest. The Fighting Irish kept expanding the margin and made enough plays down the stretch to come away with the 61-57 win. Notre Dame shot well from three-point range in the second stanza, hitting five shots from deep to score 15 of its 34 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rex Pflueger had one of his best offensive performances of his career on Sunday, scoring a season-high 18 points, just two points shy of matching his career best. The guard was extremely efficient, finishing 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. The four makes from distance tie his career high.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mooney recorded his 19th double-double in just 22 games this season and the 40th of his career. Mooney became just the ninth player in program history to record 40 double-doubles in a career.
NOTES
- Notre Dame improves to 6-2 against Clemson in the all-time series.
- Mooney recorded his 21st double-digit scoring performance of the season and 55th of his career.
- Gibbs notched his 20th double-digit scoring performance of the season and 76th of his career.
- Pflueger finished with 18 points, marking the fifth time this season and 24th time in his career he has scored at least 10 points.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish remain on the road, as they head to Virginia to take on the Cavaliers at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The game will air on ESPN2.
