Irish Lose Jackson But Still Beat Boston College, 76-49
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Despite missing its best player for much of Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame got 16 points each from Bonzie Colson and Steve Vasturia in a 76-49 win over Boston College.
Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame's leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, left early in the first half and did not return after suffering a hamstring injury.
Vasturia took over the main point guard duties with Jackson out and scored 13 of his points in the second half, as the Irish cruised to their second lopsided win over the Eagles this season.
Eli Carter led Boston College with 16 points.
Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2 ACC) went 25-for-27 from the free throw line to win its fourth straight overall and seventh in a row against Boston College.
The Eagles (7-12, 0-6) have lost six straight, all in ACC play.
V.J. Beachem added 14 points and Zach Auguste had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Notre Dame.
Freshman guard Rex Pflueger started the second half for the Irish, and finished with a career-high 11 points. His 3-pointer five minutes in gave Notre Dame a 15-point lead, part of a 16-2 Irish run to open the half.
Pflueger also drew the defensive assignment of guarding Carter, who went 3 for 4 from 3-point range and scored 11 in the first half. Carter was just 1-for-6 shooting and missed his only 3-point attempt in the second half.
Jackson left the game 2:16 in after a collision. Initially, the Eagles failed to capitalize, going almost six minutes without scoring a point while falling behind 14-2. Jackson returned to the Irish bench after spending several minutes in the locker room, but it was announced just before halftime that he would not be available for the rest of the game.
Meanwhile, BC used an 8-0 run to cut Notre Dame's lead to 19-15 with 7:55 left in the first half, and got within two points on Carter's 3-pointer five minutes later, but the Irish took a 34-29 lead into halftime.
RING OF HONOR
Former Notre Dame forward and two-time Big East player of the year Troy Murphy was inducted into the school's Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony. Murphy played three seasons for the Irish (1998-2001) and ranks seventh in scoring with 2,011 points.
"It's a great honor to be in such a selective group of players and coaches," Murphy said before Saturday's game. "It's something I'm proud to a part of."
Murphy left Notre Dame after his junior season for the NBA and was selected 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 2001. He played 12 seasons in the NBA for six different teams. In each of his three seasons in South Bend, Murphy played for a different head coach — John MacLeod, then Matt Doherty, and finally current Irish coach Mike Brey.
"It was unusual, but I enjoyed playing for each guy," Murphy said. "I think it actually got me ready to play in the NBA."
TIP-INS
Boston College: The Eagles are the only team left in the ACC without a victory, and are still looking for their first win of 2016.
Notre Dame: Junior point guard Demetrius Jackson remains 33 points away from reaching 1,000 for his Irish career after not scoring in his two minutes on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Boston College hosts Florida State on Tuesday.
Notre Dame travels to Syracuse on Thursday.
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