After a 1-2 stretch at the Players Era Festival, Notre Dame came into Tuesday’s contest with a 5-3 record. Both of last week’s tournament losses came against AP top-25 teams in Kansas and Houston. With only five games remaining before the beginning of Atlantic Coast Conference play, the Irish were looking to find momentum against an undefeated Missouri team. They had their own undefeated record to protect as they hosted the Tigers, a 4-0 mark inside Purcell Pavilion.
The matchup held additional stakes as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. It is now the third consecutive season that the two premier conferences have been pitted against each other. In the first iteration, the two leagues finished the year tied 7-7, while the SEC prevailed with a dominant 14-2 finish the next year. The Challenge is not just about deciding bragging rights between the conferences, but also providing teams like Notre Dame an opportunity to boost their resume with a quality non-conference win. The Irish have a poor track record in the Challenge, entering the game holding a 0-2 record. Missouri, on the other hand, has mirrored those results, going 2-0 against ACC foes.
On the first possession of the night, the Tigers were forced into a miss, and graduate forward Carson Towt secured the defensive rebound. From the very first play, the importance of the rebounding battle became evident. Towt’s 10.4 boards per game is tied for the 11th most in the nation.
Tied at 4-4, junior guard Markus Burton drilled a stepback three, which was quickly followed by another three from junior backcourt partner Braeden Shrewsberry. This capped an 8-0 run that invigorated the Notre Dame student section into a deafening roar, forcing Missouri to take a timeout. Coming out of the break, the Tigers reestablished themselves in the game, going on a run of their own. Halfway through the first half, the two teams were deadlocked at 17-17.
One of the most important periods for this Notre Dame team has been the minutes when Burton is on the bench. Missouri capitalized on the time when the Irish were without their leading scorer, forcing a plethora of turnovers and reclaiming the lead. Notre Dame faced a seven-point deficit with four minutes remaining in the first 20. After trading buckets in the waning minutes of the half, both teams headed to the locker room with the Tigers leading 40-33.
Notre Dame scored the first points of the half with a layup from freshman guard Jalen Haralson. Haralson continued his hot streak to start the second, getting fouled on the next two possessions and scoring the first five Irish points. It was clear the offense was being run through the freshman, and it was effective. He had seven points through the first four minutes of the half and brought his team back within one score.
Haralson’s production took the defensive focus off of Burton, who took the opportunity to drill a three, bringing the Irish within a point. Continuing the shooting streak was Shrewsberry, who connected from downtown to give Notre Dame a 48-46 lead, its first since early in the first half. With all the momentum in their favor, the Irish stepped on the gas pedal, extending the run to 11 unanswered and leading by seven with just over 10 minutes left. They held the Tigers scoreless for over five and a half minutes.
Missouri took a timeout and returned to the floor completely reenergized. The Tigers were able to stifle Notre Dame’s offense, snap its scoring drought and reclaim a 57-53 lead with an 11-0 run of their own. A series of calls left the arena ringing in boos, as Haralson picked up his fifth foul, leaving the Irish to face the scoring drought without one of their star players.
Entering crunch time, sophomore guard Cole Certa stepped up, drilling a three to give the Irish a 61-60 lead. The teams went back and forth, staying within a score going into the final minutes. Once again, Certa hit a clutch shot for the Irish, tying the game at 67 with 1:35 remaining. After Burton was fouled and shot two for two at the line, Notre Dame led 69-67 with under a minute left. Jacob Crews responded on the next possession for Missouri, connecting on a pair from the charity stripe to tie the game.
Calling a timeout with 29 seconds remaining, head coach Micah Shrewberry put the ball in the hands of his star. Burton drew a double at the top of the key and kicked it to Certa on the left wing. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard pulled up from way behind the arc and connected on his fourth 3-point make of the game, with only 17 seconds on the clock. The Irish held on to the lead until the buzzer sounded, surviving a thriller in Purcell Pavilion to earn a marquee victory.
A large portion of Notre Dame’s scoring came from its guards. The trio of Haralson, Shrewsberry and Burton had 20 of the team’s 33 first-half points, and scored a combined 42 points overall. Burton recorded a double-double, adding 10 assists to his 18 points. Towt continued his rebounding dominance, logging nine, seven of them in the first half. Certa’s shooting in the clutch was instrumental, and he finished the game as Notre Dame’s second leading scorer with 14 points.
The Irish have a short turnaround before travelling to Fort Worth to face TCU. The Horned Frogs are 5-2 this season and have proven to be a competitive matchup for any team. They defeated No. 15 Florida last week and were competitive with No. 3 Michigan until the final seconds. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. on Dec. 5 inside Schollmaier Arena, with ESPN+ providing the broadcast.
