INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Irish faced Purdue in the latest installment of The Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame fought hard to keep up with Purdue and had four players finish in double digits in points but it proved insufficient as they lost 88-78.
The Irish broke a Crossroads Classic record, making 16 shots from three-point range. Trey Wertz was especially powerful, leading the Irish with 27 points and racking up five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame faced Purdue with a new starting lineup and struggled initially to create a groove, trailing by as many as 15 at 47-32 with just under three minutes left in the first frame. However, the Irish seized momentum to end the half with a strong 10-0 run with contributions from Nate Laszewski and Trey Wertz to cut the lead to just five at 47-42 at the break.
The Irish maintained momentum and came back to tie the game at 53-53 with 14:37 left in the second half. Despite the final push by the Irish, Purdue finished the game strong and came away with an 88-78 win.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Trey Wertz had an impressive showing for his first start with the Irish recording season-highs in points (27), rebounds (four), assists (five) and three pointers (five). He was a strong contributor with double digit points in both halves.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish knocked down a season-high 16 shots from three-point range on Saturday. This was also a record for the Crossroads Classic series.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- The Irish set a Classroads Classic record with 16 three point makes
- Notre Dame maintained its status as the ACC leader in free throw percentage and shot 82.4 percent from the line on Saturday, making 14-of-17.
- Wertz earned the first start of his career on Saturday afternoon.
- Nikola Djogo added a season-high 11 points to the scoreboard, including three makes from beyond the arc, a season-high.
UP NEXT
The Irish take on Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on December 22nd at 7 p.m. EST. Catch the coverage of the match up on the ACCN.