PITTSBURGH – To get a road win in the ACC is no easy task and the Notre Dame men’s basketball team was looking to snap a losing skid at Pittsburgh’s expense on Saturday evening. The Fighting Irish (7-15, 2-9) jumped out to a solid start, earning a seven-point lead while keeping the ACC’s best three-point shooting team in check as Pitt started 0-for-9 from deep. However, the Panthers (14-8, 5-6) found their stroke and ended the first half on a 16-3 run. Pitt ultimately hit 10 three-pointers in the game and handed Notre Dame a 70-60 loss.
Markus Burton extended his double-digit scoring streak to 15 games with a team-high 17 points, 14 of which were scored in the second half. Burton also recorded three assists, three steals and four rebounds.
Tae Davis was the lone other Irish in double figures, also posting a strong second half in which he tallied 12 of his 16 points. Davis went 6-of-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Braeden Shrewsberry recorded his eighth consecutive game with multiple three-pointers, as he finished with eight points.
With Pitt scoring 70 points tonight, the Panthers and the Miami Hurricanes (Jan. 24) are the only two ACC opponents in 11 league games to reach 70 points against the Irish defense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tae Davis started the game by attacking the rim with two early drives to garner a quick four points. Later, a Matt Zona three-pointer followed by a Logan Imes layup made it a 7-0 Irish run that resulted in a 12-6 advantage.
Fast forward to 5:08 remaining in the first and the Irish offense produced another flurry of baskets by the trio of Burton, Imes and Njie, all equating to their largest lead of the half up 19-12.
At that point, Notre Dame had kept Pittsburgh’s offense in check, for the Panthers started the game just 4-of-18 from the field. Not only that but Pitt entered the contest ranked first in the ACC in three-pointers per game, averaging 9.3. Pitt started the game 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.
However, in the final 4:24, they found their touch and drained four before halftime, ending the half on a 16-3 scoring spree. Pitt’s leading scorer Blake Hinson, who had just one point at the time, was responsible for their last two treys.
Notre Dame shot 9-of-23 compared to Pitt’s 10-of-26. Pitt just edged ND in rebounding, 16-15. Seven Irish had points at the midway point, but none had more than four.
Burton spurred an 8-2 start to the second half with six quick points. However, Pitt applied the counter punch by connecting on three consecutive three-pointers to keep some distance at 30-39 at 15:42. Burton connected on another basket at 15:01, scoring eight of the team’s first 12 points of the half, pulling the Irish within 34-39.
Yet, Pitt started with a hot hand, draining seven of their first 10 shots, which included a 5-for-6 mark from three-point range. All of that ultimately resulted in a 10-0 Pitt scoring run to build a 34-49 advantage.
Starting at 9:27, Notre Dame got into the bonus and then recorded a stretch in which they went 6-for-6 from the stripe to cut Pitt’s once 15-point lead to single digits at 42-51. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Pitt stymied the momentum with a 7-0 run in just under two minutes to push the lead to 16.
With just under three minutes remaining, Notre Dame applied a full-court press which led to a 13-6 scoring run to bring the game to its final of 60-70.
UP NEXT
The three-game road swing concludes at No. 7 Duke on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 9 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
— ND –