Notre Dame (4-1) used a 13-1 blitz out of halftime to coast over Bellarmine (1-4) 86-79 on Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion.
Cole Certa hit a corner three on Notre Dame’s first possession after the half, and that was all she wrote for the Knights - until the final five minutes, when Bellarmine hit nine field goals in a row to trim the lead to 79-72 with 1:40 to play.
The Knights got within 81-74 with 42.4 seconds left, but the Irish were able to close the game out at the foul line. For the game, Notre Dame was 23-of-32 from the line, which included Certa going 6-for-6 on his way to 12 points.
Notre Dame won the game on the glass as they out-rebounded Bellarmine 31-17 and gave up just two offensive rebounds on the night. Carson Towt was his pesky self as he pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 12 points.
Bellarmine stayed in the game by forcing 14 Irish turnovers. There wasn’t one culprit for the Irish as four players had two turnovers.
Markus Burton led the Irish 25 points on 10-of-13 from the floor and he also chipped in four assists. Freshman Jalen Haralson added 16 points, four rebounds and five assists.
RUNNING MATE
Haralson arrived in South Bend with the five-star tag and he’s lived up to the hype. The 6-foot-7 guard has scored in double figures the last three games and more importantly, Haralson is starting to carve out a role.
The role for Haralson is to relentlessly attack the rim. Haralson has yet to take a three-pointer on the year and isn’t looking for mid-range shots. That’s what you call self-awareness.
Haralson’s downhill game is hard to stop, especially when he’s aggressive and attacking with a purpose.
Perhaps more importantly, Haralson has started to show he can consistently take the load off Burton and that’s what Notre Dame has desperately needed for two years. There times Tae Davis was able to be the aggressor, but it wasn’t quite enough to prevent Burton from getting plays drawn up in times of need.
Notre Dame can get Haralson the ball on the perimeter, the block or at the elbow and he can get to the rim. Does that fall under the creating his own shot category? The answer would be yes as Haralson has proven he can finish.
In addition to being able to get his own shot, Haralson is a playmaker. Wednesday he had five assists and in two other games he’s recorded three assists. The ability to find open shooters make him a tough guard.
Haralson will now get tested against major conference competition over the next few weeks as Notre Dame will play Kansas, Rutgers, Missouri and TCU. If he can continue making plays, then watch out when ACC play begins.
CONCERNING
The slow starts have been a theme this season and the past two years. Shrewsberry has to find answers at some point. Bellarmine did the Irish a favor by missing multiple open looks in the first half and then turned it over six times.
With eight minutes to go in the half, Notre Dame had six field goals, one assist and seven turnovers against a bad basketball team. That’s how you lose to teams with a pulse and get run out of the building against quality programs.
On Wedneday, it wasn’t missed shots or lack of good looks. It was effort. That’s the concerning piece for Notre Dame. Sure, there is inexperience on the roster, but there are also several players who have played a ton of basketball. Shrewsberry can live with missed shots, but eight first-half turnovers and players going through the motions are inexcusable.
BLAH
The game was never in doubt on Wednesday, but it was a little interesting when Bellarmine cut the lead to six with 25 seconds to play. How did the Knights cut a 22-point lead to six in just over five minutes?
Well, it was combination of Notre Dame relaxing and Bellarmine hitting shots they probably won’t hit again.
Micah Shrewsberry wasn’t overly concenred with how the game ended outside of his team relaxing.
It was likely a good experience for this group to fight through some game situations and not lose the game. Saturday’s loss at Ohio State was intense end of game situations, while Wednesday was a little more controlled, but the Irish still had to work and make clutch free throws.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will be off this weekend before traveling to Las Vegas for the Players Era tournament. The Irish will open play against No. 24 Kansas on Monday at 3:30 PM ET on TNT.
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