Nov. 18, 2016
Notre Dame Loyola MD Box Score
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Senior guard V.J. Beachem scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead Notre Dame (3-0) to a 35-point victory over Loyola Maryland (1-3). The Irish won the game by a final score of 83-48.
Junior forward Bonzie Colson added 19 points, finishing 8-of-12 from the floor, and pulled down seven rebounds. The Irish finished 34-for-70 shooting from the field (48.6 percent) and 10-of-25 from beyond the arc (40.0 percent) in the winning effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish trailed 10-6 early but the Greyhounds’ lead didn’t last long, as Notre Dame scored 18 of the 21 points to open up an 11-point lead at 24-13. The run was sparked by a three-point shooting barrage, as Matt Farrell, Steve Vasturia, Rex Pflueger and V.J. Beachem all knocked down shots from distance in the stretch. The Irish lead ballooned to as many as 17 points late in the first half before the score settled at 38-24 at the half.
Notre Dame came out of the intermission locked in and put the game away early. The Irish lead grew to 20 points within the first five minutes of the second stanza at 47-27. Notre Dame continually increased its lead over the last 15 minutes of action, as the 35-point advantage at the final buzzer marked the team’s largest of the night.
PLAYER OF THE GAME NOMINATION NO. 1
Beachem led all scorers in the contest with 21 points and was one point shy of matching his career high of 22 points, which he posted earlier this season in the season-opening win over Bryant. The senior also finished with a career-high four steals and added four rebounds, an assist and a block.
PLAYER OF THE GAME NOMINATION NO. 2
Colson continued his run of great play to start his junior campaign, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. As impressive as his offensive performance was on Friday, his defense was arguably better. The New Beford, Massachusetts native controlled the paint, matching his career high in blocks with four while also hauling down seven rebounds.
PLAYER OF THE GAME NOMINATION NO. 3
Martinas Geben was a beast on the boards grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the team. The junior’s rebounding performance is the best of any Irish player in a game this season. Geben also notched four points on two thunderous dunks and had two assists and a block.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish defense was stifling against the Greyhounds, holding the visitors to a shooting percentage of just 29.6 percent on 16-of-54 shooting. Notre Dame has now held each of its last two opponents to under 30 percent shooting for the game.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- The Irish are now 5-0 against Loyola Maryland in the all-time series.
- For the first time since February 2013, the Irish held opponents to under 50 points in back-to-back games.
- Notre Dame had a season-high 13 steals and now have a combined 25 in its last two games.
- The Irish had nine blocks as a team, the highest total this season.
- With 85 points Notre Dame has eclipsed the 80-point mark in all three outings in the 2016-17 season.
- Notre Dame has not recorded a double-digit turnover game through three games this season, as it finished with nine on Friday.
- Beachem has scored 20-plus points in two of three games during his senior season.
- Freshman T.J. Gibbs led the Irish in assists off the bench for the second consecutive game with five.
- Freshman John Mooney registered the first points of his collegiate career against Loyola Maryland, scoring seven in the victory.
UP NEXT
The Irish hit the road for the first time this season, traveling Brooklyn, New York for the final two games of the Legends Classic, which will be played in the Barclays Center. Notre Dame faces Colorado in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21.
— 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.