Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Basketball
Notre Dame Grinds Out 92-78 Win Over Iowa in ACC/Big 10 Challenge
November 29, 2016
3,107
Tuesday night’s game inside Purcell Pavilion had a Big 10 feel, as Notre Dame (7-0) grinded out a 92-78 win over Iowa (3-4) in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. Bonzie Colson continued his big junior season by leading the Irish with 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Notre Dame used a 10-0 run over 2:04 in the second half to take a 60-52 lead and they never looked back. During the run, Steve Vasturia hit two buckets and a free-throw during the run. The senior would finish with 22 points and nine boards on the night.
"God, I’m excited about our team," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. "I love my team. They have a great toughness about them. They had game pressure on them and had to do tough stuff to win against a very good offensive team. I think we grew some more.
"We grew in Brooklyn and we grew in this situation. The thing I look at is that field goal percentage defense against a gifted offensive team. I thought that was a big difference."
Hawkeye senior Pete Jok was the guy Notre Dame needed to slow down and they did just that. The 6-foot-6 guard entered the game averaging 25.3 points per game. The Irish defense held him to just 15 points and just 4 of 20 from the field.
Vasturia and Pflueger made it tough on Jok the entire night.
"They were fabulous," Brey stated. "Rex Pflueger was fabulous tonight. He was really chasing Jok most of the night. That is such a luxury to have that guy come in and know who he is and guard like a son of a gun. It frees Steve up and take over the game when we needed him to.
"I thought they were really good with their routes and made him a two-point shooter for the most part. Our bigs did a good job helping. When you have Rex Pflueger dogging you, it’s exhausting."
While Colson and Vasturia kept Notre Dame in it, it was senior VJ Beachem that finished the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-8 forward nailed two buckets from behind the arc and a jumper during a 10-3 run over 2:55 late in second half.
Beachem ended his night with 16 points and four rebounds.
Notre Dame stared the night off with good defense and just enough offense to keep build its
Lead.
Just before the halfway point in the first half, Notre Dame went on an 8-0 run over 2:13 of game time to take a 16-14 lead with 10:42 left before halftime.
Rex Pflueger would hit a three-pointer and then Vasturia proceed to steal the inbounds pass for a mini 5-0 run to put the Irish up 25-17.
The Irish would then use a 7-0 run, all on free three throws, to take a 34-21 lead with just under six minutes to play.
The Irish lead 41-26 with 3:23 left in the first half with Beachem nailed his first three-pointer of the game.
However, that was short lived, as the Hawkeyes went on a 13-0 run to end the half to cut the lead to 41-39.
Bohannon hit four three-pointers in the first half to finish with 11 in the opening half.
Colson led Notre Dame with 10 points and nine boards, while Vasturia chipped in 8 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bonzie Colson. The 6-foot-5 forward was an animal on the floor against the Hawkeyes. The junior finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds and even went 12 of 12 from the free throw line.
"I just tried to play my hardest and I am trying to lead," said Colson. "I am trying to grow in that aspect. I am just battling and trying to get every rebound to help the team win.
"I don’t really focus on that. I just play the game like It’s my last game."
STAT LINE OF THE GAME: Notre Dame dominated from the foul line in the physical and tightly called game. The Irish made 30 of 33 shots from the free throw line, while Iowa was 12 of 16 for the game.
"It's a weapon for us," stated Brey. "I don’t know where we are nationally, I know we’re leading the ACC. We have a feel for the game when we get to the bonus. We start driving a little more."
TURNING POINT: 7-0 run by Notre Dame over 2:03 late in the second half. Beachem had a quiet night of just eight points on five shots, but the senior went on a mini 5-0 run to push the Irish lead to 72-60. Colson got a second chance bucket and essentially put the Hawkeyes away with a 74-60 lead with 5:55 left in the game.
WHAT’S NEXT: Notre Dame will take on a North Carolina A&T at home on December 4th. The Aggies had a record of 1-5 as of Tuesday evening.
Notre Dame used a 10-0 run over 2:04 in the second half to take a 60-52 lead and they never looked back. During the run, Steve Vasturia hit two buckets and a free-throw during the run. The senior would finish with 22 points and nine boards on the night.
"God, I’m excited about our team," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. "I love my team. They have a great toughness about them. They had game pressure on them and had to do tough stuff to win against a very good offensive team. I think we grew some more.
"We grew in Brooklyn and we grew in this situation. The thing I look at is that field goal percentage defense against a gifted offensive team. I thought that was a big difference."
I love my team.
Iowa true freshman point guard did his best to keep the visiting team in it, as he finished with 23 and 7 assists in the game. Hawkeye senior Pete Jok was the guy Notre Dame needed to slow down and they did just that. The 6-foot-6 guard entered the game averaging 25.3 points per game. The Irish defense held him to just 15 points and just 4 of 20 from the field.
Vasturia and Pflueger made it tough on Jok the entire night.
"They were fabulous," Brey stated. "Rex Pflueger was fabulous tonight. He was really chasing Jok most of the night. That is such a luxury to have that guy come in and know who he is and guard like a son of a gun. It frees Steve up and take over the game when we needed him to.
"I thought they were really good with their routes and made him a two-point shooter for the most part. Our bigs did a good job helping. When you have Rex Pflueger dogging you, it’s exhausting."
While Colson and Vasturia kept Notre Dame in it, it was senior VJ Beachem that finished the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-8 forward nailed two buckets from behind the arc and a jumper during a 10-3 run over 2:55 late in second half.
Beachem ended his night with 16 points and four rebounds.
Notre Dame stared the night off with good defense and just enough offense to keep build its
Lead.
Just before the halfway point in the first half, Notre Dame went on an 8-0 run over 2:13 of game time to take a 16-14 lead with 10:42 left before halftime.
Rex Pflueger would hit a three-pointer and then Vasturia proceed to steal the inbounds pass for a mini 5-0 run to put the Irish up 25-17.
The Irish would then use a 7-0 run, all on free three throws, to take a 34-21 lead with just under six minutes to play.
The Irish lead 41-26 with 3:23 left in the first half with Beachem nailed his first three-pointer of the game.
However, that was short lived, as the Hawkeyes went on a 13-0 run to end the half to cut the lead to 41-39.
Bohannon hit four three-pointers in the first half to finish with 11 in the opening half.
Colson led Notre Dame with 10 points and nine boards, while Vasturia chipped in 8 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bonzie Colson. The 6-foot-5 forward was an animal on the floor against the Hawkeyes. The junior finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds and even went 12 of 12 from the free throw line.
"I just tried to play my hardest and I am trying to lead," said Colson. "I am trying to grow in that aspect. I am just battling and trying to get every rebound to help the team win.
"I don’t really focus on that. I just play the game like It’s my last game."
STAT LINE OF THE GAME: Notre Dame dominated from the foul line in the physical and tightly called game. The Irish made 30 of 33 shots from the free throw line, while Iowa was 12 of 16 for the game.
"It's a weapon for us," stated Brey. "I don’t know where we are nationally, I know we’re leading the ACC. We have a feel for the game when we get to the bonus. We start driving a little more."
TURNING POINT: 7-0 run by Notre Dame over 2:03 late in the second half. Beachem had a quiet night of just eight points on five shots, but the senior went on a mini 5-0 run to push the Irish lead to 72-60. Colson got a second chance bucket and essentially put the Hawkeyes away with a 74-60 lead with 5:55 left in the game.
WHAT’S NEXT: Notre Dame will take on a North Carolina A&T at home on December 4th. The Aggies had a record of 1-5 as of Tuesday evening.
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