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Notre Dame Basketball: Gibbs Leads Irish Past Georgia Tech

By Chase Eyrich

BLACKSBURG, VA - JANUARY 01: Temple 'T.J.' Gibbs #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to dribble past defending Wabissa Bede #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on January 1, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - JANUARY 01: Temple 'T.J.' Gibbs #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to dribble past defending Wabissa Bede #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on January 1, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /
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After one of the worst performances of the season last week, Notre Dame basketball bounced back in a big way with a 69-59 victory over Georgia Tech.

For the Notre Dame basketball team, Sunday’s performance wasn’t the cleanest, at least in the first half. Missed shots and turnovers plagued both teams. In the end, Notre Dame pulled it all together for their second league win in the last three games.

Sunday marked the second time Notre Dame and Georgia Tech faced off this season. With the first meeting coming down to the final possession, it seemed like that would be the case for this one, as well.

Once again, the Irish struggled with Georgia Tech’s zone defense. Notre Dame couldn’t find ways to get to the middle and when they eventually did find the shots they wanted, they couldn’t make them.

It wasn’t until there was under six minutes left to play in the first half that the Irish were able to reach double-digits thanks to a Nate Laszewski three. During that time, there was a stretch where Notre Dame missed 13 shots in a row.

Things looked bleak until the freshman Laszewski kick-started a run that would make it a one-point game going into the half.

Despite the shooting struggles, second chance opportunities kept Notre Dame in it. With 20 offensive rebounds, six of which came from John Mooney, the Irish were able to attempt 64 shots.

Two of the biggest benefactors to those opportunities were Temple Gibbs who logged a game-high 20 points and D.J. Harvey, who added 18.

Both of their performances were needed, but it waas especially important for Gibbs to break out of his recent struggles. Gibbs did just that, which made Sunday’s win seem even more impressive.

Gibbs’ game was anything but efficient, but he was able to overcome a slow start to go 5-for-13 from the field. He scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and forced his way to the free throw line, where he hit 8 of 9 shots.

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The Irish still have plenty of questions to answer and improvements to make, but they will look at this victory as a confidence booster moving forward.