Trey Wertz buzzer-beater lifts Notre Dame past Wake Forest in ACC Tournament

It didn’t matter of how long Notre Dame held a lead Tuesday, only that the Irish were ahead when it mattered most.

Notre Dame led just 1:22 of the 40 minutes in its first-round ACC tournament game against Wake Forest on Tuesday, including at the final horn.

Trey Wertz splashed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift No. 11 Notre Dame to an improbable 80-77 win over No. 14 Wake Forest, capping a 17-2 run to close out the game and sending the Demon Deacons packing.

Wertz was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and finished with a team-high 16 points for Notre Dame, which advances to face No. 6 North Carolina at 9 p.m. Wednesday on the ACC Network.

Wake Forest had control of the game from the start. After the Irish jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Wake scored 21 of the next 26 points to push its lead to 14 points. The Irish made a run to get within three later in the first half, but Wake again pushed the lead, taking a seven-point advantage into halftime.

Wakes largest lead was 16 with 16:26 to play, and the Deacons were still ahead by 12 with 7:20 left. That’s when Notre Dame went to work. Prentiss Hubb made a driving layup, Juwan Durham threw down a dunk and Hubb drove down the lane again to cut the lead in half.

Wertz nailed a trey two minutes later and Hubb again made a basket, this time a step-back jumper, and with 2:43 to play, the game was knotted at 75.

The Irish took their first lead since the opening minute on a pair of Hubb free throws. Wake answered with its only basket of the final stretch on a Carter Whitt jumper with 51 seconds to play.

That set the stage for Wertz, who converted with no time left on the clock after a big block and defensive rebound by Cormac Ryan.

Hubb and Ryan each finished with 14 points for the Irish.

Daivien Williamson led the way for Wake Forest with 21 points.

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 9:36 PM.