Notre Dame looks to remain unbeaten at home when it squares off with Idaho on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind.
The Fighting Irish (7-3), who are 5-0 at home, edged TCU 87-85 in overtime on the road last Friday for their second straight victory. Cole Certa and Jalen Haralson each had 20 points. Haralson’s midrange jumper with three seconds left in regulation tied the game 76-76.
Certa drained a pair of free throws with 27 seconds remaining in OT to extend Notre Dame’s lead to four. He went 6 of 12 from 3-point range, sinking four triples during a 17-4 run in the second half.
Notre Dame earned the victory despite Markus Burton exiting in the first half with an injury to his lower left leg. He leads the Fighting Irish in points (18.5), assists (3.7), and steals (1.6) this season but is facing an “extended absence,” per the South Bend Tribune.
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry applauded the Fighting Irish’s resilience without Burton.
“That group is tough,” Shrewsberry said. “They used to say that about our Butler teams — you look like Boy Scouts, but you defend like a motorcycle gang. That’s the toughness of this team.”
Idaho (6-3) is coming off an 84-81 victory at South Dakota State on Saturday for a second straight win. Kolton Mitchell had a season-high 22 points and made all eight of his free throws in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge win.
The Vandals had a balanced effort with five scorers in double figures. Jackson Rasmussen had 15 points and Jack Payne added 14 points, including 13 in the second half.
Idaho converted 11 3-pointers, four by Mitchell. The Vandals have made at least five 3-pointers in 55 consecutive games. Meanwhile, Idaho’s defense held the Jackrabbits to 5-of-15 shooting from 3-point range.
The Vandals opened the season with a win at Washington State and are 2-2 on the road. Rasmussen leads the team with 14.8 points per game and Mitchell adds 11.9 with a team-high 4.0 assists.
–Field Level Media
