The NC State men’s basketball team wrapped up the regular season Saturday, falling to Notre Dame 89-75 at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana.

The Wolfpack (15-16, 5-13 ACC) needed the win to avoid finishing a regular season with a record below .500 for the first time since Mark Gottfried was named head coach. The Fighting Irish (20-10, 11-7 ACC) were looking for a confidence boost after losing two in a row to Miami (FL) and Florida State before entering the ACC Tournament next week.

Junior Cat Barber entered the contest averaging 23.2 points per game, tops in the ACC. He opened the scoring and helped the Pack get off to a strong start with the help of sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu. Abu and Barber accounted for 18 of the team’s first 21 points, and Notre Dame struggled early to find an answer for the Wolfpack duo.

The Irish eventually found a way back into the game and took their first lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

The score went back and forth for the remainder of the half, and neither team led by more than six in the final eight minutes of the game. Sophomore Caleb Martin splashed a trifecta to put the Pack up 37-31, marking NC State’s largest lead of the game. Notre Dame senior Matt Ryan hit three free throws to put the Irish up 45-39 going into the half.

Ryan scored all 17 of his points in the first half, shooting 5 of 6 from the field. Barber led the Pack with 16 points in the first half, shooting 7 for 15 from the field.

Only four Wolfpack players scored in the first half compared to six for the Irish. Depth continues to be an issue for Gottfried’s team, and they would need to dig deep to find consistent scoring in the second half.

It was Notre Dame who started the stronger of the two teams in the second half as they took a 51-41 advantage early in the half.

NC State fought back and tied the game at 53, but this was the closest it would get to the Irish for the remainder of the game.

Notre Dame started to build a lead halfway through the half, and it grew from six to 15 in the span of three minutes. The Pack had no answer for the explosive shooting by the Irish, led by junior Demetrius Jackson who scored all 14 of his points in the second half.

The Irish pulled away and won the game by a score of 89-75, a great result for them on senior night.

The Wolfpack will now set its sights on the ACC Tournament next week as it faces Wake Forest on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.