Irish erase deficit before falling to IU in Crossroads Classic

NOW: Irish erase deficit before falling to IU in Crossroads Classic
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - It's nothing rare for Notre Dame men's basketball to end up in a thriller at the Crossroads Classic. However, there has been plenty of tough luck for the Irish over the last half-decade, which continued in a 62-60 loss to Indiana on Saturday.

After struggling offensively in the first half and early in the second, the Irish trailed by as much as 17. Over the course of the final 10 minutes, they stormed back to take the lead, even by as much as five points with under four minutes to play. But ultimately

“We were going to get run out of the gym, so I love that we found a way to fight back," head coach Mike Brey said after the game. "We just couldn’t finish it. Give Indiana credit for making big plays.”

The Hoosiers closed on a 8-1 run capped by freshman and Indianapolis native Armaan Franklin's three with 15 seconds remaining.

“They hit two big threes and we just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch," said John Mooney. "You’ve gotta tip you hat to that kid for making a big shot.”

Dane Goodwin, who led the second half charge with 15 points all in that stretch, added his own frustration with the missed opportunity.

“It was definitely a game we could win and we had a shot," he said. "We were up five [with four minutes] left. You have to close those ones out.”

The loss dropped the Irish to 1-4 at the Crossroads Classic since 2014. The lone win in that stretch was a season ago, but also came with a cost as Rex Pflueger lost his season to injury.

Notre Dame will have a chance to bounce back next December against Purdue, but this year's group has one final non-conference matchup against Alabama A&M next weekend before ACC play begins after the New Year.

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