Notre Dame (12-15, 3-11) went ice cold from the field and dropped a pivotal road matchup at Pittsburgh (10-17, 3-11), 73-68, on Saturday afternoon.
The Fighting Irish managed just 20 points in the first half, including a brutal 2-for-18 performance from three-point range.
Notre Dame found a better rhythm after the break, finishing the game at 40 percent from the field and 9-of-38 from beyond the arc, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Cole Certa led the Irish with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 2-of-12 from deep. Logan Imes, making his second straight start in place of the injured Jalen Haralson, added 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Pittsburgh opened the second half on a 7-0 run to stretch its lead to 37-26, forcing Micah Shrewsberry’s squad to play catch-up for much of the final 15 minutes.
Notre Dame briefly seized momentum with an 8-0 run to take a 47-46 lead with 7:30 remaining. That advantage didn’t last long. The Panthers answered with a decisive 14-3 run to regain control and ultimately secure the win.
Panthers forward Roman Siulepa paced all scorers with 22 points, while Nojus Indrusaitis chipped in 17 for Pittsburgh.
The Irish held their own on the glass, out-rebounding Pitt 38-36, and dominated points in the paint, 32-20. Transition, however, told the story. Despite committing just eight turnovers, Notre Dame was outscored 23-1 in fast-break points.
Notre Dame was dreadful once again from the free-throw line. The Irish were 7-of-14 from the foul line, while Pitt went 18-of-27.
Freshman Ryder Frost provided a spark with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three, while Braeden Shrewsberry struggled, finishing with six points on 2-of-15 from the field and 2-of-13 from deep.
The Fighting Irish now find themselves on the bubble of making the ACC Tournament.
As of now, there are four teams fighting for the final spot in the tournament.
Pitt: 3-11
Notre Dame: 3-11
Boston College: 2-11
Georgia Tech: 2-13
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will host No. 3 Duke on Tuesday night for a 7:00 PM ET tip on ESPN.
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