In a hard-fought battle, Notre Dame fell to Elon 84-77, despite a strong first-half lead. The Irish led 46-41 at halftime, shooting 58% from the field in the first half, but struggled in the second half, hitting only 36.7% of their shots. The loss, the first of the season for Notre Dame (4-1),
Key Highlights:
- Markus Burton led Notre Dame with 25 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
- Braeden Shrewsberry added 22 points, hitting 5-of-11 three-pointers.
- Notre Dame’s three-point shooting (12-of-29) kept them in the game, but Elon’s efficient 57% shooting overall, including 60.7% in the second half, proved too much to overcome.
Elon was led by Nick Dorn with 24 points (5-of-6 from three-point range), and TK Simpkins added 17 points and 6 assists. Their dominance in the paint (38 points) and rebounding edge (35-24) were crucial, as they outlasted Notre Dame in a game with seven ties and 13 lead changes.
Notre Dame’s defense struggled to slow down Elon’s balanced attack, especially down the stretch, with key defensive lapses leading to a 9-0 Elon run. The Irish led by a point with 1:42 remaining in the game. But despite a late layup by Burton to close the gap to 82-77, Elon hit clutch free throws to seal the game to give coach Billy Taylor a win over his alma mater.
Key Takeaways:
- Turnovers were a factor, with Notre Dame committing 19 fouls and 6 turnovers compared to Elon’s 10 fouls and 10 turnovers.
- The Irish couldn’t hold onto their largest lead of 8 points early in the second half, with Elon’s bench contributing 23 points to help them regain control.
- While Notre Dame showed promise, particularly with strong outside shooting, defensive rebounding and stopping points in the paint will be areas to improve going forward.
- Notre Dame was outrebounded by Elon 35-24.
A tough loss, but the Irish will regroup and look for a bounce-back performance in their next matchup on Tuesday night when the Irish face Rutgers in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas.
For Len Clark's full recap, visit https://elon-vs-notre-dame-baske-025mk8p.gamma.site.