NOTRE DAME, Ind. (Interstat) — A dominant second-half performance from Carson Towt and a decisive 14-0 run after halftime propelled Notre Dame to an 80-65 victory over Idaho in a nonconference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at a subdued Joyce Athletic Center.

A tightly contested first half gave way to a one-sided final 20 minutes as the Fighting Irish, tied 33-33 at intermission, outscored the Vandals 47-32 after the break to pull away. The game’s pivotal sequence came early in the second period, turning a narrow contest into a comfortable Notre Dame lead.

Towt, a 6-foot-8 forward from Gilbert, Arizona, was the engine of the Irish attack, finishing with 19 points and anchoring the interior on both ends. His activity was central to the game-breaking surge. After Idaho’s Brody Rowbury hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 42 with 16:32 remaining, Notre Dame seized control.

The Irish responded with 14 consecutive points over the next three and a half minutes. The run was a collaborative effort, featuring a 3-pointer from Cole Certa, a driving layup from Jalen Haralson, a tip-in from Towt, and capped by another Certa 3-pointer. The spurt transformed a tie game into a 56-42 Notre Dame advantage, and the Vandals never recovered, unable to cut the deficit to single digits again.

Haralson, a hometown product from Anderson, Indiana, led all scorers with 20 points, showcasing an efficient array of drives and finishes. Certa added 15 points, all in the second half, and Braeden Shrewsberry chipped in 14, including several timely 3-pointers. The Irish offense, which sputtered at times in the first half, found a consistent rhythm after halftime, exploiting their size and shooting advantage.

Idaho, which entered the game with momentum from a road win at South Dakota State, was led by 19 points from guard Biko Johnson of Carson, California. Forward Jackson Rasmussen added 16 points and Rowbury contributed 11. The Vandals hung tough for a half, leveraging physical defense and opportunistic scoring, but were ultimately overwhelmed by Notre Dame’s depth and execution in the second half.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring 10 lead changes and six ties. Idaho’s largest lead was four points early after a Kolton Mitchell layup opened the scoring. Notre Dame’s biggest first-half advantage was five points on two occasions, the last at 31-26, but the Vandals closed the period on a 7-2 run, including a Johnson 3-pointer, to send the teams to the locker rooms deadlocked.

Notre Dame’s defensive adjustments after halftime proved decisive. They limited Idaho’s paint touches and forced tougher perimeter shots, while Towt’s presence altered numerous attempts at the rim. The Irish also dominated the glass in key moments, securing multiple offensive rebounds during their decisive run to create extra possessions.

With the win, Notre Dame improves to 8-3 on the season and remains unbeaten at home. The Fighting Irish will look to continue their home-court success when they host Evansville on Saturday.

Idaho falls to 6-4 with the loss, concluding a challenging two-game road swing. The Vandals return home to face Evergreen State on Sunday before resuming Big Sky Conference play later this month.

An announced crowd of 3,687 watched the game at the 9,149-seat Joyce Center. According to pregame metrics from Interstat, Notre Dame was projected with a 93.4% probability to win. The Irish covered the pregame spread of 11.5 points, and the total score of 145 points fell just under the over/under line of 144.5.