Despite keeping pace early with No. 3 Maryland, Notre Dame found itself on the short end of a 19-7 run to end the first half and never recovered in a 72-51 road loss Wednesday. The Irish (6-2) began this ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup by jumping out to a five-point lead in the first five minutes. They kept pace for another 11 minutes, tying the game at 13 before the Terrapins (9-0) blew it open and never looked back, leading by as much as 27 in the second half. The Irish dropped to 4-3 all-time in the annual challenge between the two power conferences.
Jalen Smith led the Terrapins with a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds to go with five blocks. Eric Ayala scored 14, and Aaron Wiggins had 11, two of which came on a thunderous put-back dunk of his own shot to end the first half. The Terrapins never allowed the Irish to get into a shooting rhythm, limiting the guests to 29 percent from the field. The first half particularly was challenging for the Irish, who made only eight field goals and shot 1 for 11 from 3-point range.
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John Mooney continued to be Notre Dame’s most dependable player, achieving his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. Prentiss Hubb matched Mooney’s team highs of five field goals and three 3-pointers, finishing with 13 points and leading the Irish with three assists. Rex Pflueger was held scoreless, missing both of his 3-point attempts, and committed a game-high five turnovers. It was a surprising off night for Pflueger, who has enjoyed a balanced season to this point.
The Irish were unable to keep up with the quicker Terrapins, who held a 15-7 advantage in fast break points. They also outscored the Irish in points in the paint, 36-22.
With time winding down Notre Dame’s Robby Carmody went down with what appeared to be a significant knee injury and initial reports do not sound good for the Irish sophomore guard.
The Irish return to action Saturday when they host a struggling Boston College squad.
This article was written by new Fighting Irish Wire contributor Geoffrey Clark