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Irish Victorious Over Boston College in Home Finale

March 1, 2017

Notre Dame Boston College Box Score

By: Robby Hamman

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In the final home game of the season, No. 19/13 Notre Dame (23-7, 12-5 ACC) sent its seniors out in style with a 82-66 over Boston College (9-21, 2-15 ACC) on Wednesday evening inside Purcell Pavilion. The victory pushes Notre Dame’s winning streak to six games.

Senior forward V.J. Beachem put on a show in the final home game of his career, scoring a team-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including a 4-of-10 effort from three-point range. Junior forward Bonzie Colson posted his ACC-best 18th double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Matt Farrell added 14 points and senior guard Steve Vasturia chipped in 10 to lead the Irish to victory.

How It Happened

The Irish got off to a sluggish start against the Eagles, as Boston College held a seven point advantage at 26-19 with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. Notre Dame then locked in on both ends of the floor, reeling off a 15-0 in a six minute stretch to take a 34-26 lead. Beachem capped off the run by burying his third shot from distance. The Irish took an eight-point lead into the break at 36-28.

Notre Dame controlled the second stanza, never allowing Boston College to get closer than six points. The Irish lead grew to as many as 20 points with 4:30 left in the game, allowing Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey to take out Beachem and Vasturia to standing ovations from the Irish faithful. Senior forward Patrick Mazza put the exclamation mark on the game, thowing down a dunk in the final minute for the first points of his career to seal the 82-66 victory.

Notre Dame Player Of The Game

Beachem turned in a memorable performance on Senior Day, leading the team in scoring with 22 points. The senior started the game hot on the offensive end, pouring in 15 points in the opening 20 minutes to give the Irish an eight-point cushion after the first half. The 20-plus point display is the Fort Wayne native’s 10th of the season and 11th of his career. Beachem also added four rebounds and a steal in the winning effort.

Stat Of The Game

The win gives the Irish senior class 94 victories over the past four seasons at Notre Dame, moving just three wins away from tying the all-time mark of 97 over a four-season period, which was set by the 2012-13 senior class. This year’s seniors move into a tie for fourth place with the 2014-15 class.

Notre Dame Notes

  • Notre Dame is 8-0 against Boston College when playing in ACC games and have won 13 of the last 14 meetings.
  • With the win the Irish are in second place in the ACC standings with one games remaining on the regular season schedule.
  • The Irish are 18-2 on the season in games when leaving at halftime.
  • Notre Dame turned the ball over just seven times in the win, marking the 17th time this season the team has posted less than 10 turnovers in a game.
  • The Irish outrebounded the Eagles 40 to 36 and are now a perfect 13-0 when grabbing more boards than the opposition.
  • Beachem has now scored in double figures 23 times this season and 57 times in his career.
  • Wednesday marked Colson’s ACC-best 18th double-double of the season and 22nd of his career.
  • Farrell surpassed the 10-point mark for the 26th time this season with 14 points.
  • Vasturia finished with double-digit scoring for the 23rd time this season and 73rd time of his Irish tenure.

Up Next

The Irish conclude the regular season with a top-20 showdown in Louisville at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, as Notre Dame plays the Cardinals. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

— 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.