Men's Basketball

Mooney's Career Night Not Enough In Loss To Radford

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – John Mooney's career night of 24 points and 12 rebounds was not enough for the Irish, as Notre Dame (2-1) suffered its first defeat of the season by a final score of 63-60 against Radford (3-0).

Eighteen of Mooney's career-high 24 points came off six makes from three-point range. The other Notre Dame player to finish in double figures was junior T.J. Gibbs, who scored 11 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish used a hot start from beyond the arc to jump out to an early 15-5 lead over the opening eight minutes of action. Mooney connected on his first four shots from three-point range and Robby Carmody added a make from distance for the team's first 15 points. Radford managed to cut the Irish lead to one at 24-23 but Notre Dame closed the half by outscoring the visitors 10-5 to take a 34-28 lead into the break.

The Highlanders chipped away at the Irish lead and managed to take the lead at 41-40 with over 16 minutes left in regulation. The lead exchanged hands over the next few minutes before the Notre Dame offense went cold for a stretch, allowing Radford to take its largest lead of the night at 59-53 with just under five minutes to play.

After the score moved to 61-55 aft the four-minute mark the Irish cut the visitor's advantage to three points at 61-58 but Radford answered with a finish at the rim with 55 seconds left to push its lead back to five. After a bucket from Mooney made the score 63-60 the Irish had one last chance to tie the game but the three-point attempt was off the mark, sealing the Radford victory.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mooney carried the Irish offense on Wednesday, scoring a career-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting. The junior did the majority of his damage from range, connecting on 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc. Mooney also grabbed 12 rebounds, notching the first double-double of his season and second of his career.

NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish finished with a season-low four turnovers on Wednesday.

NOTES OF THE GAME
  • Mooney connected on his first five three-point attempts. The last player to achieve the feat was Matt Farrell, who made nine in a row on Feb. 17, 2018 at Boston College.
  • Mooney's 24 points are the most any Notre Dame player has scored this season.
  • Gibbs scored 11 points and has now recorded 10-plus points 36 times in his career.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will host William & Mary at noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Purcell Pavilion as part of the Gotham Classic. The game will air live on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app