The Notre Dame basketball team picked up another road win in ACC play as they beat NC State on Saturday in Raleigh. This was the Irish 5th road win of the year which is the most currently in the ACC.
Notre Dame got off to a very good start against NC State on Saturday afternoon. The under 16-minute timeout came and the Wolfpack still had no points on the scoreboard. With 8:39 left in the first half, it was a 23-6 lead for the Irish and this felt like it was heading toward a blowout win for Notre Dame. Freshman star Terquavion Smith had other plans as they went on a 22-10 run to only go into the locker room down by five points.
The Wolfpack came out early in the second half with the same energy they finished the first half with and it was not looking good for Notre Dame. NC State took their first lead of the game 38-37 at the fifteen-minute mark. That lead did not last long as a few minutes later the Irish went on a huge 21-4 run to put this game back in control for them and out of range for NC State.
NC State was led by Terquavion Smith who finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Dereon Seabron had a near double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Casey Morsell added in 11 points on the afternoon as well.
Notre Dame was led by Paul Atkinson Jr. for the third consecutive night. Atkinson Jr. finished with another double-double performance of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Blake Wesley had two rough shooting games coming into Saturday but had a nice bounce-back outing shooting 7-13 from the floor and contributing with 14 points. Dane Goodwin also had a double-double scoring 12 points, and 10 rebounds. Prentiss Hubb had a productive shooting game scoring 13 points, and Trey Wertz had a big game off the bench scoring 12 points.
Early in the first half Notre Dame forward Nate Laszewski left the game after taking a charge against the Wolfpack. He did not return to the contest either. After the game, Mike Brey told reporters that after tests it is thankfully just a contusion and no other damage. This is big news for a Notre Dame team that only goes seven deep in the rotation. Hopefully, he is able to rest and recover as the Irish will need him out on the court the rest of the way.