SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- No. 25 Notre Dame is back at home and back on track.

After losing two consecutive December games for the first time since 2003, the Irish returned to their winning ways on Monday night at Purcell Pavilion with a 77-62 victory over Colgate.

V.J. Beachem led the Irish (10-2) with 20 points in the team's first home game in 13 days after single-digit neutral site losses to top-ranked Villanova and No. 15 Purdue.

Notre Dame never trailed and led by as many as 21.

The game was a typical finale before Christmas break grinder for Notre Dame. Many of the Irish were headed for home following the game or first thing Tuesday morning, and the lack of attention to detail and focus sure showed.

Coming into Monday, the Irish were the national leader in fewest turnovers per game at 8.4. Notre Dame then turned it over a season-high 14 times.

The Irish were rarely sharp, and often sloppy.

It was just a game Notre Dame needed to muddle through.

"We did what we had to do to get out of there," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We turned it over a little much. That's not who we've been and that hurt us.

"But we need a break. We need a little break from the routine.

Afterward, all anyone could talk about was Irish guard Matt Farrell.

It was not the 13 points he scored or the seven assists he handed out in 37 minutes. It was his post-game reunion with older brother, Bo, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army that toyed with everyone's emotions.

Bo Farrell, who was supposed to be stationed in Afghanistan, greeted his brother with a postgame video played on the arena scoreboard. Afterward, Bo Farrell raced out of the locker room and surprised Farrell and his family, who were in attendance.

Farrell was moved to tears to see his brother, his hero, dressed in combat fatigues.

"I don't even know what to say," Farrell said, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm just lost for words. It's awesome, man. I can't wait to spend Christmas with him."

Bo Farrell has been stationed in Texas for the last two and a half years. He has been in the Army for three and a half. Farrell had not seen his older brother since May and figured he would see him again sometime in the middle February.

"I was real excited about that cause it was coming up," Farrell said. "But he got me. This is going to be a fun Christmas."

Will Rayman was the leading scorer for Colgate (2-10) with 18 points.

"I was proud of our guys for how we battled, competed and stuck with what we were trying to do," Colgate coach Matt Langel told the Raiders web site afterward.

The Irish led by 16 points at halftime despite laboring to a season-low 36 points in the first 20 minutes.

On the flip side, the 20 points allowed by Notre Dame was a season low.

When Matt Ryan connected on a 3-pointer with 5:11 left before halftime, it gave Notre Dame a 25-15 lead and marked the 12th time in as many games that the Irish have led by as many as 10 points.

NOTES: Colgate's wins are against Cornell and Union. The Raiders opened with a road loss at Syracuse. They are 1-6 on the road. ... This was the first of three straight games and five of seven away from home for Colgate. ... Colgate won two Patriot League games last year against eventual regular-season champion Bucknell, whose coaching staff included former Notre Dame guard Ryan Ayers, now in his first season as an assistant for Mike Brey. ... The Raiders were picked in the preseason to finish sixth in the 10-team Patriot League. ... Irish associate head coach Rod Balanis spent four years as an assistant at Colgate. ... Notre Dame entered the week the top free-throw shooting team in the country (86.4) and made 7 of 10 attempts Monday. G Matt Farrell is 27 of 27 from the foul line. ... Notre Dame leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in seven different statistical categories. ... The Irish had been outrebounded by an average of nine rebounds in the previous two games. ... Notre Dame ends nonconference play Dec. 28 against Saint Peter's.