Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Virginia Tech Hokies Match Player Stats On Jan 10, 2021

Jalen Cone scored a game-high 18 points and Keve Aluma notched a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as No. 19 Virginia Tech earned its fifth win in six games with a 77-63 victory against visiting Notre Dame in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday night at Blacksburg, Va.

Nate Laszewski scored 17 points to lead Notre Dame, which has lost three straight and five of six. The Fighting Irish (3-7, 0-4 ACC) trailed by as many as 14 points down the stretch after leading by seven at the half.

Virginia Tech (9-2, 3-1) opened the second half on a 12-2 run, establishing a toughness and edge on the boards that steered the Hokies to a 41-24 rebounding advantage. The Fighting Irish missed seven of their first eight shots after halftime and didn't register a second-half field goal until Prentiss Hubb hit a jumper at the 13:55 mark.

Hubb scored Notre Dame's next basket 1:40 later, drilling a trey to put the Fighting Irish ahead 50-49. The Hokies regained the lead on a pair of Aluma field goals and never trailed after that. The

Fighting Irish shot just 2-for-19 from the field in the second half and 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) for the game.

Hunter Cattoor added 15 points for the Hokies while Justyn Mutts had 14 to help Virginia Tech improve to 11-2 under coach Mike Young when at least four players score in double figures.

Dane Goodwin (12 points) and Cormac Ryan (10) also finished in double figures for the Fighting Irish, who have lost 26 successive games against ranked opponents. Ryan had a team-best seven rebounds, while Hubb dished six assists.

Virginia Tech grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outscored Notre Dame 34-20 in the paint. The Hokies shot 45.3 percent from the field.

Notre Dame took a 42-35 lead into halftime behind 55.2 percent shooting, including a 5-for-13 effort from behind the arc. Goodwin had 10 points to pace Notre Dame, while Cone led all scorers with 14 points at the half.

--Field Level Media