Notre Dame played the way it needed to when it needed to against Long Beach State on Thursday.

After a tight first half, the Irish came out strong in the second half en route to an 82-62 win in Purcell Pavilion.

Notre Dame held a 37-35 halftime lead but the Irish (3-0) opened the second half on a 13-2 run to take a 50-39 lead over the 49ers (2-1).

Notre Dame held Long Beach to 37.9 percent shooting in the second half, and the Irish limited 49ers' leading scorer Larry Anderson to four points after halftime. Anderson finished with 20.

"We played older than them," Brey said. "They are really talented, but they are young. We could pay more attention to detail for 40 minutes."

Guard Ben Hansbrough, who was held to two points and took a nasty spill in the first half, was the catalyst for Notre Dame to start the second.

Hansbrough, who injured his hip and ankle, scored five of his 11 points in the second-half run. He also scored the first points of the second half by slicing through the middle of the land for a layup.

Brey said Hansbrough, who was being iced down and was unavailable for interviews after the game, should be fine to play Sunday when Notre Dame welcomes Liberty to Purcell.

"He is one tough guy," Brey said. "There is no question about that. That was one heck of a fall."