SOUTH BEND | Questions about depth will surround Notre Dame all season.

Thus far, the Irish have the right answers.

Luke Harangody's 32 points came in all forms, and the Irish used a 30-10 second-half run to stretch an eight-point halftime lead into a 91-72 win over visiting Liberty on Sunday night in the opening game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The performance was the latest in a series of offensive showcases for the Big East's second-highest scoring team.

For Harangody, the night was all about diversity. Ten of his points came from the free-throw line, six more from behind the arc, and of his 14 shots, only four missed.

"I feel like I'm just moving to different areas on the floor and kind of letting defenders not realize what I'm doing every time," said Harangody, an Andrean graduate.

That versatility was what Liberty coach Dale Layer said made Notre Dame's prolific big man nearly impossible to guard -- Harangody had 20 points by halftime.

"Whatever you take away from him," Layer said, "he's comfortable at the next spot."

Harangody wasn't the only comfortable one.

With starting guard Ben Hansbrough nursing an ankle injury and limited to 21 minutes, sixth man Tim Abromaitis scored nine first-half points. His 12 overall meant the junior has scored in double digits in all four of Notre Dame's games this year.

Liberty hung around in the first half while the Irish made good use of the free-throw line, going 18-of-24 to stay ahead of the Flames. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said afterward he wasn't overly pleased with his team's defensive performance in the first half.

"We're not good enough to be disinterested defensively against people," Brey said. "We've got to really be locked in. Our margin for error is small."

Still, Notre Dame's strong start to the second half was more than enough to pull away. The Irish stretched their lead to as much as 28.

Harangody admitted that it might not have been the most aesthetic victory on the books with all the free throws (53 combined attempts) and fouls (41 overall), but it was indicative of one of the ways the Irish can win.

"It's not going to be the prettiest game every time, we're going to be kind of a grind-it-out team," he said. "But we're going to take the win every time."

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Notre Dame 91, Liberty 72

Irish sixth man Tim Abromaitis scored nine of his 12 points in the first half.

Irish women roll to win

No. 5 Notre Dame 80, Iona 45 | Skylar Diggins scored 17 points, Wheeler graduate Becca Bruszewski had 14 and Notre Dame (3-0) forced 33 turnovers en route to a victory over Iona.

The Irish dominated from the start, going ahead 11-2 in less than three minutes when Lindsay Schrader made a layup. They extended the lead to 27-11 when Brittany Mallory hit a 3-pointer, and the Gaels (2-2) never got closer than 12.