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Last Second Putback Delivers Notre Dame 76-75 Win Over Stephen F. Austin

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Irony won the day for the Irish at The Barclays Center.

Notre Dame’s defensive woes plagued them all year, but after trailing 75-70 with 2:05 to play, it was holding Stephen F. Austin scoreless in the final two minutes that set the Irish up to convert a potential game-winner.

And after allowing the Lumberjacks to control the offensive glass all Sunday afternoon, a tip-in by freshman guard Rex Pflueger with 1.5 seconds on the clock delievered the Irish a 76-75 win.

Irish players celebrated after Pflueger tipped in the game-winning basket with 1.5 seconds to go.
Irish players celebrated after Pflueger tipped in the game-winning basket with 1.5 seconds to go.

It was a heart-stopping final sequence for everyone from those in the arena to fans who tuned in across the country.

Scrappy, tenacious Stephen F. Austin led 75-74 when star player Thomas Walkup missed a layup with 23 seconds to play. The Lumberjacks corralled an offensive rebound on the miss, but couldn’t convert the followup to potentially go-ahead by three.

After a defensive rebound by Notre Dame senior forward Zach Auguste, the Irish had a chance to call a timeout if they opted to.

Brey elected instead to live in the moment; try to win it in the disarray.

“There’s no way you’re calling timeout,” the head coach said. “There’s a little bit of chaos going on. Let’s use that to our advantage.

“And then as you tell guys, if you’re down one, don’t worry about an over-the-back call. Just everyone run to the backboard.”

And crash the glass they did.

Without a timeout called, junior guard Demetrius Jackson drove to the rim and missed a shot attempt with six seconds on the clock. Auguste collected a putback, but also missed his try with three seconds to play.

That’s when Pflueger’s moment came. The freshman guard — a former high school volleyball player — tapped Auguste’s miss in with 1.5 seconds remaining in the game.

“It was slow motion for me,” Auguste said. “My shot, it felt like it bounced on the rim for 25 seconds.

“It didn’t go in, and I fell and looked back up and the ball is going through the hoop. I was celebrating it and then Rex reminded me we had to play defense.”

Trailing 75-70 with 2:05 to play, the only way Notre Dame could even earn a chance to hit a game-winner was to dig deep and earn stops.

With 21 points already on the day, Walkup went for a knockout punch with 1:03 to play, launching a deep three-point attempt that could have put the Lumberjacks up six.

But it didn't fall. And neither did his layup with 23 seconds remaining, or the SFA offensive putback that followed.

It was a proud moment for Brey, who has rallied his team to pick up timely stops this year.

“We got enough of them,” he said of the late defense. “They’re really gifted, they’re a really good team. They’re hard to guard.

“But we got enough real key stops, and I thought we did a good job on Walkup at key times. Steve and Rex rotating on him, we slowed him down just enough, because he’s really gifted.”

Auguste was the team MVP in the one-point victory, finishing with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbing a team-high 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.

“My senior Zach Auguste was fabulous,” Brey said. “He had a double-double, he was getting every rebound. I thought he was anchoring us defensively. His hustle play to get that ball back in transition, that was a key play in the game.”

Jackson finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and junior forward V.J. Beachem chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds, including a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first half.

Notre Dame next advances to Philadelphia in the Sweet 16, and will play the winner of tonight’s matchup between seventh-seeded Wisconsin and second-seeded Xavier on Friday.

“I’m going to really enjoy this,” Brey said. “We have plenty of time to prepare now that we don’t play until Friday.

“Both games here were great games, hard-fought games, great for ratings, but I hope our group has come out really confident. We have found ways to win two tough ones, and something you want to just keep riding this time of year.”

Stay tuned with BlueandGold.com for additional coverage of Notre Dame’s postseason run.

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