JJ Starling lifts Notre Dame to an 88-81 win over Youngstown State
On a Sunday afternoon when the graduate veterans pulled Notre Dame out of multiple tough scoring runs and situations, it was Irish freshman guard JJ Starling who made the two biggest shots in a poised and hard-fought 88-81 win over Youngstown State at Purcell Pavilion.
The Irish leading 76-73 with 2:25 left in the game and with Youngstown gaining momentum, Starling made consecutive three-pointers for Notre Dame to give Notre Dame a 82-75 lead, along with some breathing room and its second-straight single-digit win to open this season.
The Irish (2-0) never trailed after falling behind 12-11 early in the first half but they could never fully shake their athletic and talented opponent either.
“We believe we are going to find a way to win in this building,” Brey said immediately after the game. “We’ll take 2-0 and get some rest tomorrow.”
Starling’s two clutch three-pointers were part of a 17-point evening for the standout rookie who went 6-of-13 shooting and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
And, with all five Irish starters scoring in double digits, Sunday’s win showcased a balanced blend of young and old performers.
“We have enough weapons to take what the defense gives you and be unselfish,” Brey said.
Graduate Irish guard Dane Goodwin paced Notre Dame with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Goodwin’s effort was highlighted by multiple occasions when he took matters head-on to end Youngstown’s scoring runs.
Seven times in the second half the Penguins climbed to within three points or fewer of Notre Dame’s lead.
Goodwin answered with a bucket on four of those ensuing Irish possessions to calm the waters and the nerves.
And as a team, Notre Dame scored on six of the seven possessions after Youngstown threatened to take the lead or at least tie the game.
“We had to figure out in-game situations and it was a good experience for us,” Brey said.
Irish graduate guard Trey Wertz added 15 points, while graduate guard Cormac Ryan had 13 points and clutch 6-of-6 foul shooting. Graduate forward Nate Laszewski recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th career double-double and his second in two games this season.
“Our old guys set a great tone,” Brey said.
While, at the same time, his young guys did their part, and then some.
In addition to Starling’s clutch performance and solid production, freshman forward Van-Allen Lubin chipped in with 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Going 14-of-15 from the foul line also aided Notre Dame’s winning performance.
Youngstown built a 12-11 lead early in the game before Notre Dame responded with a 15-7 run for a 27-18 lead that the Irish never surrendered.
The Irish defense wasn’t terrific, Brey admitted after a game. Youngstown shot 50.8 percent (33 of 65). But Notre Dame’s 60.0-percent field goal shooting (33 of 55) was, which included 53.3-percent from three-point range (8 of 15).
The Notre Dame balance cancelled out, and eventually won out, over a terrific game from Youngstown graduate forward Adrian Nelson, who led all scorers with 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting.
A sloppy start to the second half for Notre Dame which was plagued with turnovers allowed Youngstown to pull within 43-41. The Penguins would also cut their deficit to 63-62 and 66-64, but Notre Dame had a clutch scoring answer every time.
The Irish return to action this Wednesday at home against Southern Indiana (8 p.m., ET, ACC Network) as part of the Gotham Classic.
The Screaming Eagles (1-1) beat Southern Illinois 71-53 Sunday afternoon, so expect another tussle in this one.
