Jalen Haralson poured in a career-high 26 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Notre Dame (11-11, 2-7 ACC) fell 86-72 to Syracuse (13-9, 4-5) on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Syracuse controlled the game from start to finish. Notre Dame led for just 1:35 and never found sustained momentum on either end of the floor.
Former Irish guard JJ Starling helped break the game open early, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers as part of an 11-0 Orange run that stretched the first-half lead to 23-12.
Syracuse scored 40 points in the opening 20 minutes and followed it up with 46 more after halftime, finishing the night shooting 57 percent from the field.
The Orange were also effective from deep, hitting 10-of-25 from three-point range. Starling and Nate Kingz combined to go 8-of-16 from beyond the arc, consistently punishing Notre Dame breakdowns.
Cole Certa tried to spark a second-half comeback, but Syracuse answered every push.
With 13:00 remaining, Certa drilled a deep three to cut the deficit to eight, only to be hit with a technical foul for yelling at an official. Syracuse immediately capitalized, scoring five points in 14 seconds to push the lead back to 13.
Certa struck again at the 7:04 mark, trimming the margin to 66-60. Once more, the Orange responded. Kingz buried a three of his own, igniting a 9-0 run that stretched the lead to 75-60 with just over five minutes left, effectively sealing the outcome.
Notre Dame finished with just 10 turnovers, but Syracuse turned those into 13 points. The Orange also won the rebounding battle 34-28 and racked up 21 assists on 32 made field goals. Notre Dame managed only 11 assists on the night.
Braeden Shrewsberry added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
OPPORTUNITIES WASTED
Time and again in the second half, Notre Dame did the hard part by getting stops or watching Syracuse miss free throws, only to immediately give it back with a turnover or a low-quality shot.
Syracuse isn’t a top-tier ACC team, but winning on the road requires capitalizing on those moments. Notre Dame didn’t and that has become a season-long trend.
The sequences following Certa’s three-pointers were especially deflating. There was clear fight to cut into a double-digit deficit, but the Irish continue to struggle to finish games against competent teams.
22 games into the season, youth can no longer be the primary explanation. Micah Shrewsberry is playing young players, but this is the point of the year when execution has to show up regardless of age or experience.
DEFENSIVE ISSUES
Two years ago, Syracuse gave the blueprint for making life tough on Notre Dame. Starling and Judah Mintz attacked downhill on Markus Burton and Shrewsberry all night during the 88-85 Syracuse win in 2024.
That formula still works in 2026.
Notre Dame simply lacks the athleticism and length on the perimeter to consistently stop physical, downhill guards.
Naithan George caused problems for Notre Dame during his Georgia Tech days and did so again Saturday, finishing with 10 assists. Starling opened the game 7-for-7 from the field, while Kingz enjoyed one of the best performances of his career, shooting 11-of-17.
It’s a roster issue more than a scheme issue. Shrewsberry isn’t getting taller, and the bench depth is what it is. Due to what Notre Dame gives up defensively, the Irish must shoot well from three to stay competitive, which places enormous pressure on Shrewsberry and Certa without a true playmaking guard to organize the offense.
There’s no quick fix at this stage. This team is what it is. Notre Dame will continue trying to muck things up defensively, but if the Irish are going to win games down the stretch, they’ll have to outscore opponents because they can’t rely on defense.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will travel to No. 20 Louisville on Wednesday. Tip is set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
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