Notre Dame (1-0) and Villanova (0-1) opened the college basketball season Sunday morning in Rome, and the two teams delivered a classic thriller.
The Fighting Irish trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but Notre Dame did something it hadn’t done consistently during Micah Shrewsberry’s first three seasons: Close out a tight game as the Irish rallied for a 74-72 victory in the Eternal City Tip-Off.
Notre Dame got clutch performances from several of its key players, including transfers Logan Duncomb and Braden Smith.
Duncomb knocked down his second three-pointer of the game with 1:08 remaining to give the Irish a 70-68 lead. Notre Dame never relinquished the advantage.
Smith, who finished 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, added two more from the stripe after a huge Brady Koehler block to extend the lead to 72-68.
Four Irish players finished in double figures, led by Koehler and Smith with 16 points apiece. Braden Shrewsberry added 15 points, including a 3-for-8 performance from beyond the arc, while graduate transfer Ethan Roberts chipped in 11.
Koehler also made his presence felt on both ends of the floor, finishing with eight rebounds and two blocks.
Notre Dame’s defense took over down the stretch, holding Villanova scoreless on several key possessions as the Wildcats managed just 12 points over the final 10 minutes.
The Fighting Irish forced 20 turnovers, turned them into 20 points and recorded 14 steals. Smith finished with four steals, while senior reserve Logan Imes added three in just 15 minutes of action.
Shrewsberry’s team also showed progress offensively, moving away from isolation-heavy possessions and recording 14 assists on 23 made field goals. That was a welcome change from what Notre Dame showed during Shrewsberry’s first three seasons. The Irish also converted 19-of-25 free throws.
Villanova was paced by Tyler Perkins (18 points) and Elijah Crawford (12 points).
The victory represents a significant step forward for Notre Dame, particularly against a Villanova team projected to finish third in the Big East this season.
Notre Dame showed a level of maturity that had been missing in previous seasons. Duncomb and Smith delivered when the game was on the line, but more importantly, Notre Dame made the right plays at the right times.
The Irish might not have the star power of Markus Burton, but Sunday’s win showed the value of having multiple players capable of stepping up in critical moments rather than relying on one player to bail out the team.
There is still room for improvement, especially when it comes to bench production. Notre Dame was outscored 26-7 by Villanova’s reserves, an area that will need attention moving forward.
Freshman Jon Sanderson scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting, while sophomore big man Tommy Ahenman contributed four points and six rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
For a Notre Dame team looking to establish a different identity under Shrewsberry, overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit and executing in crunch time was an encouraging way to begin the season.
UP NEXT: Notre Dame will host Mercyhurst on Thursday evening for a 7:00 PM ET tip.
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