The Irish sailed to commanding victories in their first two games, winning two straight by 20+ points for the first time since 2021. In their third and final home game starting off the season, Notre Dame hosted the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Eastern Illinois entered the game with an even record, one win and one loss while the Irish were searching for a third straight win, which they would find.
In the first minutes of the game, the physicality of both teams playing became clear. Three jump balls were called in three minutes and multiple scuffles broke out. Eventually, junior guard Markus Burton scored the first points of the game with a midrange jumper, helping the Irish build an early lead. Burton would lead all scorers in the first half with 12 points.
Both teams experienced shooting woes early. Midway through the first period, the Irish were two for eight on three-point field goals, and the Panthers were zero for four. The missed shots resulted in the Irish lead diminishing as the Panthers went on a quick 7-0 run to take the lead for the first time in the game. The rest of the half was a constant back and forth with nine lead changes in five minutes. The Notre Dame defense stepped up to close out the period, holding Eastern Illinois scoreless for the final 2:40, and went into the locker room with a 31-28 lead.
In the first half, the Irish’s biggest lead was seven, and the Panthers’ was only two. A large reason neither team was able to build momentum and amass a substantial lead stemmed from the cold stretches beyond the arc. Combined, the two squads went four for 25 on attempted threes. Notre Dame shot just above 15%, a stark deviation from the 47.5% they shot in the first two games of the season.
Coming out of the half, the shooting concerns were rapidly silenced. The first made bucket of the second half was a three from junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry, which was followed by another three from Burton. Shrewsberry’s hot streak would continue, quickly hitting two more threes, including one that he sunk from the logo. In the first five minutes of the second period, Notre Dame already had double the number of makes from deep as they did in the entirety of the first half.
The impact of the improved shooting was felt immediately as the Irish took their biggest lead of the game at 48-36. Notre Dame remained firmly in the driver’s seat, leading 55-42 with half the period left. The physicality of defense also returned, forcing the Panthers to go over nine straight minutes without a made field goal. Notre Dame looked like a completely different team in the second half, outscoring Eastern Illinois 47-30. After a competitive first half, the Irish dominated the second to crush the Panthers 78-58.
Burton was the leading scorer for the Irish last season and through the start of this season. Against Eastern Illinois, his 21 points were the most of any player. Another bright spot in the Notre Dame victory was Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry provided a spark to reignite a shooting game that had gone cold and overall finished going six out of eight attempts on threes. He has had five or more threes in back-to-back games. Beyond this outstanding volume has been an impressive efficiency as he is shooting 55% this season. The Irish had a third player finish with double-digit scoring with Jalen Haralson’s 17-point outing. The freshman guard was a perfect six for six from the field and also tacked on five free throws. The game’s leader in rebounds was graduate forward Carson Towt, who recorded 11. Entering the matchup, Towt was third in the nation averaging 14.5 a game. His performance against the Panthers was his third straight of 10+ boards.
Next up for the Irish is their toughest test of the season as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State. The Buckeyes are also undefeated, mirroring Notre Dame’s record with three straight wins.
