While most of us were enjoying the comforts of home and catching up on our latest Netflix obsession over Winter Break, our student athletes were hard at work. In case you missed it, here’s a round up of all the ND sports teams that were playing while we were away:
Basketball:
Men’s Basketball participated in two classics, the Gotham and Crossroads Classics, over the holiday. ND beat Indiana in the Crossroads Classic 79-72 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis before the team moved on to NYC. Unfortunately, ND fell to Ohio State in a close game at Madison Square Garden during the Gotham Classic, despite going 2-1 in the qualifying rounds. Returning to campus after the New Year, the Men’s Basketball team rebounded from their NYC lost with two major wins against Canisius and Duke. The team will continue their regular season when they host Virginia Tech at the Purcell Pavilion on Jan. 19th at 6 p.m.
Shifting to the female side of the court, Women’s Basketball continued their amazing undefeated streak, beating Central Michigan, Oregon State, South Dakota State, Clemson, Boston College and Virginia. At 15-0, NDWBB is ranked #2 in the country and has obviously made quite the debut in the ACC. They face their next opponent, the University of Pittsburgh, away on Jan. 16th. Be sure to come out and support the Women’s Basketball team and their incredible undefeated season when they return to campus to host Miami on Jan. 23rd at 8:30 pm at the Purcell Pavilion.
Hockey:
Another ND team that had success over break was ND Hockey. Unlike either basketball teams, ND Hockey had a bit of relief in their schedule, as they only competed in three games. The focal point of their Winter Break schedule was the Frozen Fenway game, in which ND took on Boston College in the middle of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Despite the excitement of the novelty game, ND fell 4-3. Luckily, the team picked itself back up and rebounded in its’ next two games, both played at home, against Alabama-Huntsville. The 12-8-1 team hosts Lake Superior State this weekend at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Football:
Lastly, the ND Football team faced Rutgers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 28th. For those who did not catch the televised bowl game, #25 ND punched out a 29-16 victory over the Scarlet Knights. The game was definitely less than perfect at times, but was a solid ending to a successful 2013 season and the collegiate football careers of many seniors. Senior Zack Martin took home the MVP award for the game but was vocal in his support for QB Tommy Rees, who had a rather contentious career during his time at ND. Despite his mistakes (“Turnover Tommy” anyone?), Rees ended his time at ND as one of the most successful passers in ND football history, surpassing 3,000 yards in his career here. Rees, along with all of the seniors who will be leaving ND in the spring, ended their ND career with a great victory in the Pinstripe Bowl.
So there you have it! Our winter sports teams continued to pave a history of success for ND while most of us were home over Winter Break- be sure to come out to support them in their next home competitions!