Dec. 16, 2017
Notre Dame vs Indiana Box Score
By Robby Hamman
INDIANAPOLIS — No. 18/18 Notre Dame was unable to withstand a late Indiana comeback on Saturday in the seventh installment of the Crossroads Classic, falling to the Hoosiers 80-77 in overtime.
Bonzie Colson poured in a season-high 29 points to lead the Irish in scoring. Teammates Matt Farrell and T.J. Gibbs also finished in double figures in the scoring column, as Gibbs recorded 17 points and Farrell added 15.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish carried a six-point lead into the halftime break at 31-25. Trailing 11-9 with 12 minutes to play in the first frame, Notre Dame ripped off 19 of the next 22 points to open up a 28-14 advantage, its largest of the half. Colson did much of the damage for the Irish on the offensive end, leading all scorers with 12 points after the first 20 minutes of action.
The Hoosiers scored the opening five points of the second stanza to cut the Notre Dame lead to one but the Irish responded with a 13-1 run to push the advantage to 13 at 44-31 with just under 17 minutes to play. Indiana methodically chipped away at the Notre Dame lead and managed to tie the game at 65-65 with 13 seconds left in regulation. The Irish had a chance to seal the game with 0.8 ticks on the clock, as a Notre Dame player was sent to the free-throw line. However, the Irish were unable to convert, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Notre Dame led by as many as four points with just under two minutes to play. Indiana again mounted a comeback and took the lead at 78-77 with eight seconds remaining. The Hoosiers increased their lead to 80-77 after two free-throw makes. The Irish had one last shot at extending the game, as Colson launched a desperation heave from half court that narrowly missed and Notre Dame lost by a final of 80-77.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Colson scored a season-high 29 points and added 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. The senior thrived from the charity stripe, knocking down 11-of-13 free throws.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE NIGHT
Even with the extra five minutes of play, the Irish committed just nine turnovers for the contest. Saturday marks the sixth time this season Notre Dame has recorded fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- With 29 points, Colson has now finished in double figures in the scoring column in all 11 games this season and extended his active streak to 28 consecutive games. The 29-point effort marks the fifth time he has scored 20-plus points this season.
- Colson posted his sixth double-double of the season and 29th of his career, moving into a tie for 14th in program history with former standout Toby Knight.
- After scoring 15 points against the Hoosiers, Farrell has finished with 10-plus points in all 11 games this season.
- Gibbs turned in his seventh double-digit scoring performance of the year with 17 points on Saturday.
UP NEXT
The Irish return to Purcell Pavilion for a non-conference matchup against Dartmouth at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The game will air live on ESPNU.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.