Nov. 16, 2017
Notre Dame Chicago State Box Score
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (3-0) never trailed in its dominant 105-66 win over Chicago State (1-3) on Thursday evening inside Purcell Pavilion. The Irish have gotten off to a 3-0 start in each of the last four seasons.
Four Irish players finished in double figures in the scoring column, as sophomore T.J. Gibbs poured in a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Senior Matt Farrell finished with 18 points, freshman D.J. Harvey added a career-high 16 points and the preseason consensus All-American Bonzie Colson chipped in 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds to give Notre Dame the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish wasted little time opening a large lead against Chicago State, as Notre Dame outscored the Cougars 25-6 over the first 10 minutes of play. The Irish led by as many as 30 in the first frame before finishing with a season-best 56 points to lead 56-29 at the break.
Notre Dame controlled play for the remainder of the evening and hit 18 of its 27 second-half attempts to score 49 points in the second stanza. The Irish outscored Chicago State by 12 points in the half to go on to win by a final score of 105-66.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Gibbs had an evening to remember, knocking down 8-of-11 attempts from the field, including an impressive 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, to finish with a career-high 23 points to lead the Irish. The sophomore is now 18-of-30 (.600) on the season from the field and 8-of-16 (.500) from three-point range.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish shot 62.1 percent from the field on 36-of-58 shooting, including a 10-of-22 effort from distance. Thursday’s contest marks the first time in the young season that Notre Dame has finished above 60 percent from the field in a game.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey now has 385 victories as Notre Dame’s head coach and is just nine shy of passing Digger Phelps as the outright all-time program record holder.
- The Irish are now 5-0 against Chicago State in the all-time series.
- The 105-point performance marked the 19th time Notre Dame has reached triple digits under Brey.
- Notre Dame dominated underneath, outscoring Chicago State 46-26 in the paint and outrebounding the Cougars 41-24.
- Gibbs surpassed the 20-point mark for the second time in just three games this season.
- Colson has finished with 10+ points in all three games in his senior campaign and now has 64 such performances in his career.
- Colson tied his career-high for blocks with five rejections in the winning effort.
- Farrell has knocked down a three-pointer in 29 consecutive games, the longest streak of any active player in the ACC.
- Farrell has finished with double-figure points 34 times in his career, including all three outings this season.
- Freshman D.J. Harvey scored a career-high 16 points in the victory.
- Sophomore John Mooney finished with a career-best nine points and added five rebounds.
- Senior Matt Gregory logged a career-high three points in a career-best six minutes of play.
UP NEXT
The Irish head to a warmer climate for the next week, as the squad leaves the mainland to play in the Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii. Notre Dame opens the three-day tournament against Chaminade at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 20. The game will air live on ESPNU.
— 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.