Field Level Media
Feb 5, 2020
T.J. Gibbs scored a game-high 21 points, and John Mooney amassed 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Notre Dame to a 80-72 win against Pitt on Wednesday in South Bend, Ind., securing a sweep of three-game homestand in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Fighting Irish sophomore Nate Laszewski, a 6-foot-10 reserve forward, proved a matchup problem for the Panthers, contributing 11 points in 21 minutes to finish well above his scoring average of 5.5 points per game in ACC play.
Juwan Durham added 11 points for the Fighting Irish (14-8, 5-6 ACC). Notre Dame finished 30 of 65 (46.2 percent) from the field compared to 26 of 62 (41.9 percent) for the Panthers.
Freshman Justin Champagnie led Pitt (14-9, 5-7) with 20 points while snagging a game-best 11 rebounds. Xavier Johnson (17) and Trey McGowens (15) followed in double figures for the Panthers, who have lost three of four.
Notre Dame led by as many as 19 points in the second half en route to eclipsing 80 points for the fifth straight game. The Fighting Irish seized control with a 11-0 run early in the second half, helping offset a 12-0 Panthers run early in the first half that boosted the visitors' advantage to six points.
Panthers guard Ryan Murphy missed his second consecutive game after sustaining a concussion during practice last week.
The Fighting Irish led 42-33 at halftime behind 50 percent shooting that included 7-for-13 accuracy from 3-point range. Gibbs paced Notre Dame with 11 points at the break, having drilled each of his three attempts from deep.
Johnson led all scorers with 12 points at the half.
Pitt guard Onyebuchi Ezeakudo sustained an apparent lower-body injury in the first half upon landing awkwardly after missing a contested layup in transition.
Notre Dame improved to 35-31 all-time against Pitt and has won 13 of the schools' 19 meetings at Purcell Pavilion.
Mooney has recorded 18 double-doubles this season.
--Field Level Media