No. 8 Notre Dame Erases 18-Point Deficit To Beat N.C. State In OT
Winning consistently in the ACC can be tough. Winning on the road in the ACC? Even tougher. Overcoming an 18-point deficit to do both of those? Well that’s just impossible.
Unless you’re Notre Dame.
The No. 8 Irish (19-2, 7-1 ACC) did exactly that after N.C. State seemed to have them on the ropes in the first half. A Notre Dame team that is becoming well-known for their offense couldn’t find any, shooting 37.5 percent in the first half from the field, and only 9.1 percent from beyond the arc. There really is no other explanation for why they were down at the half. But Mike Brey’s teams don’t give up. And the Irish roared back in the second half for the 81-78 win in OT.
The Wolfpack (13-8, 4-4) are a very capable offense, and showed that in the first half. The created open look opportunities underneath, and got some key buckets from Caleb and Cody Martin, and one point opening up the 18-point lead. With the roof about to come off the PNC Center, the veteran Notre Dame team never panicked.
From the end of the first half through the first seven minutes of the second half, the Irish went on a 31-12 run, erasing the deficit and giving the a one-point lead, their first of the game with 17 and a half to play.
The Wolfpack would go shot for shot with the Irish, keeping it within a five-point window each way from there on. Trevor Lacey led the Pack with 13 points, and Caleb Martin and Kyle Washington added 12 – three of five players in double-figures for them.
Notre Dame responded with five of their own scoring 10 or more, with Jerian Grant leading the way with 25 points, but not one of those would be as big as the one block he recorded.
After V.J. Beachem tipped in the tying bucket near the end of regulation, the Irish would look to complete the comeback in OT. N.C. State was up to the challenge, keeping pace with them the entire way. Demetrius Jackson would hit only one of his two free throws with 12.4 seconds left, giving the Pack a chance to force a second overtime.
Lacey looked for a step back three, but Grant kept his position and used his long frame to get his hand up and block the shot. Lacey missed the recovery effort, but it looked as if it would have been after the buzzer regardless.
The Irish join Virginia as the only two ACC teams with seven wins, and have gone 4-0 on the road for the first time in school history.
The celebration will be short-lived as the Duke Blue Devils come into Purcell on Wednesday in a clash of two of the top teams in the ACC.