Dec. 13, 2015

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP)– Bonzie Colson had 14 points and seven rebounds to help Notre Dame pull away from Loyola Chicago in the second half Sunday afternoon for an 81-61 win.

Reserve Matt Ryan hit four 3-pointers and also finished with 14 points for the Irish. V.J. Beachem added 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia each scored 10.

The Irish (7-2) won their third game in a row and will take the rest of the week off for final exams before traveling to Indianapolis to face Indiana in the Crossroads Classic on Saturday.

Tyson Smith and Donte Ingram each scored 12 points for Loyola (5-4), which has lost three of four, but will play its next four games at home to close out December.

In Loyola’s five wins, Milton Doyle has averaged 18.4 points and shot over 60 percent from the field, but in the Ramblers’ previous three losses, he had averaged just 7.7 points and shot 37.5 percent. Notre Dame held Doyle to eight points on 25 percent shooting (3 of 12).

The Ramblers scored the first two field goals after halftime and trailed by just two points, but Notre Dame took control with a 19-3 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryan, to go up by 18 with 10:36 to play.

The Irish went to a full-court press at the start of their run, and Loyola hit only one of its next nine shots while committing four turnovers. Notre Dame’s lead reached 25 points with 7:20 to play on Beachem’s offensive rebound and putback.

Loyola used a 7-0 run to tie the game, 25-25 with 5:38 left in the first half. The Irish didn’t hit a field goal in over five and a half minutes during that stretch, but consecutive 3s by Beachem and Vasturia started a 12-2 Notre Dame run that got the lead up to 10.

The Ramblers scored the last four points of the half, capped by Ben Richardson’s baseline jumper with 1.6 seconds left, to cut the Irish lead to six at halftime.

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TIP-INS

Notre Dame: The Irish improved to 30-2 all-time against the Ramblers in the first matchup between the teams since 2000. Loyola hasn’t beaten Notre Dame since a 70-58 victory in 1994.

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Notre Dame faces Indiana on Saturday in Indianapolis for the Crossroads Classic.