CHICAGO, IL – Notre Dame received strong performances from 6’0 fifth year point guard Braeden Smith and 6’10 sophomore forward Brady Koehler as the Fighting Irish defeated DePaul 71-63 in an exhibition contest at Wintrust Arena on Friday night. Notre Dame connected on 12-of-30 from 3 point land (40%) while generating 28 second chance points and forcing DePaul into 17 turnovers.
Fifth year Gonzaga transfer Braeden Smith finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting 6-of-11 from the field and going 3-of 6 from beyond the arc. Smith displayed excellent quickness and offensive creativity off of dribble drive action. His ability to dictate pace throughout the contest gave the Irish a nearly 33-minute total lead time. Smith consistently pushed the ball in transition while utilizing skip passes to stretch the defense and create bright scoring opportunities for teammates. Although only two assists showed in the game, this number could have easily rose to five to six more. Smith’s skill set was particularly impressive as he created frequent strong connective passes that resulted in quality looks.
Notre Dame was led in the scoring department by intriguing 6’10 sophomore forward Brady Koehler who had 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting while adding five assists and three rebounds in 29 minutes of work. The versatile wing showcased an impressive offensive game while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and converting on all four of his free throw attempts. Koehler demonstrated precision on his shot release as the lefty from Fishers, IN showed his ability to score it off the catch or dribble. He attacked closeouts on zero gap pressure with patience and poise while utilizing pump fakes or jab steps to create separation and finish with soft touch against DePaul’s long interior big men. Koehler also provided passing instincts and confidence operating in ball screen actions while communicating on the defensive end in denial and help positions.
Fifth year 6’5 Penn transfer Ethan Roberts provided a spark for the Fighting Irish to gain further momentum in the second half. Roberts connected on 3-of-6 three point attempts while knocking down 2-of-2 in the second half. On both ends of the floor he showed physicality while crashing the boards and securing five rebounds with four in the second half. True freshman 6’3 guard Jonathan Sanderson also showed an encouraging performance in the second half scoring 7 of his 13, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out two assists.
For DePaul, Koree Cotton delivered an efficient offensive performance finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. The left-handed 6’6 senior transfer from UTRGV had a quick offensive approach taking advantage of perimeter opportunities while utilizing effective footwork and shot fakes to attack tight lane lines. Cotton brings noticeable energy on both ends showing defensive awareness and the ability to be a playmaker on the offensive end.
Sophomore 6’6 guard Kruz McClure was another encouraging performer for the Blue Demons who had 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting and going 4–f 5 from the free throw line in 32 minutes of action. The lengthy wing provided an intriguing versatile offensive game while scoring from three levels and delivering four assists on multiple accurate lob passes to DePaul’s bigs for above the rim finishes. His wingspan provided value defensively, allowing him to disrupt passing lanes and contest opponents’ shots.
The Blue Demons’ three 7’0 plus bigs had a noticeable effect around the basket. 7’0 senior San Diego State transfer forward Magoon Gwath provides rim protection and lengthy rim running tendances who finished with six points and five rebounds. 7’2 junior center Fabian Flores led DePaul with 14 points and six rebounds while capitalizing on pick and roll scenarios and having four dunks. 7’0 junior center Wilson Jacques also contributed a bucket and two rebounds in 12 minutes of action.
This article was written by Michael Scheiderman of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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