DAYTON, Ohio - No better preseason road test than playing in front of 13,000 fans inside UD Arena for the 2026 Caresource Spotlight Game between Notre Dame men’s basketball and Dayton. In their first exhibition game of the 2026-27 preseason, the Fighting Irish fell by the score of 75-65 on Saturday night.
Note, by the under-12 media, Notre Dame’s starters were subbed out and never returned, giving the bench valuable minutes down the homestretch.
Fifth-year guard Ethan Roberts was the lone Irish player in double figures, finishing with 11 points in 20 minutes of play. Sophomore forward Brady Koehler tallied seven points and four rebounds. Fifth-year Braeden Smith led the team with three assists.
Tommy Ahneman came off the bench and supplied eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. Jonathan Sanderson was also a spark off the bench, recording nine points and two assists.
As a team, Notre Dame recorded 38 points in the first half, in which they shot 40.7 percent from the field. In the second half, the Irish supplied just 27 points on 34.6 percent shooting. The three ball just couldn’t fall tonight, as ND went 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
Also to note, the Blue and Gold outrebounded the Flyers, 40-31, reeling in 18 offensive boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tommy Ahneman recorded a personal 6-0 run to open up a 10-7 lead for the Blue & Gold.
Notre Dame got several open looks from beyond the arc in the early going, but just couldn’t get them to fall, starting the contest 0-for-6. Senior guard Logan Imes provided the first Irish three at 9:32.
In fact, Imes, Logan Duncomb, Ethan Roberts and Jonathan Sanderson combined for a 4-for-4 field-goal stretch to give the offense a jolt and a 20-15 lead at the 7:11 media timeout.
The Irish got into the bonus at the 7:07 mark and tallied four of its next six points from the free-throw line, making it 26-23 at the final media timeout.
Out of the break, Braeden Shrewsberry connected from deep to give the Irish a little cushion. After a pair of Dayton free throws, Brady Koehler registered his first made bucket of the game at 2:48.
Dayton ended the half on a 3-for-3 shooting stretch, but the Irish were able to maintain their lead heading into the break up 38-33. The lead was kept by a tremendous first-half effort from the free-throw line, converting 13-of-14.
Dayton recorded a 5-0 scoring run to open the second half to tie the game at 38-all; however, it was then answered by a Koehler three-pointer. Soon after, the Irish pushed the ball on the fast break as Smith dished to Roberts for the easy lay-in and score, 43-38.
A 0-for-5 Notre Dame shooting stretch kept it close with the Irish up one at the 13:31 mark. This time, Ethan Roberts answered with a big three, his first of the game. With the bucket, Roberts became the first ND player in double figures.
Next, Dayton chipped away, and with 9:36 remaining, the Flyers reclaimed the lead for the first time since the 11:03 mark in the first half.
Later, down 56-53, Notre Dame kept battling by recording a 4-for-5 stretch from the field, which included four points from Devin Brown and a Nick Shrewsberry three-pointer.
Yet, the Flyers responded with a 9-0 scoring run in just under 90 seconds, giving the home team a 70-62 lead. It marked the biggest scoring run of the game from either team. Next, Dayton closed it out for the 75-65 victory.
The Fighting Irish will play one more exhibition bout on the road, making the short bus trip to Chicago. Notre Dame and DePaul will tip off at 7 p.m. ET inside Wintrust Arena on Friday, October 23.
– ND –