SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A career night from junior wing V.J. Beachem and plenty of points from the rest of the starting lineup helped No. 18 Notre Dame avoid becoming part of college basketball's early-season run of upsets.

Beachem scored a career-high 19 points and added a career-high eight rebounds while all five Irish scored double figures Tuesday in an 86-78 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Purcell Pavilion.

Notre Dame opened a 10-point lead less than two minutes into the second half following two Steve Vasturia free throws. It jumped to 12 on a Beachem steal and two-hand breakaway dunk.

The Irish (2-0) led by as many as 20 and improved to 59-1 in November during Mike Brey's 16 seasons.

Milwaukee (3-1) was cooking early from the 3-point line. The Panthers' hit six of their first eight from distance to open a six-point lead as Brey searched and searched and searched a for a lineup combination that would work.

But just when it looked like Milwaukee would get really comfortable, playing four games in five nights -- including three over the weekend on the West Coast -- started to catch up with the visitors, who finished 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from beyond-the-arc.

Notre Dame closed the first half on a 16-2 run, which included 14 unanswered points, to flip its six-point deficit to an eight-point lead at the break.

The biggest difference the first 20 minutes was Irish sophomore Bonzie Colson. After fouling out in the opener with three points and two rebounds in 15 minutes, he finished with nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

Milwaukee managed just one basket and no 3s over the final 6:13.