Irish Come Up Short Against #1 Virginia
Notre Dame battled all game, but ultimately fell to top-ranked Virginia, 62-57 on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville.
Bonzie Colson scored a game-high 24 points and also added 15 rebounds for a double-double. The Irish shot just 36 percent for the game, while the Cavaliers shot 42 percent. Devin Hall paced the offense with 17 points for the Cavaliers.
The Irish finish the regular season 18-13, with a mark of 8-10 in ACC play. The Cavaliers finish the season 28-2 and an ACC-record 17-1 conference record. The Cavaliers will be the number one seed in next week’s conference tournament while the Irish will be the 10-seed.
With less than three minutes to play, the Cavaliers led 57-54 before a clutch pull-up three-pointer by Notre Dame point guard Matt Farrell cut the deficit to two, but the Irish couldn’t get any closer.
Despite the loss, the Irish nearly matched Virginia’s vaunted defense with a strong defensive outing of their own.
Both teams came out of the half firing on all cylinders and the Irish cut the lead one after a tough fadeaway jumper by Colson. The Cavaliers led 37-36 with 16 minutes to play.
A pair of free throws by Martinas Geben gave the Irish their first lead since early in the first half. A Farrell three-pointer gave the Irish a four-point lead before De’Andre Hunter answered right back with a jumper. A dunk by Mamadi Diakite electrified the crowd and caused an Irish timeout with 11:22 remaining and the Cavaliers leading, 45-44.
An 8-1 Cavalier run gave them a three-point lead before T.J. Gibbs hit a corner three to tie the game. The Cavaliers led 51-47 with under eight minutes to go in the game. A pair of quick buckets by Colson cut the lead to one with under four minutes to go as the Irish refused to go away.
The Irish remained close but were unable to get over the hump as the game wound down. Geben and Colson had double-digit rebounds with 10 and 15 respectively.
Both teams got off to good starts early, hitting their first few shots of the first half. The Irish were helped early by the inside presence of Geben. The Irish trailed 8-7 four minutes in.
The Cavaliers continued their hot start with a few three-pointers and kept the crowd involved. A three-point play by Diakite extended the Cavaliers lead to 21-12 with 11:31 remaining in the half.
The Irish went nearly five minutes without points before a pair of free throws by Colson quieted the raucous crowd. The Irish defense began to settle in as the Cavaliers suddenly struggled to score. The Irish still trailed by five, 21-16 with seven minutes to go in the half.
A three-pointer by Ty Jerome and a dunk by Jack Salt gave the Cavaliers their largest lead of the game 11, with under six minutes to go. Colson’s third three-pointer of the game cut the lead to eight. The deficit remained at eight, 30-22 with under three minutes left in the half.
The Cavaliers led at halftime, 32-27 shooting 41 percent from the field. The Irish went into the half shooting just 37 percent but stayed in the game thanks to the efficiency of Colson who was the half’s leading scorer with 18 points in just 18 minutes. Hall led the Cavaliers with nine points at the half.
Player of the Game: Colson. The senior looked like his old self hitting tough shots and being an absolute monster on the glass.
Unsung Hero: Geben. Yet another strong outing from the senior kept the Irish well within striking distance and picked up yet another double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
Up Next: The Irish open ACC tournament on Tuesday against #15 Pittsburgh, who finished 0-18 in ACC play.