The Notre Dame men’s basketball team faced the NC State Wolfpack this Saturday for an ACC matchup and the team’s Senior Day. After a 56-100 loss against Duke University earlier in the week, the Irish hoped to come back after being on a two-game losing streak.
In the post-game press conference, head coach Micah Shrewberry said “the season of hell continues.” However, the team is optimistic that they still have the opportunity to make the ACC playoffs. In the same interview, freshman forward Brady Koehler states that “the season is not over — we got three games left.”
Going into the game, Notre Dame was 12-16 overall and 3-12 in the ACC conference, while NC State was 19-9 and 10-5 for conference play, ranking fourth. Hoping for the bye in the conference tournament, the Wolfpack needed to secure the win against the Irish and win the rest of their games.
Going into halftime, Notre Dame was down 38-44. The Irish succeed in being able to pass in and out of the points, spreading points around from player to player. Sophomore guard Sir Mohammed led the team with 10 points at half, sophomore guard Cole Certa came in next with nine — all three pointers — and junior guard Logan Imes recorded eight. Graduate forward Carson Towt dominated in the paint with six rebounds. However, the Irish still struggled on offense with nine turnovers, while NC State only had two.
In the second half, Notre Dame turned up the heat, making the deficit within reach of turning the game around. In the last two minutes, junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry drained a three-pointer, making the game 79-81. With 19 seconds left, freshman guard Jalan Haralson made two free throws, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
In overtime, the Irish’s consistency led the Wolfpack to a loss. The final score of 96-90 is credited to Certa, who led Notre Dame with 32 points, including six three-pointers. Certa shot three from beyond the three-line in overtime, helping the Irish pull ahead. Haralson also put up 25 points off the bench along with nine rebounds. Coach Shrewsberry’s lineup rotation helped the Irish secure a huge win. While there is still a lot of work to be done, this win helps boost the confidence in Shrewberry’s team.
Notre Dame is now 13-16 and 4-12 in conference play. The Irish will finish out the season with two upcoming ACC competitors, Stanford and Boston College. The team needs both wins to keep their ACC tournament dreams alive.
