Notre Dame Defeats Bethel, 88-59, In Second Exhibition Game
Notre Dame’s second exhibition contest this season resulted in an 88-59 victory Friday night against Bethel College, located about two miles from the campus and ranked No. 22 in the NAIA.
The senior trio of forward Bonzie Colson (19 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks), guard Matt Farrell (10 points, seven assists, four steals and only one turnover in 28 minutes) and center Martinas Geben (13 points, 10 rebounds in 16 minutes) propelled the attack.
Meanwhile, the two news starters displayed their niche. Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs contributed 16 points — notably 10-of-10 from the foul line while frequently attacking the hoop. Junior guard Rex Pflueger hauled in eight rebounds to complement his intense defense that included four steals.
Off the bench, junior forward Elijah Burns (16 minutes) had nine points and five rebounds, freshman swingman D.J. Harvey (20 minutes) added eight points and three boards, and sophomore center John Mooney (14 minutes) contributed six points and three rebounds. Sophomore guard Nikola Djogo (10 minutes), who shined in the first exhibition versus Holy Cross College a week ago, did not score
The Irish led only 57-48 midway through the second half before a 24-1 run was fueled by defensive pressure that set up easy points — a strategy that Irish head coach Mike Brey admitted this preseason might be needed to rely on more this year than in years past.
Notre Dame used its superior size to post a 50-24 advantage in the paint, and the ball pressure resulted in a 25-3 outcome off turnovers.
The Irish will finish out their exhibition season Tuesday night by hosting Cardinal Stritch before opening the regular season Saturday, Nov. 11 at DePaul.
Three-Point Play
Notre Dame was pretty much the way Brey has categorized them throughout the preseason:
1. Not The Best of Three
Not often in Brey’s 18 seasons at Notre Dame have you seen this stat line: 2-of-20 from three-point range. At least it was consistent because the Irish were 1-of-10 in each half.
In terms of pure shooting, this might not be one of Brey’s vintage teams, which he has projected. There undoubtedly will be better days this year and we doubt we will see the team’s best shooter, Farrell, going 0-of-6 beyond the arc too often. It was one of those nights. Nevertheless, this is a team that likely will need to be more consistent with the intermediate jumpers and beating the opposition off the dribble, which brings us to…
2. The Line As A Weapon Again
Last year Notre Dame finished No. 1 in the country in free-throw percentage at 80.0, virtually a full digit ahead of Central Michigan (79.1) and Villanova (79.0) at the next two spots. A good part of it could be attributed to Steve Vasturia (91.0) and V.J. Beachem (83.6), both of whom have graduated.
Farrell, Gibbs and Pflueger all are aggressive, adept penetrators to the hoop, and the All-American Colson has never been shy at taking it to the bucket, either. Driving with authority to the rim and drawing fouls could be a team strength. There also were a number of sharp feeds off the drives to the cutters to the basket. There might be more of that this season to manufacture points and compensate for days when the shots aren’t dropping as readily beyond the arc.
Expecting another 80-percent result from the foul line might not be realistic, but a performance like the one against the Pilots, 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) is acceptable at generating points.
3. Following Football’s Lead?
The No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish football team this year has done a 180-degree change in identity, with a focus on physicality/power running on offense and sound fundamental principles on defense that can also manufacture turnovers. Basketball might be following suit where defense and dribble drives might need to carry the day a little more than in the past.
Offensively the challenge will be finding consistent third and fourth scorers to supplement Colson and Farrell. Defensively it’s more about balancing the court in transition, although the Irish were better in the half-court sets with their pressures. Facing stronger competition over the next month will tell a lot more.
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