SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Micah Shrewsberry Era kicked off on Monday night inside Purcell Pavilion and the 2023-24 rendition of the Notre Dame men’s basketball squad treated their coach to a comeback win in front over 7,000 fans. The Fighting Irish rallied down 12 midway through the first to earn a hard-fought 70-63 victory over Niagara.
Freshman point guard Markus Burton stole the show and made history in the process. His 29 points were the highest ever in a Notre Dame freshman debut, topping the previous mark of 27 set by Laphonso Ellis back in 1988. The same Ellis who was in the house tonight to watch his record get broken.
Burton also became just the fifth different Irish freshman to score at least 29 points in a game. He did it behind 11-of-20 shooting from the field with a 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line. He also tallied four rebounds and four assists.
Fellow freshman Carey Booth also stepped up on Monday, filling in for the injured Kebba Njie in the five-spot. Booth nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Two freshman started in a Notre Dame season opener for the first time since 1998 with Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry getting the nod.
It wasn’t the start Coach Shrewsberry envisioned for his squad as they began 4-of-14 from the field as Niagara jumped out to an 18-8 lead. Yet, the Irish settled in on both sides of the court and began to chip away at the deficit.
In fact, the Irish shot 9-of-14 over the remainder of the half, including five of their last six. Burton led the charge scoring all 11 of his first half points over the final 11 minutes. Booth also gave the Irish some life off the bench, tallying six points and six rebounds in 11 minutes of action. All-in-all the Irish trailed by just one at halftime, down 30-29.
Notre Dame also had to overcome an 0-for-11 start from beyond the arc. When Braeden Shrewsberry finally hit the first ND three at 14:28 in the second half, the home fans erupted for the game was also then tied at 38-all. Booth then hit a trey on the next possession to give the Irish their first lead of the game at 41-40.
That ultimately led into an 8-0 Notre Dame run over a three-minute span in which Julian Roper tallied five of those points. Shortly after, a big and-one by Burton gave the Irish a 51-46 advantage with 8:38 on the clock. However, the Purple Eagles rallied before the 7:31 media timeout to tie the game once again at 51-apiece.
Burton then became a man possessed, scoring 13 of the team’s final 19 points to bring home the victory for the Irish.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish will return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 11, when they host Western Carolina at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online by clicking here.
— ND –