Shorthanded Irish hold off B.C.

After leading scorer T.J. Gibbs left the building prior to Notre Dame’s home game with Boston College on Saturday, Mike Brey got encore performances from reliable John Mooney and unexpected starter Prentiss Hubb in a 69-66 victory.

“It just came down to me having my teammates’ back,” said Hubb, who overcame a recent shooting slump to swish a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left while scoring a career-high 16 points.

Mooney had his eighth double-double of the season — a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds — as roster-depleted Notre Dame (11-5, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) survived despite zero points from its bench and no field goals in the last 4:15.

Already with two players gone with season-ending surgeries, another who transferred, and a fourth, shot-blo c king Juwan Durham, nursing an injured ankle, Brey got 22 minutes from reserve Nikola Djogo, who didn’t score but gave Notre Dame’s five starters breathers.

“All six are happy about their playing time today,” Brey quipped.

The Eagles (9-6, 0-3) got 24 points and 16 rebounds from Ky Bowman.

(At) Miami 76, Wake Forest 65: Playing with a seven-man rotation, the Hurricanes saved some energy in the closing minutes by shooting a lot of free throws.

Chris Lykes scored 25 points, including 12 free throws in the final five minutes without a miss, and the Hurricanes earned their first Atlantic Coast Conference vic- tory by beating Wake Forest.

Late-game fades have been an issue for the Hurricanes, but in the second half they went 17-for-18 from the line while also shooting 52 percent.

Miami (9-7, 1-3 ACC) bounced back from its worst league start since joining the ACC in 2005. Wake Forest (7-8, 0-3), with two freshman starters, lost for the fifth time in six games.

SEC

Texas A&M 81, (at) Alabama 80: TJ Starks hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift Texas A&M to a win over Alabama. Starks took the inbounds pass, raced down the left side and heaved in a running shot for the win

Josh Nebo finished with a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds for the Aggies (7-7, 1-2 SEC). Alabama (10-5, 1-2) dropped its second straight SEC game.

Missouri-South Carolina: South Carolina and Missouri tentatively rescheduled Saturday’s postponed basketball game to today, as long as the Tigers can safely travel for their road game due to winter weather.

The contest was delayed Friday because Missouri had travel issues due to a winter storm in their area.

The Tigers (9-4, 0-1) are seeking their first SEC win. The Gamecocks (7-7, 2-0) had opened league play with victories over Florida and No. 14 Mississippi State.