Tag: Braeden Shrewsberry

Notre Dame’s OT win at Georgia Tech first true road win in 23 months

The Irish haven’t had this type of victory in a while.

Notre Dame knows it could have beaten Duke and should have beaten NC State. There’s nothing to do but soldier on though, and that includes facing the next opponent. In this case, it was a road meeting at Georgia Tech, and it turned out successfully.

The Irish beat the Yellow Jackets in overtime, 75-68, for their first true road victory since defeating Clemson in February 2022, during which the only active Irish player who played in that game and only for 46 seconds was [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag].

A game that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes meant this could have gone either way. Overtime was needed after [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] missed a shot at the end of regulation that could have broken a 66-all tie.

The free basketball turned out to be just what the Irish (7-9, 2-3) needed. [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag]’s 3-pointer was the Irish’s only field goal in the frame, but it was enough as the value of that basket was only one more point than the Yellow Jackets (8-7, 1-3) scored during that time.

[autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] was the Irish’s best player as he scored 25 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-9 from 3-point range and making all six of his free throws. Burton scored 12 and dished out seven assists. The Irish got double-doubles from [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] (10 points, 11 rebounds) and [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] (10 points, 10 rebounds).

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Notre Dame can’t capitalize on Duke’s bad shooting in loss

A loss like this is a sure sign of a young team.

There will come a time when Notre Dame wins close games against top programs again. That shouldn’t be expected when facing a team like No. 14 Duke. Sure enough, the Irish fell to the Blue Devils, 67-59. Believe it or not, this actually was the Devils’ first true road win of the season.

The Irish (6-9, 1-3) held a nine-point lead during a first half in which the Devils (11-3, 2-1) made only nine field goals and were lucky to go into halftime with a two-point lead.

Overall, the Devils shot 35.6% from the field, well below the .497 clip at which they were shooting entering Saturday. But the Irish weren’t much better from the floor at 39.0%, and they shot only 8 of 16 from the free-throw line, which turned out to be the difference in the game.

The Irish never led in the second half but only trailed by four with 41.9 seconds left. Out of a timeout however, a bad pass by [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] forced the Irish to foul and put the Devils in the double bonus. From then until the end of the game, Jeremy Roach made six free throws to ice the game for the visitors.

While Roach’s late free throws accounted for a third of his 18 points, the night belonged to Mark Mitchell. His 23 points and 14 rebounds both accounted for career highs, and he got 19 of those points and eight of those boards in the second half. It’s unlikely the Devils would have won this game without him.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led the Irish with 18 points and four assists. All 12 of Shrewsberry’s points off the bench came on four 3-pointers.

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Notre Dame beats Marist to end three-game losing streak

Back in the win column.

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] wasn’t happy after Notre Dame laid an egg against The Citadel. We may never know what he said during the following practice, but it paid off at least for the next game. The Irish got themselves back on track with a 60-56 win over Marist, snapping their three-game skid.

After a first half that was ugly and boring to watch at times, the second half was far more entertaining. The Irish (5-7) held a couple of double-digit leads during that frame, going up by as much as 11 with over five minutes to play.

The Red Foxes (7-3) wouldn’t go quietly though as they cut that lead to two with over a minute and a half left. With the Irish not making any field goals in the final four minutes, it took two free throws apiece from [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] in the final minute as well as solid overall defense to ice this one.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and also had four steals and three assists. Davis scored 12 points and combined with Shrewsberry to make 10 free throws in as many attempts. [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] had 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.

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Micah Shrewsberry’s fiery news conference after gutless Notre Dame loss

You wanted a coach that shows emotion? How does this work for you?

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – You longtime Notre Dame basketball fans who have wanted a fiery and emotional coach might have gotten your wish. [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] took his postgame news conference after the Irish lost to The Citadel, 65-45, and turned it into a platform to say everything he and his team did in the game was completely wrong. And he held nothing back.

Fighting Irish Wire was among the outlets in the room as it happened. When we began a question by (admittedly somewhat ignorantly) pointing out that [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] was the team’s 3-point specialist, the elder Shrewsberry snapped back, “He’s not,” citing his son’s recent struggles from that distance, which includes an 0-for-6 showing in this game.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg as to what Shrewsberry had to say. He spread blame around but also put blame on himself. While that’s typical of coaches after a loss, he did it in a way that even reporters who have covered this program for years couldn’t remember seeing anything like that from a Notre Dame coach.

The news conference was too good to leave out, so here it is in its entirety:

Former Notre Dame player Morgan gets revenge in win for The Citadel

Nothing worse than an old friend haunting you.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In 27 games for Notre Dame from 2019 to 2022, Elijah Morgan never scored more than six points. Since joining The Citadel, he has looked like a completely different player. He showed that and then some as he haunted his old team in a 65-45 Bulldogs win over the Irish.

The first half featured two teams battling closing as neither team could grab momentum or lead by more than four points. The second half began with the Irish (4-7) scoring six unanswered, and the Bulldogs (7-5) called a timeout.

From there, the visitors seized control and ultimately extended the lead to double digits as the Irish simply couldn’t respond. After that Bulldogs timeout, they outscored the Irish, 33-10, the rest of the way.

Whether the game’s location made it coincidental or not, Morgan was the man for the Bulldogs, scoring 15 of his game-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and recording four steals. Irish fans in attendance as well as the few remaining players from Morgan’s time with the Irish had no choice but to endure the sight of him celebrating with his teammates, which included a bench that was vocal all night long.

Of course, Morgan didn’t do it all by himself for the Bulldogs. Madison Durr and Quentin Millora-Brown scored 15 points apiece on a combined 11-of-16 shooting from the field. AJ Smith briefly went back to the locker room after getting banged up early in the first half but returned to score 13 points.

[autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] was the Irish’s top player with a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] had 13 points but also a game-high five turnovers.

While the other Irish players struggled across the board, none did so more than [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag]. Starting in place of the injured [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag], he missed all eight of his field-goal attempts, six of them coming from beyond the arc. It was part of a night in which the Irish shot only 26.6 % from the field.

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Two Notre Dame guards out with injuries against The Citadel

Hope this only is a minor setback.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – You never want to be down bodies no matter who your opponent is. Yet that’s exactly the situation Notre Dame finds itself in with two of its guards against The Citadel. Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune tweeted the following regarding [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Imes[/autotag]:

Roper’s absence is significant in that the transfer from Northwestern has started every game so far this season and is by far one of the most polished players on this young Irish team. He ranks fourth on the team in scoring (8.9 points a game) and third in rebounds 5.2 a game.

Replacing Roper in the starting lineup will be [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag], who hasn’t started since doing so in the Irish’s first three games. Rounding out the starting lineup are [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag], [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag], [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag].

Imes is another key loss in [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s rotation. In nine games off the bench, he is averaging 18.1 minutes a game, the most for any Irish player who hasn’t started this season. He has a scoring average 2.1 points a game.

[autotag]Tony Sanders Jr.[/autotag] has played in two games this season and has a single 3-pointer in the scoring column.

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Notre Dame opens six-game homestand with overtime loss to Georgetown

This one slipped away.

Notre Dame likely won’t have many more wins this season, so any close loss will feel like a missed opportunity. Beginning a six-game homestand against former Big East rival Georgetown, the Irish had a few opportunities for the game to end in their favor. Instead, it was the Hoyas celebrating a 72-68 victory in overtime.

A game in which both the Irish (4-6) and Hoyas (7-4) had earlier nine-point leads was tied at 60 in the final minute of the second half. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] made a go-ahead layup with 8.7 seconds left, but that was enough time for Rowan Brumbaugh to make a basket with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Burton nearly made one of the most incredible buzzer beaters of all time from three-quarter court, but instead, free basketball was needed to decide this one:

An Ismael Massoud 3-pointer with 1:16 left put the Hoyas up, 70-68. Burton was fouled on the next possession but missed two free throws. The Irish made a defensive stop on the other end and called a timeout with nine seconds left to try and either tie or win the game.

Burton drove and dished out to [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], whose game-winning 3-point attempt was blocked by Supreme Cook. [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] was forced to foul Brumbaugh with 0.4 seconds on the clock, and Brumbaugh made two free throws to ice it for the Hoyas.

Drew Fielder came off the bench to lead the Hoyas with 16 points, most of which came on four 3-pointers. Brumbaugh scored 15 while making all six of his free throws, and Massoud had 13 points. Jay Heath and Dontrez Styles scored 10 points apiece

Burton was the game’s high scorer with 17 points despite making only six of 20 field-goal attempts. [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] flirted with a double-double of 13 points and eight rebounds, and [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] had a couple of highlight-reel moments while also scoring 13. Shrewsberry came off the bench to score 10.

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Micah Shrewsberry speaks after Notre Dame beats Western Michigan

Here’s some of what the head man said after his latest win.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – All things considered, Micah Shrewsberry has to be pleased with how his Notre Dame tenure has started. With the roster almost completely turned over from a season ago, any victory should be considered progress. That’s what happened when the Irish defeated Western Michigan, 86-65.

That’s not to say there aren’t some things don’t have to clean up. While he was happy to get the win, there also were some things he feels the Irish need to improve on. He made that clear during his postgame news conference.

One thing the media members covering the Irish have learned is that Shrewsberry gives very detailed responses to every question he’s asked. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] also gave detailed responses, but Shrewsberry really loves to talk about his team and make it sound interesting, even finding humor in some of the answers he gives.

Here is Shrewsberry’s opening statement after the win and his answers to the two questions we asked him:

Tae Davis, Julian Roper II, Braeden Shrewsberry speak after win

Hear from three of the Irish’s key players from their hard-fought victory.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sometimes, things go so well that you just have to have as many people talk about it as possible. That’s not to say Notre Dame’s 86-65 win over Western Michigan was easy. In fact, it took a real effort by the Irish to hold off the Broncos. Still, enough went well, and many players contributed a lot.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] has emerged as a key player lately, and he showed that with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs. [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] is the 3-point specialist on the team, and he hit four shots from downtown in a 16-point effort off the bench. [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] continues to be a team leader, the latest evidence of which was this 14-point effort.

All three players spoke the media after the victory, and they all definitely earned the right to do so. Here are their answers to the questions posed by Fighting Irish Wire:

Notre Dame holds off pesky Western Michigan

That was a little too close.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – While this isn’t expected to be the best season for Notre Dame, some games should be easier than others. With the Irish having not lost to Western Michigan since 1966, the Broncos’ visit to Purcell Pavilion should have been one of those games. Don’t let that 86-65 final fool you because the Irish had to earn this win.

Before halftime, the Irish (4-4) saw a late 10-point lead whittled down to three before [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] made a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer. Even when they opened their lead up to 18 during the second half, the Broncos (2-6) kept battling until they cut that lead in half. Fortunately, the Irish responded to that with a 9-2 run that essentially put the game out of reach, and they held serve from there.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] did the most damage for the Irish, achieving a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] scored 17 while dishing out six assists. Off the bench, [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] contributed 16 points, most of them coming on a game-high four 3-pointers. Roper also had a solid night with 14 points and six boards.

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