It wasn’t the best of starts for Notre Dame basketball on Tuesday night but for a 4:20 stretch the Irish were dominant enough to turn the tide of their second contest of the year.
After trailing Half Point 33-32 at halftime and falling back behind early in the second half, Notre Dame went on a 13-0 stretch from the 18:36 mark to the 14:16 mark take a 47-36 advantage of which they’d never look back from, ultimately winning 70-61.
Graduate-transfer Paul Atkinson, Jr. was as good as advertised as he led all scorers with 19 points. Atkinson pulled down 11 boards for one of three Notre Dame triple-doubles on the night. Nate Laszewski (10 points, 16 rebounds) and Dane Goodwin (12 points, 11 rebounds) joined Atkinson on a night Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish moved to 2-0.
It was far from a perfect showing by Notre Dame as they went just 6-31 from beyond the arc (19.4%) but it was enough for the Irish to get a win over legendary head coach Tubby Smith, who is one of just three coaches all-time to take five different programs to the NCAA Tournament.
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Notre Dame returns to action on Monday, Nov. 22 as they’ll take on St. Mary’s College in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
In Las Vegas.
Related:
Get to know your Irish: 2021-2022 Notre Dame basketball bios
Memories: Best pictures from Notre Dame’s last trip to the Maui Invitational
