Dec. 28--After losing in the final of last year's Wheeling Hardwood Classic, Notre Dame had this week's tournament circled on its calendar.
Sleep-walking through the first half Saturday against Libertyville put this year's title chances in jeopardy, but the No. 13 Dons found their footing on both ends of the floor in plenty of time to cruise to a 62-48 win and their third Hardwood crown in six years.
"The week leading up to this we went really hard in practice," said Notre Dame guard Lucas Simon, who was named the tournament's MVP. "We came out slow tonight, but we knew we would eventually score. The biggest thing for us was getting stops (on defense)."
Eleven of those stops came in a dominant third quarter, including on a staggering nine straight possessions. The defensive turnaround helped flip a 31-22 halftime deficit into a 44-38 Notre Dame lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Dons (11-2) ended the third on an 18-2 run and scored the first eight points of the fourth for good measure to build a 52-38 cushion that never was threatened.
The contrast between halves was stark on the offensive side as well for Notre Dame, as 8-of-25 shooting from the floor in the first half was followed by a torrid 16-of-23 mark after the break.
Junior Matt Stritzel scored seven of his 10 points in the third quarter, and Ammar Becar scored six of his game-high 15 points in the stretch. The offensive efficiency that shined in the first half for Libertyville (9-4) disappeared thereafter, as the Wildcats scored only five baskets in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
"The defense was the difference," Notre Dame coach Tom Les said. "We got deflections and we got into people. We have a bunch of players with a lot of experience, so we knew we were in trouble if we continued with the same level of intensity."
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the Game: Ammar Becar, Notre Dame, 15 points.
Key Performers: Notre Dame -- Chris Heinichen, 11 points; Matt Stritzel, 10 points. Libertyville -- Ben Kimpler, 11 points, 9 rebounds; Jabari Quigley, 11 points.
