Pflueger’s hot 2nd half boosts Irish
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame guard Rex Pflueger missed practice on Thanksgiving because of a back strain.
He was back on the court Saturday and did some serious heavy lifting after halftime to help the Irish pull away from DePaul.
The senior scored 17 of his career-high 20 points in the second half as Notre Dame defeated the Blue Demons 95-70 at Purcell Pavilion.
“My teammates found me in my spots, and I took my shots,” Pflueger said. “We’ve had some tough struggles shooting the ball, and I felt a little rhythm (Saturday). And when I started getting a little groove on, (my teammates) all started pushing me and getting me going.”
The Irish (5-1) put together their most complete game. T.J. Gibbs scored 18 points. Freshmen Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski established career highs with 15 each.
“This was a huge steppingstone for us,” Gibbs said. “You can see as the competition gets a little better, we have to raise our competitive spirit. It starts in practice, and we are only making each other better. This is another step to that. We are far from a finished product, but we needed this.” It all started with Pflueger.
“My biggest thing is trying to keep him fresh in a game — and now I have more guys I can put in for him — and fresh during the season because he just works so hard,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. “I’m thrilled for his offensive output. He deserves it. He’s such a team guy and a winner.”
Pflueger went 6-for-7 from the field and made all four of his 3-point attempts. His previous career best was 19 points against Florida State on Feb. 10, 2018.
“I just had to stay locked in and not change, not get too high or too low,” Pflueger said. “I learned that from the older guys that went through this program, like Steve Vasturia or Matt Farrell. When they are having great games, obviously they can show emotion, but realistically you’ve got to go back down to the other end and defend.”
The second-half effort sent DePaul to its first loss. Max Strus led the Blue Demons (3-1) with 15 points. Jalen Coleman-Lands had 12 points and six rebounds.
“We’re a work in progress,” DePaul coach Dave Leitao said, “and we’ll be that way until we catch a rhythm on what we do in a lot of key areas — in how hard we play every day, how we practice every day, how well we execute and how sharp our focus is. We’ve shown some pretty good signs in all of those areas, but signs and consistency are two different things.”
DePaul trailed 39-36 at halftime. Then Pflueger got hot, and so did his teammates. Notre Dame shot 62 percent from the field in the second half.
“When he gets in his rhythm and things start to fall, it just makes the game so much easier for the rest of us,” Gibbs said. “The way he’s leading the team is great.”