Notre Dame Hammers North Carolina A&T, 107-53
Notre Dame had seven players score in double figures and got 45 points off the bench, hammering North Carolina A&T 107-53 in front of 7,801 people Sunday evening at Purcell Pavilion.
The Irish are now 8-0, matching the best start in head coach Mike Brey’s 17 seasons. The 2010-11 team also began the season 8-0.
“It’s fun to watch that group play,” Brey said. “They are really special how they like playing together, sharing the ball. You’ve got skilled shooters with skilled passers, it’s just fun to watch. I thought they handled their business.”
Notre Dame assisted on 29 of its 37 made field goals against the Aggies (1-6). It was the first time in program history that seven players scored in double figures.
Senior wing V.J. Beachem led the Irish with 19 points. Sophomore wing Matt Ryan added 17 — including a 5-of-7 performance from 3-point range — and junior point guard Matt Farrell had 15.
Junior forward Bonzie Colson had 10 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth straight double-double.
Freshman point guard T.J. Gibbs came off the bench to lead the team with seven assists. He also scored 12 points.
The 54-point victory is the largest in the history of Purcell Pavilion, eclipsing a 53-point win vs. St. Francis in 1978.
What did the Irish take away from the lopsided result against the inferior Aggies?
“That we still came out to play on the defensive end, and just the way we shared the ball offensively,” Beachem said. “No matter who we’re playing against, no matter who we’re playing, that’s going to be a huge key for us. To do it tonight was great for us.”
“(That we) just keep practicing our habits,” Farrell said. “It’s about us, not about them. Keep doing what we do, keep sharing the ball.”
“Playing with our habits and playing the way we play,” said senior guard Steve Vasturia, who finished with 13 points and four assists. “Coming out and making the extra pass still, guys knocking down open shots and doing what we do defensively. Just worrying about us and play as well as we can.”
NOTES
• Notre Dame hosts Fort Wayne on Tuesday at 9 p.m., a game which can be seen on ESPNU. Fort Wayne defeated Indiana already this season.
“We’re preparing for them like an ACC opponent,” Farrell said.
• The Irish — the lone unbeaten team remaining in the Atlantic Coast Conference — could be ranked when the Associated Press poll comes out Monday.
“We’ve tried to focus on just what we’re doing here,” Vasturia said. “We’re not too concerned about that. We’ve got a long way to go. It’s only December and we’re excited to continue to get better and continue to win.”
• Brey was able to get his entire bench into the game due to the score. “Love our rotation at nine and you see how you go night to night,” he said.
• Farrell on the team’s willingness to share the ball: “Just remembering who we are and how we play. Not going out there and trying to experiment, being who you are. Trying to make plays for each other. Like I said after our previous game, we’ve got guys who want to make plays for other guys. That’s really special. When we’re playing together it’s really fun.
“It’s a lot of fun to play that way. I’m sure it’s fun to watch, it’s even more fun to play. You’ve got guys that want to play for each other and that’s special. We don’t worry if people aren’t noticing how we’re playing, we just keep playing the way we play.”
Mike Brey, Post-Game
Irish Players Post-Game (VJ Beachem, Matt Farrell and Steve Vasturia)
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