Notre Dame Grinds Out 75-58 Win Over North Dakota
Notre Dame (4-0) cruised past a pesky North Dakota (2-2) team 75-58 on Tuesday evening at Purcell Pavilion.
Sophomore guard Markus Burton is used to big games, but this year, the Mishawaka native’s heroics haven’t been needed until this game. The Irish held a comfortable seven-point lead at halftime but kept hanging around in the final 20 minutes, including cutting the lead to five less than two minutes into the second half.
Burton, who scored 16 points in the first half, added another 13 points in the second stanza, which included eight points during a key stretch to push the lead to 15 with just under 12 minutes to play. The 6-foot, guard ended his night with 29 points on 13-of-20 shooting, nine rebounds and three assists.
North Dakota struggled to find the basket ball night and it wasn’t necessarily due to Notre Dame playing good defense. The Fighting Hawks shot just 34 percent from the field, including just 9-fo-27 from three-point range.
The Irish shot 52 percent from the field, but just 3-of-17 (18%) from deep. Sophomore Braeden Shrewsberry entered the game shooting 50 percent from three-point range finished 0-for-7 deep while JR Konieczny, Matt Allocco and Burton combined to go 2-for-8 from beyond the arc.
It’s a far cry from the first three games of the year, but it’s also a positive as they found other ways to win the game, which wasn’t always the case a year ago.
Notre Dame was able to finish at the rim as they held an important 46-24 advantage on points scored in the pain and then they also went 8-for-10 from the foul line while committing just seven turnovers.
“Honestly, today wasn’t great,” said Burton. “Credit to North Dakota. They played their butts off. There’s going to be days where you don’t shoot the ball like we normally do, but you can’t just rely on that. We got to the free throw line and in the paint. We got fouls.”
Konieczny was the only other Notre Dame player in double figures for the Irish, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds. Tae Davis added eight points and five boards.
SHREWSBERRY NOT HAPPY
When Shrewsberry entered the press room for postgame, it was clear he wasn’t happy. The second-year Notre Dame head coach has worked hard over the last year to set a standard of play and his squad did not reach that on Tuesday.
“I didn’t think we prepared the same way we prepared for our last game or other games we’ve played this season,” stated Shrewsberry. “That’s the most disappointing thing for me. For a team that played with so much maturity on Saturday, we played with a lot of immaturity tonight.”
Now, it’s worth noting Notre Dame played in Washington D.C. on Saturday, had a mandatory off day on Sunday and then didn’t have a shootaround on Tuesday due to classes. Another piece to the puzzle is the Irish play on Friday, so Shrewsberry had to be mindful of the minutes played for his guys as well.
Yet, the immaturity Shrewsberry saw was from the little details. North Dakota out-rebounded Notre Dame 38-36 on the night and 14 came on the offensive end.
To start the second half, he subbed Konieczny in for his his son after one possession after giving up an offensive rebound. A few possessions later, Shrewsberry took Konieczny out for giving up an offensive rebound in favor of Julian Roper.
“We gave up 14 offensive rebounds and six to one guy who is a guard and who we talked about,” Shrewsberry stated. “He showed that on film. You believe me he’s going to go to the glass all the time or you don’t believe me. When he does it in the first half, how about going and hitting people.
“The last thing I said before we came out of the huddle at halftime was the first time that shot goes up, I better see some bodies moving. It didn’t happen. There’s immaturity right there. Get a foul. At least you’re setting a tone and saying no way in hell you’re getting an offensive rebound right here to start the second half. I don’t care. Take the ball out of bounds. I needed to see that dude flying into the stands on that first shot and the second shot and every shot there on after.”
And it’s worth noting, Shrewsberry’s anger comes on a night where the Irish won by 17, which is quite the change from last year at this time.
ROPER ENERGY
Roper was the third guy Shrewsberry subbed in and he found a way to stay on the court with his physicality and effort. The senior guard played 21 minutes and finished with four points, but he recorded three rebounds, two assists and five steals.
”It’s what we need from him,” explained Shrewsberry. “I was just searching for somebody who was going to bring us some kind of energy. We didn’t have it. We always talk about bringing our own energy. People shouldn’t come watch us play if we’re not going to play hard. It’s what we need to do more to bring people here to provide energy, so we have to play the right way. Until then, bring your own energy and I didn’t think we brought our own energy and he did have some energy for us.”
“I just go out and practice hard every day,” Roper stated. “Coach talked about just being prepared and that’s what I’ve been doing. Taking every day in practice as a way to stay fresh and ready to go whenever my number is called.”
Roper had played just 24 minutes in the first three games, but that’s where his maturity shines. Sure, the Detroit native would love to see more minutes, but Roper understands everyone has a role and he answered the bell on Tuesday.
“It’s definitely tough, but just being mature and knowing that’s the game,” said Roper. “You see it all the time with different teams. Anyone can have a day. I know I can contribute in multiple ways, so whenever I get out there, I just pride myself on doing something to help us win.”
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will host Elon on Friday night at Purcell Pavilion. Tip is set for 7:30 PM ET on ACC Network Extra.
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