A one-point halftime deficit quickly disappeared as a second-half 11-0 Notre Dame run helped the Fighting Irish defeat High Point, 70-61, on Tuesday night in South Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame (2-0) came off a strong season-opening statement against Cal State Northridge, a 68-52 home win on Saturday.
Tuesday night was a more difficult contest for the Fighting Irish, who were taking on a High Point team coming off a 35-point road loss at Northwestern last Friday.
The Panthers (1-2) fared much better in South Bend, taking a 33-32 lead into halftime. John-Michael Wright continued where he left off last week, putting up 10 points in the first 20 minutes. He finished with 17 points, tied for the team high with teammate Jaden House, who led all scorers with 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting in the first half.
Paul Atkinson Jr. carried Notre Dame, putting up a season-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. It was his second straight game scoring in double digits as he produced 16 in the opening win. Atkinson scored four points during the Fighting Irish’s 11-0 second-half run.
Teammates Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin each had a double-double in the win, with Laszewski recording 10 points and 16 rebounds and Goodwin recording 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Notre Dame would end up shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the second half compared to 28.2 percent in the first half.
That efficient shooting really made the difference, along with a strong performance in the battle of the boards for the Fighting Irish, outrebounding High Point, 54-36. Notre Dame also had a great day in the turnover department with just nine in the game.
Notre Dame’s next outing is Monday night at Saint Mary’s (CA) and High Point will host Howard at home Saturday afternoon.
–Field Level Media
