Paul Atkinson Jr. scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his homecoming as Notre Dame defeated host Miami 68-64 on Wednesday.
Notre Dame (15-7, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got 15 points and a team-high six assists from Prentiss Hubb and 14 points from Dane Goodwin. The Fighting Irish built a 14-point lead midway through the second half and held on for the victory.
Atkinson, who played his high school ball at Westminster Academy, 45 miles from Miami’s campus, made 11 of 16 shots from the floor.
Miami (16-6, 8-3), which started the night tied with Duke for first place in the ACC, was led by Isaiah Wong, who had 18 points. He made 7 of 13 shots from the floor, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range.
The Hurricanes lost for just the third time in their past 15 games, with the three defeats coming by a total of six points.
Miami also got 12 points each from Charlie Moore and Anthony Walker, with Moore adding a game-high seven assists. Kameron McGusty was held to seven points — 11 below his average — on 3-of-12 shooting.
The Hurricanes led during the game’s first three minutes, but the Irish were either on top or tied the rest of the half, going into halftime with a 30-28 advantage.
Notre Dame shot just 1-for-15 on 3-point attempts before the break. Atkinson got great position in the post and went 7-for-8, leading all first-half scorers with 15 points. Goodwin had 11 points prior to halftime — one 3-pointer and the rest on drives or put-backs.
In the second half, Miami took a 34-32 lead on a Wong dunk with 16:53 to go. But Notre Dame responded with a 10-0 run for a 42-34 advantage with 13:50 remaining. That run was sparked by consecutive Hubb 3-pointers.
Miami never led again, though the Hurricanes pulled within 66-62 with 30 seconds remaining on Moore’s steal and layup.
Notre Dame’s Cormac Ryan made two free throws seven seconds later, sealing the victory.
–Field Level Media