It does not matter how you start; it is about how you finish.
That was the motto Norte Dame seemed to go by as they outscored BGSU 40-26 in the second half as the Fighting Irish (5-0, 0-0 ACC) ran past the Bowling Green State Falcons (2-3, 0-0 MAC), 82-66.
The long road trip started to get the best of the Falcons as they now have lost their third in a row. The orange and brown started off well, with a strong first half from Samari Curtis and Leon Ayers III as they cut the lead to two at the break. In the second half, the teams continued to go back and forth as a Samari Curtis three-pointer cut the Irish lead to 65-64 with just over eight minutes left in the game.
That would be the closest Bowling Green would get for the remainder of the game, however, as the Falcons would not score again until there were 11 seconds left in regulation. BGSU went 1/10 from the field in the last eight and a half minutes with a couple of turnovers.
Rashaun Agee was one rebound away from a double-double, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. Samari Curtis finished 4/9 from the field with 14 points, and Leon Ayers III finished 6/14 with 13 points and three rebounds.
The win for ND may be bittersweet to Irish fans, as they have yet another close call when heavily favored. Nonetheless, the 5-0 start for the Fighting Irish is the best start for the program since the 2017-18 season when they started 6-0. It is a quality start for a team looking to build upon last year’s performance in the NCAA Tournament, where Notre Dame won two games as one of the last four teams in.
Ryan Cormac led the way in shutting BGSU down in the second half as he finished with eight points, six rebounds and a block. As for the offense, the Falcons had no answers for JJ Starling (23 points on 10/11 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and three steals) or Nate Laszekewski (22 points, 4/6 3PT FG), as two ND players hit the 20-point mark in the same game for the first time this year.
Notre Dame will take their unblemished record on the road against St. Bonaventure on Nov. 25.
For the Falcons, they return home to the Stroh Center for three straight games, starting with Southern Indiana on Saturday. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
For more information, visit bgsufalcons.com.
