Getting your first ACC victory shouldn’t be this hard, but that’s been the story of Notre Dame’s season. It only was fitting that the Irish would struggle once more when it played Georgia Tech at Purcell Pavilion. This time however, the ending was a happy one. While it won’t inspire any outsider’s confidence in them, the Irish will take their 73-72 overtime win over the Yellow Jackets.
The Irish (9-8, 1-5) saw a nine-point second-half lead turn into a seven-point deficit with two-and-a-half minutes to go. But four straight points from [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] were followed by a [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] 3-pointer to tie the game with 53 seconds left. Both the Irish and Jackets (8-8, 1-5) had chances to score with time winding down, but both attempts failed. The Jackets committed a shot-clock violation, and Starling barely missed a layup with seconds to play, forcing overtime.
The period frequently known as free basketball saw the teams trade baskets and culminated in two free [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] free throws to give the Irish a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining. Starling went after a missed 3 that was headed out of bounds, and a replay review ruled he touched the ball. That allowed the Jackets to inbound beneath the basket with 3.7 seconds left and a chance to win it. Ja’Von Franklin took the inbound and missed the subsequent shot, allowing Wertz to secure the rebound and the win for the Irish.
[autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] briefly departed with a rolled ankle, but he returned to the floor to complete a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Starling came off the bench for the first time in his collegiate career to score 16. Laszewski had 14 points to go with seven boards, and [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] added 11.
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