It's usually not a good thing when your highest scorer is off the bench.
However, if he's scoring 31 points, then you're probably OK.
Bonzie Colson came off the bench to put up huge numbers for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they stunned the Duke Blue Devils 95-91.
Colson recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds and a whopping 31 points off the bench for the Irish, who finally recorded the statement victory that they desperately needed.
The Irish also received 24 and 22 points respectively from starters Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia, which boosted the defending ACC champions.
Though it was Duke that got off to a fast start, they slowed in the second half as their bench played just 16 minutes, with 14 of those coming from one player. Notre Dame's bench played 56 minutes, and outscored Duke's by a whopping 36 point margin (38-2). Notre Dame's deep bench could make them a threat as the season continues.
Duke Gets Off To Huge Start
For the first two minutes of Saturday's game, it was all Duke. The Blue Devils won the tip-off and Grayson Allen promptly drained a three-pointer. After Luke Kennard collected a defensive rebound at the other end of the court, he dribbled down the court, and netted a trey of his own. Marshall Plumlee forced an Irish turnover on their next possession, and Kennard dropped in a jumper to give Duke a quick 8-0 lead, igniting their home crowd. The early momentum carried the Blue Devils through much of the first ten minutes, but the Irish clawed their way back into the game.
Notre Dame Stays With Duke In Offense-Dominated Game
After succumbing to the power of the Blue Devils early, the Irish came back, slowly but surely, chipping away at the Blue Devils' lead. They closed the deficit to 20-18 with about twelve minutes left in the first half, but they couldn't quite catch up with Duke. After a pair of Vasturia free throws closed the Duke lead to 21-20, Brandon Ingram quickly nailed a shot from beyond the arc, was fouled, and swished the free throw to complete the four-point play. The Irish did finally grab a one-point lead when Jackson laid the ball in for a 35-34 Irish advantage, but their lead lasted all of fifteen seconds. Plumlee came back to slam down a monster dunk, which spurred the Blue Devils to a 9-0 run that brought their lead back to eight points. Jackson made a couple of jumpers late in the first half for the Irish to keep them in the game, including one shot with three seconds remaining in the half to cut Duke's lead to 50-45 at halftime.
Irish Come Out Firing In Second Half
Bonzie Colson came out firing on all cylinders for the Irish, as they scored eleven of the second half's first twelve points to suddenly take a 56-51 lead. Colson started the spurt with a lay-up that cut the lead to 50-47. Later, after a free throw by Duke brought the score to 51-49, Colson drove in for a layup, and drew a foul. Colson's free throw swished through the net and the Irish again had a one-point lead. It would last a little longer this time. Colson and Jackson each made a pair of free throws in the subsequent minutes to give the Irish a five-point advantage.
Luke Kennard Goes On Fire To Keep Duke Close
With the Blue Devils trailing by five and all the momentum with Notre Dame, Duke needed a spark. They got one in Kennard, who made a layup to cut the lead to three points, before dishing out an assist on Matt Jones' game-tying three-pointer. Vasturia banged in a mid-range jumper to put the Irish back on top, but Kennard knocked down a deuce of his own. Notre Dame's Zach Auguste converted a three-point play on their next possession, but Kennard drilled a three-pointer to bring the score to 61-61. Colson came right back with a trey of his own to restore Notre Dame's advantage, but Kennard was there again. He knocked down yet another trey to tie the game up for Duke at 64 points apiece, before he finally cooled down. Kennard finished with a team-high 30 points.
Consistent Offense For Notre Dame Helps Irish Survive Wild Finish
No matter what, the Irish just couldn't pull away from Duke, much like the Blue Devils had been unable to put away Notre Dame in the first half. Colson sunk a three-pointer that gave the Irish a 69-64 lead with twelve minutes remaining, but Duke stormed back. Ingram, who finished with 25 points, made a three-pointer, assisted on a Plumlee dunk, and then made consecutive free throws to knot the score at 73-73. However, a pair of Vasturia three-pointers sandwiched around a layup by Jackson kept the Irish in the lead, as they went up on Duke 81-75 with 7:13 remaining in the game. The Irish continued to stave off the Blue Devils as Rex Pflueger drained a three-pointer to give the Irish an 86-80 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
But the Blue Devils weren't done just yet.
Kennard made a pair of free throws to start a 9-2 run for Duke. Allen then drilled a trey before converting a layup opportunity that pushed Duke back into the lead at 87-86 for the first time since early in the second half. Jackson made a jumper with a minute remaining, but Allen swished a pair of free throws to keep the Blue Devils up by one with 47 seconds remaining on the clock. However, it was Bonzie Colson coming to the rescue for the Irish again, as he made a go-ahead layup, drew the foul, and made the free throw to complete the three-point play. Matt Jones missed a three-point attempt for Duke on the next possession, and the Blue Devils were forced to foul. Demetrius Jackson knocked down a pair of shots from the charity stripe to give Notre Dame a precious two-possession advantage. When Ingram missed a layup on the next possession, it looked to be over, but Plumlee grabbed the rebound and jammed it in for two points to cut the deficit to 93-91. Duke promptly fouled Jackson, who was sent to the foul line for a one-and-one free throw opportunity that could seal the deal. Jackson's first free throw rimmed out but Zach Auguste was there, coming up with his 14th and final rebound, to prevent Duke from getting a chance to tie the game. Auguste was fouled, and he converted both his free throw opportunities to seal Notre Dame's huge upset.
Critical Win For Inconsistent Irish
Notre Dame dropped from the Top 25 early after losses to Monmouth and Alabama, and they haven't been able to record any big victories since. They dropped a big game to Indiana, and were beaten 77-66 by Virginia, the first ranked team they played all year, in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The Irish, who made a surprising run to the ACC title and Elite Eight last season, were just 2-2 in ACC play entering this game. After losing by more than 30 points at Duke's court last year, this was not only sweet redemption for the Irish, but it was a huge boost for a team that needs some consistency. With Virginia Tech looming, the Irish will look for another big conference win as they look to start moving up the rankings.
Skidding Blue Devils Need A Win
Duke was looking like a powerhouse as, after a tough loss to Kentucky, they had won 12 of 13 games, which gave them a 3-0 start in conference play. However, Duke has now succumbed to unranked teams in consecutive games, first dropping a decision to Clemson, and now to Notre Dame. The ninth-ranked Blue Devils need some wins to get them back on the right track, and stay among the top teams in the nation. They will likely suffer a drop in the rankings after this rough week, but Duke will have a chance to bounce back with games against Syracuse and N.C. State coming up.