Notre Dame star forward Bonzie Colson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his first game back since late December, and the Fighting Irish kept Pittsburgh winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 73-56 win Wednesday on Senior Night at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.

Colson missed the previous 15 games with a left foot injury sustained on Dec. 30.

The Irish (18-12, 8-9 ACC) went 6-9 without him to put their NCAA Tournament hopes in serious jeopardy. They will have a chance to improve their resume on Saturday when they travel to No. 1 Virginia. An upset of the Cavaliers followed by a deep run in the ACC tournament would get the Irish at least back in the NCAA Tournament discussion.

With the loss, the Panthers (8-23, 0-18 ACC) become the second ACC team to go winless in conference play in the last 30 years. Boston College went 0-18 in ACC games during the 2015-16 season.

Matt Farrell and T.J. Gibbs each finished with 14 points to lead the Irish.

Notre Dame used a 16-0 run to take control in the first half. Gibbs had three 3-pointers during the spurt, which gave the Irish a 30-13 lead with six minutes left in the half.

The Fighting Irish went into the locker room with a 39-23 lead. Pittsburgh never mounted a serious comeback threat in the second half.

Jared Wilson-Frame came off the bench to lead Pittsburgh with 20 points. Terrell Brown and Shamiel Stevenson each added 10 points for the Panthers, who shot 33.3 percent from the field and were outrebounded 51-35 by the Irish.

Martinas Geben, one of five Irish seniors celebrated on Wednesday, had nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Notre Dame.

The Irish started the season 11-3, but have been ravaged by injuries, including to their two top players, Colson and Farrell. Both appear to be healthy now, but it could be too late.

The ACC tournament tips off Tuesday at Barclays Center in New York.

--Field Level Media