Gibbs, Harvey key Irish over error-prone Tribe 73-64
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Coach Mike Brey believes Notre Dame has its point guard in Prentiss Hubb.
"I can't thank (Hubb) enough for being aggressive and helping me get into a flow," said T.J. Gibbs, who scored 18 points to lead four Irish players in double figures. "It starts with him."
Hubb started and scored 11 points with four rebounds and two assists in a 73-64 victory over William & Mary on Saturday.
"Prentiss Hubb does a lot for us — he just makes plays," Brey said of the 6-foot-3 freshman, who missed his senior season at Gonzaga in Washington, D.C. with a knee injury.
D.J. Harvey had 15 points and John Mooney's second straight double-double — 13 points and 11 rebounds — moved the Irish to 3-1. Mooney, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds in Notre Dame's 63-60 loss to Radford Wednesday, had just one point at halftime as the Irish trailed 28-27.
"Not being able to play for a whole year threw me off a bit," Hubb said. "I'm just more confident with myself."
Nathan Knight had 18 points and Matt Milon and L.J. Owens added 11 each for Tony Shaver's Tribe (1-3), who had 16 turnovers, 10 in the final 20 minutes, and were playing without starters Paul Rowley and Justin Pierce.
"They got 16 offensive rebounds and they shot 19 free throws in the second half," Shaver said. "We lost the game in those two areas."
Notre Dame finished with a 40-30 rebounding edge, with a 16-4 advantage off the offensive glass.
The game had 14 ties and 16 lead changes before the Irish pulled away in the second half.
The Irish went on a 17-6 run over seven minutes to take a 22-15 lead on Hubb's drive down the lane at 5:28 before halftime. But William & Mary closed the half with a 13-5 run that included a 0-of-5 Irish drought.
The Irish stretched the lead to five, 56-51, at the 7:26 mark and the Tribe got sloppy with the ball. The lead grew to 60-51 on another Mooney basket with 6:27 to play and the Irish pulled away from there, leading by as many as 13 with 3:35 to play.
BIG PICTURE
William & Mary: Last season, the Tribe were the first NCAA team to shoot over 50 percent from floor (51.1), 40 percent from 3-point line (43.4) and 80 percent from the free-throw line (81.0). But against Notre Dame, William & Mary shot 34.8 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from long distance and 87.5 percent from the line in the first 20 minutes. They shot 56 percent (14 of 25) from the field in the second half, but the turnovers and rebounding hurt.
"We've got so many young kids out there we're going to make some turnovers," Shaver said. "They were more composed down the stretch than we were."
Notre Dame: Still searching for combinations, Brey sent his third different starting five out against the Tribe. The 6-foot-9, 242-pound Mooney, Harvey, Gibbs and Rex Pflueger - all upperclassmen - were joined by freshman point guard Hubb, moving Gibbs to the off guard. The Irish used 10 players in the first 10 minutes.
"Something to grow on with this group," Brey said. "D.J. got us started. Johnny Mooney has had two really good games — we just happened to lose one of them. Johnny is starting to become a key guy for us."
UP NEXT:
William & Mary: Returns home to play Radford Tuesday.
Notre Dame: Continues a seven-game homestand against Duquesne Tuesday.
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