Notre Dame Outlasts Panthers in a Close Encounter at Petersen Events Center
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, ranked 16th, edged out the Pittsburgh Panthers with a final score of 71-66. The Fighting Irish's season record now stands at an impressive tally, while the Panthers' record reflects their continued efforts to climb up the ranks.
The game was held at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, where both teams displayed competitive spirit and skill. The Fighting Irish started strong with a commanding lead in the first quarter scoring 28 points against the Panther's 12. However, momentum shifted as Notre Dame scored only 11 points in the second quarter while Pittsburgh ramped up their offense to add 18 points to their total.
Despite being outscored by Pittsburgh in both the third and fourth quarters, each with 18 points for the home team against Notre Dame's respective totals of eight and twenty-four, it was Notre Dame’s early surge that ultimately secured their victory. The Fighting Irish showcased a balanced offensive effort with an overall field goal percentage of forty-one percent from sixty-three attempts and were particularly effective from beyond the arc hitting thirty-three percent of their three-point shots.
Defensively, Notre Dame managed seven steals and three blocks throughout the game but gave away twenty-four personal fouls leading to one foul out situation. Their rebounding efforts were notable as they collected thirty-two rebounds including six offensive boards which contributed to eight second-chance points.
A key factor for Notre Dame was their ability to capitalize on turnovers; they scored nineteen points off twelve turnovers by Pittsburgh while maintaining a positive assist-turnover ratio of 1.27 thanks to fourteen assists on offense.
On individual performances for Notre Dame: free throw accuracy played a significant role as they made eighty-five percent of free throws attempted which amounted to eleven successful shots contributing crucially towards maintaining their lead.
The Panthers put up a resilient fight despite falling short on this occasion. They had an impressive fifty-six percent two-point shooting performance from forty-three attempts and dominated inside scoring thirty-six points in paint compared to twenty-six by Notre Dame. However, they struggled from long range missing all eight three-point attempts which proved costly in such a tight contest.
Looking ahead after this hard-fought victory, fans can anticipate another exciting matchup as The Fighting Irish will host North Carolina Tar Heels at Purcell Pavilion located in South Bend IN on January 7th at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. This upcoming game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 channel two hundred nine for fans unable to attend what promises another showcase of collegiate basketball talent.