Markus Burton set a Notre Dame freshman-debut record with 29 points, and the Fighting Irish overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to beat Niagara 70-63 on Monday night at South Bend, Ind.
Burton, from neighboring Mishawaka, Ind., scored 18 points in the second half and, according to the Atlantic Coast Conference Network, broke LaPhonso Ellis’ mark of 27 points from a freshman in his debut. Ellis’ performance came in 1988.
Notre Dame (1-0), picked to finish last in the ACC with just 35 total points returning from last season’s 11-win squad, shot 50.9 percent from the field to prevail in Micah Shrewsberry’s coaching debut.
Meanwhile, Luke Bumbalough and Ahmad Henderson II each scored 14 points for Niagara, which led by 12 nearly midway through the first half but couldn’t keep the Irish from shooting 57.7 percent in the second.
A Bumbalough 3-pointer gave Niagara a 56-54 lead with 6:35 left in the game, but Burton’s trey, followed by his jumper, put Notre Dame ahead 59-56. Yaw Obeng-Mensah answered with another triple to tie the game, but Tae Davis’ basket sent the Irish back in front and Burton’s layup made it 63-59 with 4:33 remaining.
The Irish scored 11 of the game’s final 15 points.
Notre Dame trailed 30-29 at half, then 38-35 until Braeden Shrewsberry ended its 0-for-11 drought from 3-point range to tie it with 14:28 remaining. After Niagara regained the lead with Bumbalough’s basket shortly after, the Irish took their first lead of the night at 41-40 via Carey Booth’s 3-pointer with 13:44 to go.
Northwestern transfer Julian Roper II recorded the game’s next five points to put Notre Dame ahead 46-40. However, Niagara chipped away, and after Burton converted a three-point play to make it a 51-46 contest, Obeng-Mensah finished in the paint, then Bumbalough knocked down a game-tying trey with 7:47 to play.
Henderson scored the first five points of the game, and Niagara eventually used a 7-0 run to lead 12-2. The Purple Eagles pushed that advantage to 18-6 with 11:20 remaining in the opening half.
However, a 9-0 run, featuring five points from Burton, got Notre Dame within three. The Irish made their final four shot attempts of the first half.
–Field Level Media