Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports
Short-Handed Notre Dame Beats Presbyterian 63-53
Notre Dame was short-handed tonight as it hosted Presbyterian, but the Irish were able to grind out a 63-53 victory.
Senior forward John Mooney was out with a stomach virus and sophomore guard Robby Carmody was held out as a precautionary measure after he took a shot to the head during a win over Marshall this past Friday.
Senior guard and captain Rex Pflueger stepped up with Mooney out, finishing with a season-high 13 points to lead the Irish in the win.
The Irish jumped out to a 25-18 lead, but a 10-0 Presbyterian run put Notre Dame behind for the first time since the season opener against North Carolina. The Irish backcourt took over at that point, fueling a 14-3 run to finish the half.
Pflueger scored five points and had a key fast break assist to spark the run, which ended with TJ Gibbs knocking down a triple to put the Irish up 39-31 at the break.
Presbyterian cut the lead to 51-49 with just 8:56 left in the game, but an 11-1 Notre Dame run put the game away. While the guards fueled the late first half run, it was the big men that took over the final nine minutes of second half.
Forward Nate Laszewski stepped into the starting lineup with Mooney out, but the sophomore went just 1-4 in the first half. He and senior forward Juwan Durham took over down the stretch, scoring 10 of the team's final 12 points, turning a tight 51-49 game into a 63-53 Irish victory.
Durham picked up the rebounding slack with Mooney out, grabbing a career-high 15 boards in the win. Durham scored 11 points, making this just the second double-double of his career.
Notre Dame handed out 15 assists on just 21 made shots, and Pflueger led the team with six assists.
Laszewski finished with 11 points while Gibbs chipped in with 10 more.
Notre Dame's homestand continues on Thursday night at 8:30 PM (Eastern) when the Toledo Rockets (3-1) come to South Bend. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
