SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team turned an 11-0 deficit into a 24-0 run, the longest in coach Micah Shrewsberry’s tenure, on its way to a 94-70 victory over Eastern Illinois Monday night, fightingirish.com reported.
24-0 Flurry Reverses Early Panthers Momentum
Eastern Illinois opened the game with three straight 3-pointers, building an 11-0 lead. The Panthers’ hot start was a stark contrast to their previous two games, where they had recorded just three triples combined. Notre Dame called a timeout and responded with a historic offensive burst. Seven different players scored during the 24-0 run, which spanned seven minutes and gave the Irish their first lead at 12-11.
Coach Shrewsberry kicked off the surge with a 3-pointer. Fifth-year point guard Braeden Smith followed with a steal and a transition layup. Logan Duncomb then added a low-post spin move and score, capped off by a steal and dunk from Logan Imes. Defensively, the Irish forced seven turnovers during the run and held EIU scoreless for seven minutes. The Irish took a 46-33 lead into halftime.
Duncomb Leads Balanced Scoring Attack
All five Notre Dame starters finished in double digits, showing the team’s offensive balance. Logan Duncomb led the way, scoring a perfect 9-for-9 from the field for 20 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists.
Braeden Smith was a force all over the court, tallying 17 points, a team-high eight assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Smith now has 21 assists through three games and is one assist shy of 500 in his career.
Eastern Illinois 70 Notre Dame 94 FINAL. pic.twitter.com/Ae1Kb1w8wg
Fifth-year guard Ethan Roberts added 14 points, hitting three triples on 5-of-9 shooting. He has made 7-of-12 from beyond the arc this season. Senior Braeden Shrewsberry also reached double figures with 12 points, draining four 3-pointers to move into sole seventh place on Notre Dame’s all-time career three-point list with 250. He tied career highs with five assists and three steals.
Defense Dominates as Irish Force 23 Turnovers
The Notre Dame defense suffocated Eastern Illinois, forcing 23 turnovers and turning them into 28 points. The 17 steals recorded against the Panthers rank fourth all-time for a single game at Notre Dame and are the most since Jan. 6, 2002. This defensive pressure comes just two games after the Irish forced 20 turnovers against Villanova.
Offensively, the Irish shot 58.9 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from beyond the arc, dishing out a season-best 20 assists. They maintained their defensive intensity in the second half, extending their lead to as much as 27 points. The Irish and Panthers finished the game going basket-for-basket, with Logan Imes scoring seven straight points to close out the 94-70 victory for Notre Dame.
The Irish will look to carry this momentum into a short turnaround, hosting South Carolina State on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
More on Notre Dame
FINAL in Men’s Hoops: Notre Dame: 94 Eastern Illinois: 70 Eastern Illinois jumped out to a 11-0 lead before the Irish got it figured out. Logan Duncomb leads the Irish with 20 points. He was 9-9 from the field. Irish are now 3-0. pic.twitter.com/1WLKCJ2VIq
Notre Dame beats Eastern Illinois 94-70. Logan Duncomb led the Irish with 20, Braeden Smith had 17.
