Dec. 29, 2015

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University of Notre Dame Men’s Basketball
Notre Dame 73, Liberty 56
Dec. 29, 2015
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center – Notre Dame, Indiana
Postgame Notes

TEAM

  • Notre Dame moved to 3-0 against Liberty in series history, as well as 4-1 all-time versus current members of the Big South Conference.
  • Mike Brey is now 341-168 during his career at Notre Dame and 440-220 overall as a head coach.
  • Bonzie Colson (So./F), Steve Vasturia (Jr./G), Zach Auguste (Sr./F), Demetrius Jackson (Jr./G) and V.J. Beachem (Jr./F) started the contest for Notre Dame. The Irish are 9-3 this season with that starting quintet.
  • The Irish are now 6-0 when they shoot 50 percent or better from the floor this season, including five of their past six games.
  • Notre Dame finished with a 35-29 rebounding edge. The Irish are 8-1 this season when winning the battle on the boards.
  • Notre Dame led 32-23 at halftime. The Irish are 8-2 when leading after the first 20-minute period in 2015-16.
  • With a 3-pointer at the 12:39 mark of the first half, Matt Ryan extended the current Irish streak to 559 consecutive games with a 3-point field goal.
  • Notre Dame held Liberty to 23 points on 9-of-28 attempts (32%) from the field in the first half. The first half point total was the lowest allowed in the first half by the Irish this season, supplanting the 25 scored by St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 13 in the season’s opening game.
  • The Irish opened the second half shooting 8-for-10 (80%) from the floor, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, to extend their lead to 17 points at the 13:35 mark.

PLAYERS

Steve Vasturia (Jr./G)

  • Vasturia poured in 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting and a 4-for-5 effort from the free-throw line in the first half to lead all scorers, ultimately finishing with a team-high 17 points.
  • Vasturia reached double-figures on the scoresheet for the 10th time this season and the 35th time in his career.

Zach Auguste (Sr./F)

  • Auguste connected on three of his first four field goal attempts in the game’s opening seven minutes. He notched his eighth double-double in 12 games this season and the13th total double-double of his career.
  • Auguste has scored in double figures in 10 of 12 games this season and 49 times during his career. He reached the 10 or more rebound plateau for the 15th time at Notre Dame, tying a career-high with 14 boards against Liberty.

Demetrius Jackson (Jr./G)

  • Jackson has scored nine or more points in all 12 Notre Dame games this season after finishing on that mark with three assists against Liberty. He also tied a career-high with two blocked shots.

V.J. Beachem (Jr./F)

  • Beachem has connected from behind the arc in each game this season, knocking down a pair of threes during the opening 45 seconds of the second half to extend his streak. He ultimately hit three of his final four attempts from distance during the win over Liberty.

Bonzie Colson (So./F)

  • Colson scored on each of his first three shots from the field during the game against Liberty, finishing the contest with seven points and six rebounds. Colson has six or more rebounds in each of his last six starts in the Irish lineup.

Matt Farrell (So./G)

  • Farrell notched a made 3-pointer for the third time in five games on his only attempt from beyond the arc in the first half. He finished a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor (2-for-2 from three) during the contest.

Matt Ryan (Fr./F)

  • Ryan drilled a 3-pointer for the sixth straight game, and the 10th time in 12 career contests overall, against Liberty.