Irish Outrun Greyhounds to Third Win of the Year

The Irish keep rolling are they improve to 3-0 with a win over Loyola (MD).

From start to finish it was all Irish on Friday night as they steamrolled Loyola (MD) 83-49 at Purcell Pavillon. The two teams started off trading baskets, and at one point the Greyhounds even led the Irish 10-6. That would not by for long though as Notre dame was sparked by a 23-5 run in the first half, and never looked back. Senior V.J. Beachem led the charge during the run as he poured in 10 of his game high 21 points over that span.

Notre Dame displayed excellence on both ends of the floor. They shot the the at 48% clip, while they held the Greyhounds to just 29%. Yes, Loyola is not the best the Irish will see this season, but good teams are suppose to perform like this against lesser opponents and so far Notre Dame is showing they are a good team.

The Irish were once again led by Beachem and junior Bonzie Colson. Beachem shot 8-15 from the field, including 3-7 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in with four rebounds and four steals. Colson enjoyed an efficient night as he scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, and a game high four blocks. Colson really did it all on Friday night. This duo has been really everything Mike Brey could ask for, and then some, to start the season.

Junior Martinas Geben also had a productive night. The big Lithuanian only scored four points, but his presence was felt on the boards and in the low post on defense. Geben recorded a game high 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes of play. His 10 rebounds set a career high.

The Irish have played some pretty good ball through their first three games, albeit against inferior opponents. It’s encouraging to see though. It’s much better to be blowing out these type of teams than to be limping by them. The Irish will get their first real test of the year next week in Brooklyn. The Irish will take on Colorado in the opening game of the Legends Classic. They will then either get Texas or Northwestern. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm ET on ESPN2. Make sure to keep up with One Foot Down as we’ll have previews and recaps of the matchup.

Stats and Stuff

• This was the second straight game the Irish held an opponent under 50 points.
• Through the first three games Notre Dame is 2nd in the nation in Assist/Turnover ration at 3.4
• Another encouraging stat regarding turnovers is that Notre Dame ranks 4th in turnovers per game, surrendering just 5.5 per game.
• The Irish are shooting at nearly a 50% clip as a team
• There was much worry about Notre Dame’s offense after losing Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste, but the Irish are averaging 88 points per game through three contests.
• The Irish play in Brooklyn on Monday in the Barclays Center. Last season they won the first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament in the Barclays Center.
• The last time the Irish played in a holiday tournament at the Barclays Center was in 2012-13. The Irish went 1-1 in that tournament. They lost to St.Joe’s and beat BYU.