Irish Go Into Holiday Break with 77-62 Win

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The single-digit temperatures weren’t the only cold thing in South Bend on Monday night, as No. 25 Notre Dame (10-2) cruised to a 77-62 win over Colgate (2-10).

Both teams played with a holiday lag on the offensive end of the floor, as the Irish couldn’t really pull away and the Raiders failed to truly make a run to turn it into a close game.

Colgate shot 40% for the game and committed 18 turnovers. Notre Dame shot the rock well, but committed 14 turnovers on the night.

VJ Beachem got back on track, as the Fort Wayne native went for 20 points, which included 6 for 10 from behind the arc.

"He needed to see some shots go in, no question," head coach Mike Brey said. "He saw some stuff go in. We can’t get an NCAA bid without them. I have to keep finding ways to help them and keep them in the right frame of mind to be productive for us."

Entering the game, Notre Dame led the nation in free throw percentage, but hit just 70% for the game.

Colgate had trimmed the Irish lead down to 53-40 with 11 minutes to play, but Notre Dame sophomore Matt Ryan hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead to 18 points.

Ryan finished with nine points off the bench for the Irish.

Will Rayman would cut the Notre Dame lead to 65-55 with 4:07 left to play on a three-pointer. Bonzie Colson answered the Raider comeback with a quick 4-0 run to push the lead back to 14 with under three minutes to play. Colson finished the night with 13 points and seven boards.

Rayman lead the Raiders with 18 points for the game.

"We helped our defense in the first half," said Brey. "Our bench does and we need to help each other more on communication on the other end. I do like how our guys coming off the bench are playing. We have four guys we feel really good about."

Martinas Geben got the Irish started with a bucket down low. The Raiders didn’t score until 3:42 into the game when Rivard hit a layup.

Vasturia broke a 9-9 tie with a three-pointer at the 14:14 mark in the opening half. The Notre Dame defense continued its dominance, as Colgate wouldn’t hit a field goal for 3:10 until O’Brien hit a layup to bring the Raiders with 14-13.

The Irish offense struggled in the first half, as shots went halfway down, but would rattle out. Notre Dame held Colgate scoreless for 5:14, but only led 20-15. Jordan Robertson ended a 6:36 field goal drought for the Raiders when he hit a three-pointer to make the score 25-18.

Robertson finished the first half with seven points to lead the Raiders.

Brey voiced his displeasure with Beachem after his senior forward turned down a three-pointer and got a charging foul.

“Start shooting it,” Brey said as Beachem passed by him on the bench.

Beachem hit a shot from behind the arc to make the Irish lead 36-20 at the half, as he led Notre Dame with eight first half points.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bo Farrell. The brother of Matt Farrell, who had been deployed overseas, made a surprise appearance at Purcell Pavilion after the game delivering a video message on the jumbotron. However, at the end, Farrell ran onto the court to surprise the Notre Dame point guard and his family. 

STAT LINE OF THE GAME: The Irish were 14 for 31 from three-point range for the game, while the Raiders were just 6 for 19. With the advantage, Notre Dame got 24 points from behind the arc alone in a 15-point win.  

TURNING POINT: Notre Dame ended the first half on a 9-0 run. Freshman point guard TJ Gibbs hit two free throws and a layup, while Austin Torres sent home a dunk before the Beachem three-pointer. The run pushed the lead from 28-20 with 3:33 left in the half to a 16-point lead at the half.

WHAT’S NEXT: Notre Dame will return to action on December 28th against St. Peter’s (4-6). The Peacocks lost 66-56 to Maryland earlier this month.