81-74

Yessssss! Great win for the program tonight. I was feelin' the vibes from the laptop, even if there was no national tv and I couldn't get the online radio to work. No matter, put that win in the at-large folder and get ready for another great chance at home Wednesday night.

My request for more Luke Harangody went unheeded, but Zach Hillesland more than made up for it with eight points and five rebounds in twenty minutes. He and Kurz did their fair share down low, with physical play (4 fouls each) and ten boards between them.

K-Mac put up a lot of points, a career-high 18. He was clutch from downtown, hitting 4 of 7, but had a surprisingly sloppy night with 4 turnovers to just 2 assists.

Colin Falls was cold, 2-8 from the floor, but made nine shots from the charity stripe to keep the lead down the stretch.

Notre Dame finished the night at 44% shooting. The second half was much more impressive: the Irish scored 52. Maryland made one more field goal with the same amount of shots, but Notre Dame's strong 3-point shooting and two extra free throws lead to the upset.

Looking at the box score, it's nice to see the playing time spread out. Mike Brey is not known for having a particularly deep bench, but the top 7 all logged considerable minutes. When a team can sit its starters for good lengths of time without major dropoff, it will hold an advantage in tight games like tonight. Coach Brey obviously feels comfortable playing the starting five, Hillesland and Jackson. Harangody has also proven himself trustworthy when given opportunity. Those eight players in different combinations will make Notre Dame a hard team to prepare for in future games.

Great victory, time to pack the J.A.C.C. on Thursday and start looking like a tournament-caliber team.