Notre Dame Taken Down By Virginia Tech Hokies
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Jalen Cone scored 18 points off the bench to lift No. 19 Virginia Tech to a 77-63 victory against Notre Dame on Sunday.
Cone connected on 5 of 11 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, as the Hokies (9-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from Wednesday's loss at Louisville. Virginia Tech has won five of six games and five consecutive home games.
Keve Aluma added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Hunter Cattoor had 15 points for the Hokies, who held Notre Dame to just two field goals in the second half.
Nate Laszewski led the Fighting Irish (3-7, 0-4) with 17 points, with most of that coming from an 11-for-12 performance at the free-throw line.
Notre Dame led 50-49 after a 3-pointer by Prentiss Hubb with 12:16 remaining, but that was the Fighting Irish's last field goal. Aluma started an 11-3 run with two free throws and ended it with a dunk with 9:11 left to give Virginia Tech the lead for good.
Dane Goodwin finished with 12 points for the Fightin Irish, who shot just 37.5% (18 of 48).
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish came in shooting 45% this season and led the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage (38.9%), but terrible shooting in the second half doomed them despite getting some good looks. Laszewski, who led the ACC in field-goal percentage (65.8) and 3-point field-goal percentage (59.0), took only six shots and just one 3-pointer. He needs to get more attempts going forward if the Fighting Irish are to turn this season around.
Virginia Tech: Led by Cone, Virginia Tech's bench has been outstanding this season. For the seventh time in 11 games, the Hokies' bench scored at least 20 points, finishing with 35 against the Fighting Irish. The Hokies have a lot of depth, which is one of the biggest reasons this team has staying power in the ACC race.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Hokies suffered a three-point loss at Louisville earlier in the week, but should remain in the Top 25 after Sunday night's win.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish play at Virginia on Wednesday.
The Hokies play at home against Duke on Tuesday.
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