March 3, 2018
Notre Dame at Virginia Box Score
By Michael Scholl
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Notre Dame men’s basketball team capped its 2017-18 regular season by taking No. 1 Virginia to the brink before falling to the Cavaliers, 62-57, on Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena.
Bonzie Colson paced the Irish with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Martinas Geben also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Farrell had nine points and four assists, while Rex Pflueger contributed six rebounds.
The top-ranked Cavaliers were led by 17 points, five rebounds and six assists from Devon Hall. Ty Jerome added 13 points while De’Andre Hunter joined them in double figures with 10 points.
How It Happened
The Irish trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but used a 10-4 run at the end of the period to trail 32-27 at the break. Colson kept the Irish in it over the opening 20, scoring 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 3-of-5 from three-point range while just missing a first-half double-double with nine rebounds.
The Irish immediately cut it to two points on the first possession of the second half when Farrell drilled a three for his first points. Geben free throws put the Irish on top for the first time in the half and neither team led by more than four points over the next seven minutes.
Virginia took the lead for good opened up a six-point advantage, 53-47, with 7:31 to play thanks to a pair of free throws by Hall. The game stayed close, with UVa hitting a pair of from the line to take a 59-54 lead with 2:41 to play.
Farrell responded with a three-pointer to cut it to two with 2:26 to play, but that would be as close as the Irish would get. After a Mike Brey timeout, Notre Dame came up with stops and Farrell missed a three-point attempt. The Irish got another stop at the other end, but Colson had to throw up a desperation three-pointer before the shotclock expired, and while Pflueger tipped in the rebound, he was unable to do so before a shotclock violation.
After another Notre Dame timeout, the Irish fouled and Hunter hit a pair of free throws to put the Cavaliers up four, 61-57, with 20 seconds to play. Gibbs missed a layup for the Irish before putting UVa back at the foul line. Hunter hit one of two, but the Farrell’s three-pointer didn’t drop at the other end and the Cavaliers pulled down the rebound and the 62-57 victory.
Notre Dame Player Of The Game
Bonzie Colson, in just his second game back since a foot injury, caused him to miss 15 games, paced the Irish with 24 points and 14 rebounds, for his 33rd career double-double.
Notre Dame Stat Of The Game
Colson’s 33 career double-doubles tie him with Ron Reed for 10th all-time at Notre Dame.
Game Notes
- Colson became the 11th player in Notre Dame history to grab 850 career rebounds. With 14 tonight, he stands at 856.
- Gibbs and Farrell each extended their games with a three-point field goal streak to 18 games. Farrell has hit a three in 47-of-48 career games.
- Gibbs did not reach double-figures, snapping an 18-game streak with at least 10 points dating back to Dec. 21, 2017.
Up Next
Notre Dame awaits it’s ACC tournament fate after finishing the regular season 18-12 and 8-9 in the league. Stay tuned to UND.com and @NDMBB for details on when the Irish begin postseason play, with the tournament running March 6-10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
— ND —
Michael Scholl has been a member of the Fighting Irish Media communications staff at his alma mater since August 2016. He serves as the secondary contact for the Irish football and hockey teams while coordinating communications efforts for the women’s tennis program. Scholl has previously worked in communications at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Providence College, Vanderbilt University and the University of Cincinnati. The South Bend, Indiana, native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts and Letters in 2009.