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Notre Dame Basketball Recap: Irish Defeat Lions, 86-50

By Andrew Hall

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 80-77 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 80-77 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame basketball team ended non-conference on the upswing by defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 86-50.

After yielding 87 points to Dartmouth, Notre Dame improved significantly on defense by only giving up 50 points to Southeastern Louisiana. After surrendering 29 points in the first half, the Irish put the clamps on the Lions. Southeastern Louisiana only mustered 21 points in the second.

The Irish cranked up the defense with 10 blocks and 9 steals against the Lions.

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The Irish never trailed. They opened up their lead in the second half. With 17:38 left, Notre Dame went on a 21-4 extended run. This made the score 61-35.

Four Notre Dame players scored double-digits. Tonight, T.J. Gibbs led the Irish in scoring with 18 points. Gibbs added 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Farrell and Pflueger each scored 17 points respectively. Pflueger chipped in 3 assists, 3 steals and 5 rebounds. The Junior Guard from Dana Point, California might be the most important player on the roster. If Notre Dame hopes to continue to win, they need significant contributions from Pflueger.

Notre Dame’s leading scorer Bonzie Colson scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Despite putting up 86 points, the Irish shot 26.9% from the 3-point arc. On the season, Notre Dame is shooting 41.5% from behind the arc.

Once again, the Irish bench failed to add much. The bench only scored 12 points out Notre Dame’s 87 points. Can the Irish sustain this type of starter effectiveness?

For the season, DJ Harvey is the leading scorer off the bench with 5.8 points per game. John Mooney is second with 3.8 points per game.

Conference Play

Notre Dame enters conference play with a 10-3 record. The Irish face Georgia Tech on Dec. 30 at Purcell Pavilion. The Yellow Jackets enter with a 5-5 record.

Following their game against Georgia Tech, Notre Dame faces NC State. Currently, the Wolfpack have a 9-3 record. The Irish have a great chance to open ACC play with 2 victories.