Observations: Notre Dame holds off North Carolina State, 73-65

If nothing else, the back and forth was entertaining.

Notre Dame and North Carolina State swapped the lead eight times in the first half, with seven ties. It was hardly because of exciting offense, though. The teams grinded through a turnover- and misfire-filled opening 20 minutes that decidedly lacked rhythm.

Finally, Notre Dame pinched itself, perked up and took control of a game it couldn’t lose and shouldn’t lose.

The Irish beat North Carolina State 73-65 for their third straight victory. They moved to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in the ACC, remaining tied for second place.

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Senior forward Nate Laszewski led Notre Dame with 18 points, while senior guard Dane Goodwin added 17. Notre Dame shot 38.6 percent overall and 39.3 on three-pointers. North Carolina State (10-11, 3-7 ACC) shot 42.6 percent and was led by guard Dereon Seabron’s 21 points.

Here are three observations from the game.

BOX SCORE

1. Nate Laszewski sparks Notre Dame

Notre Dame needed someone to wake up. To wake the team up. Even wake the building up.

In what’s developing into a theme, the often-reserved Laszewski offered his services. Notre Dame remained asleep out of halftime, letting a 30-30 midpoint tie turn into a five-point hole three minutes later. Out of a timeout, though, Laszewski provided a jolt and lit the fuse on a game-turning 15-0 run.

“You remember him as a young guy, he was nervous at times, but he has a really good presence about him,” head coach Mike Brey said. “It’s neat to see.”

Laszewski scored the first eight points of that run himself, making two three-pointers and attacking a closeout for a dunk. He made another three after one from Goodwin, which pushed Notre Dame’s lead to 12. In between all that, he drew a charge, blocked a shot on a drive and was fouled when pulling down a defensive rebound.

It felt similar to Notre Dame’s 71-68 win at Howard Jan. 17, when Laszewski’s strong second half staved off a near-upset. Like that game, Notre Dame primarily played four guards with Laszewski at the five. That lineup eventually forced North Carolina State to send center Ebenezer Dowuona to the bench and play small.

Laszewski finished with 11 rebounds and an assist while making 6 of 9 shots from the field and 4 of 5 from three-point range. He drew four fouls, two of which were charges.

2. Handling the press

Everyone knew it was coming at some point.

North Carolina State had already pressed intermittently throughout the game. And sure enough, it unfurled full-court pressure late in the game as it tried to claw back.

Notre Dame fans had seen their team cave in this spot too many times before.

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This time, though, the Irish didn’t. They committed just two turnovers in the final eight minutes. One was a bad pass by senior guard Cormac Ryan against the press. The other was an ill-advised Goodwin lob attempt after a successful press break. Otherwise, Notre Dame had little trouble warding off North Carolina State’s final push.

The Irish largely quelled the pressure in the first half, but their unforced errors in the half-court offense kept it from finding any offensive rhythm until after the break. They had seven turnovers and seven assists in the first half. Many were unforced and products of bad decisions — a pass into the stands, a travel and a charge on a jump pass, for example. There were multiple instances of loose handles leading to strips and steals.

3. Blake Wesley struggles, but finishes strong

Ten NBA scouts came to Purcell Pavilion Wednesday to see Notre Dame freshman guard Blake Wesley, a fast riser up draft boards this season.

That’s becoming a typical scouting contingent size at Notre Dame games. This group saw one of Wesley’s bumpier games, though, and one that highlighted areas he could improve with another year of college basketball.

Wesley was 3 of 16 from the field and 1 of 6 from beyond the arc. It was a night of some iffy shot selection and misses at the rim where more strength would have helped him. Wesley also committed a turnover at midcourt when a defender picked his pocket.

On one first-half possession, Wesley deftly split two defenders, but couldn’t get all the way to the rim and finish through contact. His layup attempt fell short of the front rim. He began the second half with two hurried, contested wing jumpers. Later, he drew a foul on a drive, but couldn’t get his layup attempt into the basket through the traffic. That last one is picking nits, but it’s what a surefire lottery pick can often do.

But like prior off nights or off halves, Welsey manages to still make a positive impact amid struggles. He scored 15 points, drew seven fouls and went 8 of 12 from the free throw line. He had four assists, including two to Goodwin for three-pointers late in the game. The 12 foul shots were a season high. Four assists tied his most in an ACC game. He added two steals, including one where he jumped a passing lane, intercepted the ball and scooted for a layup.