SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It was a back-and-forth first half between Notre Dame men’s basketball and Citadel, which featured five lead changes and five ties. The Fighting Irish (4-7) trailed 32-29 at the half, scored the first six points of the second half, then it was a downward spiral after which the Bulldogs (7-5) fired off a 23-4 scoring run. Citadel ultimately took the contest 65-45. It marked a season low in points for the Irish.
The bright spot for the Irish tonight was J.R. Konieczny who netted an 18-point, 10-rebound, double-double. It marked his third double-double of the season and the 18 points tied his career high.
Markus Burton was the lone other player in double figures with 13 points. He continues to lead the team in said category, earning his ninth game with double-digit points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Citadel got off to a 13-9 advantage in which nine of those points were scored off of Notre Dame turnovers; meanwhile, the Irish started 3-for-11 from the field. Notre Dame gained some steam by relentlessly attacking the offensive glass. That ultimately led to a 7-0 ND run which gave the home squad the lead at 16-13.
Citadel’s Quentin Millora-Brown started 5-for-5 from the field which helped the Bulldogs reclaim the lead and tally their own 7-0 run to go up 20-16.
Then it became the J.R. Konieczny show. He was in double figures by the 6:08 mark. In addition, he recorded a stretch in which he scored nine of the team’s next 11 points (or 11 of the team’s next 16). As a result, the Irish went back on top at 27-26.
Yet, the back-and-forth battle continued with the Bulldogs surging before the half to garner a 32-29 lead at the break. It was a three-headed monster for Citadel at the midway point, with Millora-Brown leading with 11, Elijah Morgan with 10 and Madison Durr with nine. On the flip side, Konieczny (14 points) and Burton (7 points) were carrying the load, combining for 21 of the team’s 29 points.
Notre Dame started 3-for-3 in the second half and their 6-0 run prompted an immediate timeout from Citadel head coach Ed Conroy. The Bulldogs responded by forcing five Irish turnovers over a four-minute span, resulting in a 9-0 run to go up 41-35. The floodgates then opened up as Citadel extended its run to 23-4 over the next 10 minutes.
Alex Wade and walk-on Raheem Braiton got some minutes at this point in the game with Wade noticeably recording some great defensive moments. Unfortunately, the offensive woes were too great as the Irish netted just 16 second-half points.
UP NEXT
The final game before the holiday break takes place on Friday, Dec. 22, when the Irish host Marist at 8 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion.
— ND –