Irish chopped down in Chapel Hill for 5th straight ACC loss

CHAPEL HILL, NC. (WNDU) - The season is slipping away from the Notre Dame men’s basketball team.

Saturday, they suffered their sixth loss in the last seven games, and their fifth in five conference contests as they went down to the University of North Carolina, 81-64.

The Irish were missing freshman forward Ven-Allen Lubin, and frequently found themselves being punished on the inside. The Tar Heels out-rebounded Notre Dame 45-32, and outscored them in the paint by a final tally of 36-26.

Nate Laszewski was the most effective offensive threat for Notre Dame, dropping a team-high 17 points on 70% shooting. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

The Irish will next host Georgia Tech on January 10th (Tuesday) -- tipoff is set for 7 p.m.