Irish Pull Off 21-Point Second Half Comeback On Virginia Tech
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish used an impressive second half comeback to defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies, 71-65 in the second round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday night.
Mike Brey's squad trailed by as many as 21 with 15 minutes to play and will take on the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. With the win, the Irish helped their bubble case and should have a decent chance to play in the NCAA regardless of the result on Thursday night.
The Irish comeback was third-largest halftime deficit overcome to win in ACC Tournament history.
"Well, how about that one," said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. "I've never been prouder of a group because they were thumping us pretty good and because they're really hard to guard. I thought in the second half, with the last 15 minutes, we got better defensively, and we made some adjustments offensively and were able to get scoring again.
You know, it's a great group, man. They're just -- all the stuff they've been through, they're such tough dudes. And tonight you saw it, the toughness of hanging on in there. I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a team, in a game that really matters."
Notre Dame improved to 20-13 with the win, giving them 20 plus wins for the fourth consecutive season. Overall, the Irish shot just 38 percent but thanks to 50 second half points they got the victory. Matt Farrell scored a game-high 22 points, hitting four three-pointers.
"You know, I've never been a big guy to campaign, but I think we really deserve to be in," stated Brey. "I don't want to hear about one of the best 68. When I have my guys back, we're a top-20 team, and I think people in that committee know that. I feel strongly that we should be part of it. We have another great opportunity to end all the drama of it tomorrow night, but we need to get some rest."
The Hokies fell to 21-11 but will almost certainly be in the NCAA tournament field. The Hokies shot 42 percent for the game, just 38 percent in the second half. Justin Bibbs and Justin Robinson led the team in scoring with 15 apiece.
With 7:45 to play, the Irish got within four before a corner three-pointer by Bibbs got the Hokies lead back up to seven. The Irish caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half which allowed them to get back into the game. The Hokies led 59-55 with just three and a half minutes to play.
A banked-in three-pointer by Bonzie Colson gave the Irish their first lead since midway through the first half with just two minutes to go. Some clutch free throw shooting in the final moments clinched the victory for the Irish.
"I mean, that felt good," said Colson. "Backboard is there for a reason. My dad actually taught me it's your best front. I shot it and I looked it in, and it went in. But you know, those are the shots that you've got to hit during those times, and it felt good."
The Irish shot 21 of 25 from the line in the game.
The Hokies began the second half with back to back hoops to extend the lead to 17 which forced an Irish timeout just 90 seconds into the half. Colson put a stop to the Irish scoring drought with a jump shot, but the Hokies answered with a three-point play by Kerry Blackshear. The Irish trailed 45-26 with under 16 minutes to play.
"We really dug in defensively, and that helped us on the offensive end," stated Farrell. "When we defend, we think we can be a very good team. TJ did a great job because Coach kind of put me off the ball, and TJ was getting in the lane and making plays for guys and guys were hitting shots. That felt like us on the offensive end, but I think our defense was the thing that got us together."
The Irish responded with a few good offensive possessions but still trailed by a large margin. Despite the Irish finally hitting shots, the Hokies continued to have offensive success. The deficit was 16 with just 12 minutes to go.
A three-pointer by Colson got the Irish within 14 which was a huge confidence booster as Colson had been cold all game long. Another three, this time by Farrell cut the lead to 54-43 midway through the second half. A 9-0 run by the Irish got them within single digits with nine minutes to go.
The Irish scored 17 points off turnovers, compared to just eight for the Hokies.
Both teams opened up the game cold, with some pregame jitters perhaps getting the best of both the Irish and Hokies. The Irish especially struggled early on, hitting just one of their first six shots. With 15:41 to go in the first half, the Irish and Hokies were knitted at eight apiece.
An 8-0 run gave the Irish a five-point lead after T.J. Gibbs’ second three-pointer of the half. The Irish defense went through a good stretch as the Hokies struggled to find consistent offense. The Irish led 15-13 with under 12 minutes remaining before halftime.
A three-point play by Chris Clarke gave the Hokies a three-point lead as the Irish started to struggle mightily from the field. The Irish finally stopped the drought with an easy transition bucket from Colson. A 12-2 run by the Hokies forced the Irish to call a timeout with 8:23 to play before half and the Irish trailing 23-17.
The Hokies extended the lead to ten as the Irish went through an ice cold stretch of seven out of eight missed shots before a transition layup by Farrell cut the lead to 27-19 with four minutes to play before halftime.
The Irish trailed 34-21 at halftime, shooting just 25 percent. The Hokies shot 46 percent and were led by Robinson who had 10 first half points to lead all scorers. Gibbs had six points at half to pace the Irish.
Player of the Game: Farrell. Despite a rough shooting night, the senior stuck with it and fueled the Irish comeback with a couple of key three-pointers. In addition to his 22 points, Farrell had five rebounds and five assists and was a perfect eight for eight from the free throw line.
Unsung Hero: Colson. Shooting 4 of 14 certainly wasn’t ideal for the senior but his key shots in the second half salvaged the Irish season including a ridiculous three-pointer to beat the shot clock.
Up Next: The Irish will take on the Duke Blue Devils tomorrow night in Brooklyn at 7 P.M. in the conference quarterfinals.
