Purcell Pavilion hosted some good old fashioned basketball Wednesday night as Notre Dame men’s basketball faced off against Bellarmine University. The two Catholic universities were eager to secure a win after losing their previous games, and the quality of tonight’s matchup reflected that.
The Irish were back in home territory after earning their first loss of the season to Ohio State on Nov. 16. The Irish battled closely with the Buckeyes, but couldn’t answer a layup from Ohio Stare center Christopher Tilly in the final seconds. The Irish had won their first four games going into the match.
The Knights lost to Wofford College, being outscored 94-86.
Steals have been a considerable success for the Knights and they find success by capitalizing on their opponent’s offensive mistakes. The Knights had double the amount of steals against the Wofford Terriers. They played sticky basketball in the paint and relied on opportunities falling through the cracks to contribute to their scrappy style of play.
Going into the first half, the Irish quickly underestimated the intensity the Knights were going to display following tip-off. The Knights pressured Notre Dame where they were strongest, along the three-point line. Adapting quickly, the Irish found success with bounce passes while the Knights applied full-coverage defense, learning not to make any hesitant passes with a Bellarmine defense eager and able to steal the ball.
For the first 15 minutes of the game, the Irish and the Knights alternated the lead, neither team maintaining their grip consistently until the final five minutes when the Irish found their rhythm. Notre Dame got frustrated early, with foul calls and the Bellarmine defense. The Irish could not seem to get ahead of Bellarmine’s passes and had difficulty anticipating its offense, allowing for an early lead from the Knights.
The Knights continued playing tough, high-energy basketball that quickly caught up with them. With four minutes left in the first half, the Knights were noticeably running out of steam and playing with a decreased speed, allowing Notre Dame to snatch the lead. The momentum carried through the second half with the Irish able to pad their lead to 22.
Bellarmine got a second wind late in the second half, and with nothing to lose, they played desperately to reduce their deficit. The inertia got the better of the Notre Dame defense; a combination of fouls and hard drives allowed Bellarmine’s score to tick upwards, until only five points separated the teams.
Notre Dame maintained their play, swapping fouls and free throws back and forth between the two teams in the final minutes of play. The Irish emerged with a seven-point differential thanks to two free throws made by Burton in the last few seconds, emerging with a 86-79 victory.
Notre Dame and Bellarmine eacj displayed some positive aspects of their play. Notre Dame was able to adapt to the defense Bellarmine restrained them with in the first half. Likewise, Bellarmine proved their offensive-heavy style of play, which included utilizing five guards, was a strategy to be taken seriously. Their program was able to present a considerable challenge, even to a tough ACC opponent like Notre Dame.
Although the Irish did not play the game to the high standards they hold themselves to, they are still taking the victory as a learning opportunity moving forward.
“At the end of the day, it’s hard to win basketball games,” Burton said after the game. “Props to Bellarmine. They fought, they fought extremely hard. We’ve just got to do a better job staying locked in, but at the end of the day, we won the game.”
Burton led the Irish with 25 points and graduate student forward Carson Towt earned a double-double with 11 rebounds and 12 points for the Irish.
Burton’s perspective is vital to the locker room’s mindset moving forward, especially as the Irish prepare for the Player Era Men’s Championship next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Irish have confirmed games against Kansas on Monday, Nov. 24 and Rutgers on Tuesday, Nov. 25 and their third opponent to be determined.
Both the Kansas and Rutgers games will challenge the Irish in different ways, both offensively and defensively, but the Irish have demonstrated their ability to learn and adapt under pressure.