Brey sets victory mark as Notre Dame routs NC State, 88-58

WTVD-AP
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Notre Dame guard TJ Gibbs drives on North Carolina State guard Braxton Beverly in South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday.
Notre Dame guard TJ Gibbs drives on North Carolina State guard Braxton Beverly in South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday.
Michael Conroy-AP

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- T.J. Gibbs scored a game-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures as Notre Dame gave coach Mike Brey his school-record 394th victory, an 88-58 Atlantic Coast Conference triumph Wednesday night over North Carolina State.



The Irish (12-3, 2-0 ACC) played without senior All-American Bonzie Colson, who is scheduled for Thursday surgery on a broken left foot, and for more than 25 minutes without senior point guard Matt Farrell, who sat next to him after suffering his own left foot injury after a hard fall in the first half.



D.J. Harvey, who started in Colson's place, had a career-high 17 points, Rex Pflueger had 16 and Martinas Geben 10 points as Brey passed former Irish coach Digger Phelps, who was courtside, to become Notre Dame's all-time leader in men's basketball victories.



Harvey scored 13 points as Notre Dame took a 48-36 halftime lead thanks to 61.3 percent (19 of 31) shooting, including 9 of 18 from beyond the arc. Gibbs added 11 as Notre Dame overcame the loss of Farrell, who had nine points with three 3-pointers, four assists and two of the team's eight first-half steals before a hard fall with 5:09 left.



N.C. State (10-5, 0-2) went 5:42 without a point at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, and the Irish eventually used a 17-2 run to start the second half and pulled away to a 65-38 lead.



Allerik Freeman led N.C. State with 13 points and Lennard Freeman had 10.



THE BIG PICTURE



N.C. State: The Pack returns home after an 0-2 road trip that started with a 78-62 loss at Clemson last Saturday. Coach Kevin Keatts' team was its own worst enemy with nine turnovers in the first half and being outscored 17-2 by the Irish to start the second half. Things will have to clean up in a hurry as No. 2 Duke comes in Saturday night and is followed by Clemson Jan. 11.



Notre Dame: The Irish played their first game without senior All-American Bonzie Colson and his double-double averages of 21.4 points and 10.4 rebounds that will be missing for eight weeks. But Brey got inspired performances using a 9-man rotation.



UP NEXT



N.C. State: Hosts No. 2 Duke Saturday.



Notre Dame: Visits Syracuse Saturday.

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