Field Level Media
Dec 29, 2019
T.J Gibbs scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures and John Mooney notched a double-double of 16 points and 18 rebounds to lift host Notre Dame to a 82-56 rout of Alabama A&M on Sunday afternoon at South Bend, Ind.
Dane Goodwin added 12 points for Notre Dame, which used a 15-3 run late in the second half to cap the blowout and earn its third victory in four games. The Fighting Irish (9-4) won their ninth non-conference home game in as many tries this season. Prentiss Hubb and Juwan Durham each chipped in 11 points to round out a balanced Fighting Irish attack.
Alabama A&M fell to 0-8 on the road this season and has lost all but one of its games away from T.M. Elmore Gym by at least 10 points. The Fighting Irish led by as many as 19 points in the first half and twice surged ahead by 30 points in the second half.
Gerron Scissum led the Bulldogs (3-8) with 15 points, while Cameron Alford (14) and Garrett Hicks (11) followed but the team shot just 30.3 percent from the field. Notre Dame outscored Alabama A&M in the paint 36-20 while blocking 10 shots.
The Fighting Irish shot 47.8 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs were in action for the first time since defeating visiting North Alabama by nine on Dec. 20. It was Notre Dame's first game since a two-point, neutral-court loss to Indiana on Dec. 21.
Notre Dame led 36-18 at halftime behind 42.9 percent shooting. Gibbs and Mooney both went 3-for-4 from the field in the first 20 minutes and tied Durham for the team lead with seven points at the break.
The Bulldogs shot just 19.4 percent (7-for-36) in the first half and were held scoreless for the final 3:18 before intermission.
Sunday marked the first meeting between the schools. The Fighting Irish are 4-0 against programs from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, but had not faced a SWAC school since defeating Grambling in 2014.
--Field Level Media