Offense Struggles As Notre Dame Falls To #20 Virginia Tech
Notre Dame (5-9) couldn't build on its first win streak of the season as it dropped a 62-51 game to #20 Virginia Tech (12-3).
The Fighting Irish came into the game struggling on offense for much of the season, ranking 11th in the ACC at scoring, and the unit had a rough night shooting against the Hokies.
Notre Dame made just one basket in the game's first seven minutes, which kept the Irish from challenging Virginia Tech despite their own struggles on offense. The Hokies shot just 33.3% from the floor in the first half, but they still took a 31-22 lead into halftime.
If not for Prentiss Hubb it would have been an even worse night for Notre Dame. The junior guard scored 17 of the team's 22 first half points, going 6-10 from the floor and 3-5 from behind the arc. The rest of Notre Dame's short-handed roster shot just 2-15 from the floor and went 0-7 from deep.
The second half was a completely different story for Notre Dame, at least in some regards. Offensively the Irish still struggled, but it was Hubb that went cold, going 2-10 from the floor in the final half. The rest of the Irish squad went 10-21, but Notre Dame failed to make a single three-point shot in the second half.
Notre Dame did not have junior guard Cormac Ryan, who missed the game with a foot injury. Virginia Tech was also short-handed, but the Hokies were able to make enough shots to get the job done.
Notre Dame made just 35.7% of its shots against the Hokies, and it was worse from behind the arc, going just 16.7%. The Irish were also beat on the glass, as the Hokies out-rebounded Notre Dame 46-36.
Hubb finished the game with 22 points, but he had more turnovers (4) than assists (3). No one else on the Notre Dame roster reached double figures. Forward Nate Laszewski came into the game averaging 16.6 points per game, but the junior attempted just four shots in the game, finishing with seven points and 10 rebounds.
Notre Dame heads out to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 30 for its next contest.
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