BROOKLYN – It was night one action of the Legends Classic under the bright lights of the Barclays Center, and the Notre Dame men’s basketball team battled the Auburn Tigers for the first time in program history. The Fighting Irish fell behind 15 in the first half but cut it to just six at the midway point. Yet, the Tigers utilized a 15-1 second half start to keep the Irish at bay and earn the 83-59 victory.
A big difference maker in the game was Auburn’s ability to hit the three versus Notre Dame’s inability. The Tigers made 9-of-20 (.450), versus Notre Dame’s 2-of-26 (.077). A bright spot in the game was Notre Dame’s ability to battle on the boards, holding their own in a 35-35 tie. In fact, the Irish earned 14 offensive rebounds which they turned into 16 second-chance points.
A couple of standouts tonight for the Irish were sophomore forward Tae Davis and junior guard J.R. Konieczny – both achieving career highs in points. Davis notched 13 points and six boards, while Konieczny tallied his first career double-double with a team high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Konieczny shot 7-for-8 from two-point range and 4-of-5 from the stripe.
Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry also landed in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Auburn’s Johni Broome got the Tigers rolling early by scoring eight of the team’s first 11 points, jumping out to an 11-2 lead over the Irish. Add in the fact that Notre Dame suffered from another cold shooting start and they faced a deficit as large as 15 points, down 34-19 at 3:51.
Tae Davis and J.R. Konieczny kept the Irish in the game early. Davis went 4-for-5 from the field to net eight points, including a thunderous put-back dunk. Meanwhile, Konieczny posted six rebounds, including three offensive boards, that contributed to six points – a career best already.
Those offensive boards were key for Notre Dame in the opening half. All-in-all, they collected nine to Auburn’s three and recorded 11 second-chance points.
The Irish, who entered the night just .256 from three-point range, didn’t help that statistic by starting 0-for-11. Finally, at 2:24 remaining in the first half, the first three came via Braeden Shrewsberry. In fact, he scored eight of the team’s final 10 points to spark an Irish rally and cut the halftime deficit to just six points, down 39-33.
Furthermore, Notre Dame connected on six of its last eight from the field while limiting Auburn to just two field goals over the last four minutes. Shrewsberry led the Irish at the half with 10 points.
Unfortunately, the start of the second half mirrored the start of the first as Auburn came out with a 15-1 scoring spree, ultimately making seven of their first nine, to run the lead to 56-37. Notre Dame shot 6-of-27 from the field in the second half and Auburn ran away with the 83-59 victory.
UP NEXT
No rest for the Fighting Irish, for they’ll compete in the third-place game of the Legends Classic in less than 24 hours. In fact, Notre Dame will tip off against Oklahoma State at 4:30 p.m. on Friday on ESPNU.
— ND –