Hokie ClubNOTRE DAME, Ind. – In its third straight road outing, the No. 20/19 Virginia Tech men's basketball team defeated Notre Dame 62-51 on Wednesday night and swept the season series against the Irish.
The Hokies improve to 12-3 overall and 6-2 in conference which ties their best start through eight outings in ACC play (2006-07). Notre Dame falls to 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the conference. Mike Young is now 2-2 against Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish.
Two Hokie forwards recorded double-doubles including Keve Aluma with 14 points and 12 boards and Justyn Mutts with 14 points and 11 boards. Sophomore Nahiem Alleyne had a team-high 15 points and also notched career highs in rebounds with nine and assists with five. Sophomore Hunter Cattoor added 13 points with four triples in the outing.
In the paint, the Hokies outrebounded the Irish 46-36 and grabbed 38 defensive rebounds which is their most all season in that category. Tech was tough on the inside as it tallied seven blocks and on the offensive side had 24 paint buckets.
It was all Hokies on the defensive end as Tech forced the Irish to commit 12 turnovers and they did so by coming up with eight steals. The Hokies held Notre Dame to just 35% shooting from the field and 16% from three.
THE GAME
The Hokies opened the outing with hot shooting from Cattoor who nailed a couple 3s from deep and Alleyne who hit two jumpers to give Tech the early advantage. The Hokies' offense slowed down but their defense picked up, forcing the Irish to commit nine turnovers in first and holding Notre Dame to just 32% from the field. Tech went into the break with a 31-22 advantage.
Techs front court came out looking to score as Aluma and Mutts combined for 14 points through eight minutes in second to give Tech a 50-35 lead. The Hokies controlled the pace of the contest from that point on and never let the Irish back into the game with key defensive stops. Tech would go on to win 62-51.
GAME NOTES
- Mutts notched his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds and tied his season high in blocks with three.
- Aluma tallied his third double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Aluma also tied his career-high in rebounds with 12 on the night.
- Tech has now won four of its last five outings against Notre Dame. The Hokies have also won three of the last four on the road against the Irish.
- Tech recorded seven blocks, which is its second-highest total this season (nine at Wake).
- Cattoor tied his season high in 3-pointers made with four on the night.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will return to Blacksburg to face off against in-state rival Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. ET inside Cassell Coliseum.
Gallery: (1-27-2021) 2021 MEN'S BASKETBALL at NOTRE DAME