March 11, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP)– Bonzie Colson led Notre Dame (21-11) with 15 points as the Irish fell to No. 7 North Carolina in the ACC Semifinals Friday night.
Zach Auguste had six points and 10 rebounds after getting 19 and 22 in a quarterfinal victory over Duke.
With more size up front, North Carolina was able to seize control under the basket. By halftime, the Tar Heels held edges of 21-12 in total rebounds and 18-4 on points in the paint.
The semifinal was tight and tense early, which made sense, given that Notre Dame (21-11) had won the teams’ past three meetings. The Tar Heels were ahead by only a single point, at 23-22, with a little more than 6 minutes remaining until halftime.
And then everything changed.
North Carolina scored 24 consecutive points over a 9 1/2-minute span bridging halftime. Marcus Paige had half of his 16 points during that run.
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Notre Dame: NCAA Tournament, time and place to be determined.