Colson Shines On Senior Night, Irish Win 73-56
It was a night of milestones for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish picked up a 73-56 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Senior Night as Coach Mike Brey won his 400th game at Notre Dame. It was also a notable game as Bonzie Colson made his return from a two-month absence.
“That’s amazing," Brey said of his 400th win. "I’m honored. It took a lot longer to get to 400 than I thought. That January set me back. It’s unbelievable to be here that long. We’ve had good runs and good players."
Colson finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds. The Irish improved to 18-12 with the win and 8-9 in ACC play going into their final game Saturday against Virginia. T.J. Gibbs and Matt Farrell led the Irish with 14 points apiece as they shot 42 percent from the field.
"Having Bonzie back adds so much confidence and energy," Brey stated. "Those guys missed him. They missed his edge, his confidence and he gets calls. We haven’t had a guy that gets any calls for a while."
The Panthers fell to 8-23 and finished their ACC schedule winless. Jared Wilson-Frame scored a game-high 20 points in the loss, and the Panthers shot just 33 percent for the game.
"I keep having to do a double-take that we are 8-9 in the league," laughed Brey. "We were 3-7 at one time. I’m really proud of our group. We have an unbelievable opportunity on Saturday against a great team.”
A tenacious effort by John Mooney got him two free throws to extend the Irish lead to 59-43 with under seven minutes to play. A pretty pair of passes by Farrell to Mooney and Rex Pflueger on consecutive possessions got the Irish bench excited as they extended the second half lead to 18 with less than five minutes to play.
At the final media timeout of the game, the Irish led 64-48 with 3:41 to go as they sensed victory on Senior Night. A three-point play by Elijah Burns got the Irish bench hyped up as they looked to close out the game on a high note.
The Irish finished the game with 51 rebounds, and it was a huge reason for their first half dominance.
"Martinas (Geben) has been banging the boards hard and now you put Bonzie in there too," stated Brey. "We’ve got enough size on the front line that we should be able to get really up on the backboard.
“Marty and Bonzie do a great job rebounding."
Six straight points by the Irish to open the second half gave them a 22-point lead, their largest of the game. The Irish maintained the lead despite the Panthers beginning to knock down shots. The Irish led 49-33 with 15:10 to play in the game.
After the Panthers short burst to get back into the game, the Irish responded with seven straight points, highlighted by a Gibbs three-pointer to get the lead back up to 21. The Irish advantage was 18 with 11:08 remaining in the game.
The Panthers cut the lead to 13 as the Irish began to struggle from the field and the crowd became a little restless. Farrell put a stop to the Panthers run with a corner three-pointer to get the lead back to 15 with just seven minutes remaining.
The Irish led the entire way with almost no resistance.
Colson hit four of his first five shots of the game, giving the Irish a 10-9 advantage early in the half which got the crowd involved. The Irish led 12-11 with 13:15 to go in the half as the Panthers shot 50 percent early on to stay within striking distance.
A couple of key buckets by Austin Torres got the crowd back into the game as the Irish opened up a three-point lead. A 13-0 run for the Irish gave them a 27-13 lead about midway through the half as they began to take control of the game. The run tied the longest for the Irish since December 16th against Indiana.
A three-pointer by Gibbs extended the run to 16-0 which set the season-high. After the slow start, the Irish tightened up the defense which stifled the Panthers attack. The Irish led 34-18 with 3:19 to go before half.
An offensive rebound and a three-point play by Mooney gave the Irish a 23-9 edge in rebounds and a 19-point lead. The Irish led 39-23 at the half, shooting 47 percent, while the Panthers shot just 32 percent. Shamiel Stevenson was the half’s high scorer with 10 points for the Panthers, while Gibbs paced the Irish with nine points.
Player of the Game: Gibbs. The sophomore set the tone in the first half with a couple of threes, and despite a poor shooting night, he was able to get a few others involved.
Unsung Hero: Colson. The mere presence of the senior forward gave the whole team a bounce in their step. Colson hit his first three shots from the field which got the Irish started on the right foot.
Up Next: The Irish conclude their regular season on Saturday afternoon at 4 P.M. in Charlottesville, Virginia as they take on the Virginia Cavaliers.
