Irish Fall To Hoosiers In The Crossroads Classic

A Notre Dame comeback fell short as Indiana earned a 62-60 victory.

Notre Dame (8-4) battled back from a major deficit, but it wasn’t enough as the Irish fell 62-60 to Indiana (11-1) in the Crossroads Classic.

The inability to consistently knock down shots ultimately did Notre Dame in despite a second half surge that saw a 17-point deficit turn into five-point lead, but with the game on the line the Irish could not make the plays needed on the offensive end to pull out the win.

The offensive struggles started immediately, as Notre Dame missed its first seven shots as Indiana took an early 7-0 lead. Indiana was up 15-10 before a quick 6-2 run by the Irish made it a one-point contest with 7:53 left in the half.

Over the next three minutes the Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run as the Irish missed four shots, two free throws and turned it over three times.

Indiana led 34-23 at the half and started the second stanza off with six straight points to take a 17-point lead.

That’s when Notre Dame sophomore guard Dane Goodwin took over, scoring 10 points in eight minutes, and his layup in transition cut the deficit to just three at 48-45, forcing an Indiana timeout. Notre Dame’s run wasn’t over, and Goodwin wasn’t done making shots. Goodwin knocked down a pair of triples, with the second giving the Irish a 55-54 lead, it's first of the game.

A pair of free throws by senior forward John Mooney extended the Notre Dame lead to 59-54 with just 3:42 left in the game, but the Irish would not make another basket. Notre Dame turned it over on its next three possessions, allowing Indiana to tie the game up at 59-59. After sophomore guard Prentiss Hubb made one of two from the free throw line, Indiana guard Armaan Franklin hit a three-pointer with :15 seconds remaining.

Notre Dame had a chance to tie it at the end, but Mooney’s layup attempt was blocked and Indiana took possession, icing the game.

The Irish shot just 37.5-percent from the field (21-56) and made just 6-27 from deep (22.2-percent). Indiana had 15 offensive rebounds and 15 second chance points, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

Notre Dame was led by Goodwin and Mooney, who each scored 15 points. The Irish starting backcourt of TJ Gibbs, Hubb and Rex Pflueger combined for just nine points, although Pflueger had six assists and made big stops on the defensive end in the second half. Sophomore forward Nate Laszewski had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Franklin led the Hoosiers with 17 points and junior big man Joey Brunk grabbed 14 boards and scored nine points.

The Irish fall to 8-4 on the season. Notre Dame plays Alabama A&M next Sunday before starting ACC play on January 4, 2020 with a road contest at Syracuse.