The one thing Notre Dame and Miami have in common is that both have struggled lately. Both teams came into Purcell Pavillion on Wednesday having lost four of their past five. For a game like this, one typically might expect experience to win out. That’s exactly what happened in a 73-61 Irish loss.
This contest featured five ties and 10 lead changes, but that all happened while over 80% of game time elapsed. With the Irish (7-12, 2-6) in front by three during the latter portion of the second half, the Hurricanes (13-6, 4-4) went on a 19-2 run to go up by double digits. The Irish never seriously threatened after that as they were outplayed and outclassed by a better and more experienced team.
It was the Norchad Omier show from beginning to end, and that shouldn’t be a surprise given the type of player he is. Back from an ankle injury, he scored 33 points on 12-of-14 shooting, only two points off his collegiate high and his most since joining the Hurricanes from Arkansas State. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double, another hallmark of his game, and recorded three steals.
Of course, Omier got a little help. Kyshawn George scored 11 points while also getting three steals. Nijel Pack had 10 points despite shooting 3 of 10 from the field, and he also dished out a game-high five assists. Off the bench, Bensley Joseph contributed 10 points.
[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led the Irish with 15 points but also committed a game-high eight turnovers. [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] had 13 points and six rebounds, and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] scored 10 off the bench.
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