SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Nobody is expecting anything to come easy in [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s first season heading Notre Dame. With a roster having come together on the fly, there will be a lot of tough days and growing pains. For now though, the Irish will be happy to start their new coach’s tenure with a hard-fought 70-63 win over Niagara.
The Irish, playing without [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], never led in the first half and didn’t hold a lead until more than six minutes had gone by in the second. They were up front by as much as six midway through the frame before the Purple Eagles tied it at 51 a few minutes later. One only could guess how this one would end.
Even when the Irish regained a four-point lead late, the Eagles refused to go away, cutting that deficit in half with 4:05 remaining. Fortunately, the Irish made all the right plays in the final few minutes and, despite some tense moments towards the end, the Purcell Pavilion crowd home happy.
Mishawaka native [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] received the biggest cheers in the pregame introductions and made the most of his first collegiate game with a program-debut record 29 points and a team-high four assists. While it’s too early to tell if Shrewsberry’s offense will run through him all the time, he proved he will at least play a major role in it.
[autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] had a similarly solid college debut with 10 points and eight rebounds. Among that line was a 3-pointer and a couple of two-handed dunks.
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