Fighting Irish Today

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team battled fiercely on Saturday against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils in a challenging environment at Cameron Indoor. Despite falling behind by as much as 18 points in the second half, the Fighting Irish (7-9, 1-4) mounted a strong rally, trimming the deficit to just four points late in the game. However, Duke (14-2, 6-0) held off Notre Dame’s spirited 15-1 run to secure an 86-78 victory.

Duke came into the matchup with the nation’s top-ranked defense, allowing just 58.4 points per game. Despite this, the Irish managed to put up 78 points on their home court, shooting a season-best 58.3 percent from beyond the arc, converting 14 of 24 three-point attempts.

Freshman guard Sir Mohammed delivered a strong performance in his home state of North Carolina, scoring 11 points—his first career double-digit game. Markus Burton led the team with a career-high tying 23 points, hitting 4-of-6 from three. Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry both extended their streaks of scoring in double figures, with Davis adding 11 points and Shrewsberry contributing 14, including 3-of-4 from three.

Duke was powered by freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, who put up a record-breaking 42 points, setting both a program and ACC freshman scoring record. Flagg shot 11-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line, while also adding seven assists and six rebounds. Duke outrebounded Notre Dame 34-21.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke came out firing, jumping to a 14-0 lead behind sizzling shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Notre Dame, struggling early, missed its first five shots from the field before settling in. After a pair of free throws from Burton, the Irish found their rhythm, connecting on three consecutive three-pointers—one each from Burton, Shrewsberry, and Matt Allocco—to cut Duke’s lead to 19-11 at the 12:45 mark.

Duke responded with a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 16 points at 24-40, but Notre Dame didn’t back down. A Shrewsberry three sparked a 5-of-7 shooting stretch to close the half, and with five seconds left, Burton blocked a shot and found Shrewsberry for a buzzer-beating bucket, bringing the Irish within eight at 44-36.

At halftime, Notre Dame had knocked down 8-of-12 from three-point range, but was just 4-of-13 inside the arc. Duke, meanwhile, had attempted 17 three-pointers, making seven, and was 7-of-9 inside.

The second half saw several momentum shifts. Duke quickly pushed its lead back to double digits, benefiting from five early Notre Dame fouls to make it 52-41. However, the Irish responded with a Burton three and a Davis layup, cutting the gap to six. The Blue Devils answered with a pair of scores to extend their lead back to 11 at 57-46 with 15:05 remaining.

Cooper Flagg took control in the second half, scoring 12 consecutive points for Duke, but Notre Dame answered with big shots of its own. Burton hit two more three-pointers, and Mohammed and Davis also contributed key buckets as the Irish kept fighting. But with 10 minutes left, Notre Dame found itself down 66-54.

A crucial 4.5-minute field goal drought allowed Duke to extend its lead to 17, but Sir Mohammed ended the slump with a strong inside cut for a score, moving him into double figures for the first time in his career.

With just under six minutes remaining, the Irish faced an 18-point deficit at 79-61 but refused to quit. They mounted a furious 15-1 run, hitting 6-of-8 from the floor. At one point, the Irish were within five, and Julian Roper II came up with a steal and found Allocco for an open three, but the shot missed. Notre Dame couldn’t capitalize on another opportunity to force a turnover, and Duke finally slowed the run by converting at the free-throw line, holding on for the 86-78 win.

UP NEXT

The Irish return home but face a quick turnaround, hosting Boston College on Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.