Notre Dame Rallies To Beat Michigan, 70-63, In NCAA Opener

NEW YORK (AP) — V.J. Beacham scored 18 points, including the 3-pointer that gave Notre Dame the lead for good, and the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish rallied to beat 11th-seeded Michigan 70-63 on Friday night in the first round of the East Regional.

The Fighting Irish (22-11) didn't take a lead in the game until Beacham's 3 with 9:26 left to make it 51-48. From there on there were five lead changes and three ties.

Notre Dame will face 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the second round on Sunday. The Lumberjacks upset third-seeded West Virginia 70-56.

Michigan (23-13) controlled the first half, taking a 41-29 lead. Notre Dame scored the first eight points of the second half, a run that included 3-pointers by Vasturia and Matt Farrell, matching the team's total of the first half. It brought the Fighting Irish within 41-37.

Beacham's 3 with 4:24 left gave Notre Dame a 62-59 lead, one they never gave up.

Michigan beat Tulsa 67-62 on Wednesday in the First Four. Wichita State, the other 11th seed to win a First Four game, advanced to the second round with a victory over Arizona.

Bonzie Colson had 12 points for Notre Dame but the final minutes were where he shined. He had a big blocked shot with just under 2 minutes to play and he converted a rebound for a 66-61 lead with 1:35 to go. He then iced the game with two free throws that made it 68-63 with 11 seconds left.

Zach Auguste had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Irish, who finished with a 33-25 advantage on the boards.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkam had 15 points for Michigan and Derrick Walton Jr. had 10 points and eight assists.

Notre Dame, which led the nation in turnovers for a while this season, finished with 16 turnovers, almost double their regular season average of 9.7, and the Wolverines turned them into 19 points.

TIP-INS:

Michigan: The Wolverines won the previous to NCAA Tournament meetings with Notre Dame in 1974 and 1976. ... Michigan entered the game having won eight of its last 10 NCAA Tournament games.

Notre Dame: Auguste averaged 15.7 points and 11.9 rebounds over the last 12 games. ... Notre Dame had eight blocked shots.

UP NEXT:6

Notre Dame: Stephen F. Austin on Sunday in the second round.

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