Atlanta, GA – The visiting Notre Dame Fighting Irish were able to make some key plays down the stretch en route to a 78-74 conference win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in front of 5,899 fans at McCamish Pavilion.
Notre Dame’s sophomore 6-3 guard Prentiss Hubb scored 20 of his career high 25 points in the second half. Hubb consistently put pressure on the Yellow Jacket defense by driving to the basket and hitting mid and long range jump shots. His driving ability opened up shooting opportunities for his teammates. Senior 6-3 guard TJ Gibbs added 17 points, hitting 2-of-4 three-pointers.
Georgia Tech showed good team defense in the first half by holding the Irish to 33 percent shooting from the field and cut the Notre Dames lead going into halftime down to 29-27. 6-5 sophomore Michael Devoe led the Yellow Jackets in both scoring, with 22 points and in rebounding, with nine. The left handed guard showed the ability to hit open shots (2-4 3PT) and used his size and length to drive and score in the paint. Junior 6-9 forward Moses Wright added 16 points, hitting 6-of-11 of his shots.
Georgia Tech took an early six-point second half advantage 47-41, before the Irish closed the gap and took the lead 50-49 with 8:26 remaining in the game. It would be a back and forth battle down the stretch until Notre Dame would take control 70-64 with a key 3-pointer from Gibbs and never looked back.
Senior 6-9 forward John Mooney, the conference leader in rebounds, was key in the win. Mooney added 10 points and 13 rebounds (four offensive) and was very aggressive around the basket, giving his team a strong presence on the inside.
6-6 sophomore Dane Goodwin (6’6) came off the bench for the Irish to score 15 points, connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers. Goodwin’s size and quick shooting release allowed him to score over the Georgia Tech defense from the perimeter.
Notre Dame (11-6, 2-4 ACC) will return home to host Syracuse on January 22nd. Georgia Tech (8-9, 3-4 ACC) will remain home to host Virginia on January 18th.
This article was written by Damian Smith, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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