LAS VEGAS – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team came close to earning a ranked win in Vegas on the final day of the Players Era Festival. The Fighting Irish (4-4) rallied down 17 points to No. 21/19 Creighton to take a 53-52 lead with 10:19 remaining. However, the Bluejays (5-3) connected on four straight triples soon after and the Irish ultimately fell 76-80.
It was a tough week for the Fighting Irish who lost All-ACC guard Markus Burton four minutes into their opening slate in Vegas. The sophomore guard was averaging 21.4 ppg heading into the week. All three games were there for the taking – a one-point loss to Rutgers in overtime, holding No. 6/7 Houston to a season low, and then the result today.
Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry led the Irish with 17 points each. Davis was 5-for-15 from the field, reeled in four boards and dished out five assists. Shrewsberry was 7-for-18 shooting, 2-for-7 from deep, and collected four rebounds.
Davis averaged 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games in Vegas. Shrewsberry averaged 16.3 ppg.
Another standout from today was Garrett Sundara. The freshman forward scored a season-best 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, which included three triples, plus four rebounds in just 11 minutes of play.
Matt Allocco also finished in double figures with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting. He averaged 14.7 ppg over the week.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first 12 minutes of this contest was a stretch in which the Irish would probably not want to remember. It featured a Creighton 18-2 scoring run in which the Bluejays built their largest lead of the game up 30-13. Creighton started 12-of-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc compared to Notre Dame’s start of 6-of-24 plus 1-of-8 from deep.
However, right at the seven-minute mark, the Irish took a turn both offensively and defensively. Notre Dame got back in the game with a scoring run of their own, outpacing Creighton 12-0 over a three-minute and 20-second stretch, cutting the deficit to 25-30.
The Bluejays then outscored the Irish 10-5 over the final 3.5 minutes to claim a 40-30 halftime lead. Creighton shot 16-for-31 in the half versus 13-of-36 from Notre Dame. Eight different Irish players scored in the first half led by Shrewsberry’s seven points.
Tae Davis spearheaded the Irish attack in the second half, scoring 12 points over the first nine minutes. A quick Irish 8-0 run at 11:05 pulled Coach Shrewsberry’s squad to within one possession at 50-52.
Out of the media timeout Braeden Shrewsberry connected on a corner three and the Irish captured their first lead since the start of the contest when they were up 2-1.
However, Creighton quickly recaptured the lead and momentum by draining three consecutive triples to go up 61-53. Coach Shrewsberry immediately called a timeout and was soon called for a technical foul. Next, Creighton made both its free throws and its lead was back to 10.
J.R. Koneiczny converted a layup down on the offensive end, but then the Bluejays recorded their fourth three in less than four minutes, now 55-66.
Notre Dame kept fighting as a Garrett Sundra three brought it back to single digits at 5:19. Sundra later drained his third triple of the match with 3:14 remaining to get it down to 64-70.
Shrewsberry and Allocco got the Irish within five at 69-74. With 25.5 seconds left, Notre Dame had a chance to make it a one-possession game and Davis did just that with a layup. Davis’ bucket capped a Notre Dame 5-for-7 shooting stretch from the field.
On the ensuing play, Creighton made both its free throws and soon after Notre Dame’s three-point attempt fell short. The Bluejays then closed out the victory at 76-80.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish get less than 48 hours back in South Bend before they again have to hit the road to Athens, Georgia, for the SEC/ACC Challenge. Notre Dame will look to topple the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
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