Behind a dominant second-half surge, Jaron Pierre Jr. poured in 22 points and Boopie Miller added 20 as SMU Mustangs pulled away for an 89-81 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday night.
Pierre caught fire midway through the second half, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc and scoring 13 points during a decisive 19-6 run that turned a tight game into a 69-56 SMU advantage with 8:21 remaining. He punctuated the run with an electrifying windmill dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
Notre Dame battled back to cut the deficit to 83-77 with 1:12 to play, but Pierre responded with a clutch layup. Moments later, B.J. Edwards calmly sank two free throws to extend the lead to 87-77 and seal the win.
Corey Washington contributed 14 points, while Samet Yigitoglu recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds for SMU (17-7, 6-5 ACC). The Mustangs shot an efficient 52.5 percent from the field (32-of-61), with Pierre, Miller, and Washington combining for 10 of the team’s 19 three-pointers.
Jalen Haralson led Notre Dame (11-14, 2-10 ACC) with 23 points, while Cole Certa and Braeden Shrewsberry each added 16. The Fighting Irish have now dropped five straight and 10 of their last 11 contests.
SMU came out strong with a 21-11 run to open the game, but Notre Dame rallied to tie it at 34-34 late in the first half. Miller closed the half with six straight points to give the Mustangs a 43-37 edge at the break.
It marked Notre Dame’s first appearance at Moody Coliseum since 1990.
Up next, Notre Dame returns home to host Georgia Tech on Saturday, while SMU hits the road for a matchup at Syracuse.
