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LAS VEGAS – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team faced great adversity in the opening minutes of the Players Era Festival against Rutgers. Reining ACC Rookie of the Year and First Team Preseason All-ACC pick Markus Burton left the game early after suffering a lower-body injury. But the Fighting Irish banded together and went head-to-head with the Scarlet Knights.

Graduate guard Matt Allocco put on a show in Vegas, posting a double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds. He forced overtime with a dramatic three-pointer and then put the team in trouble in stoppage time, where he scored three more three-pointers within 30 seconds. He had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but the chance came up short as the Irish fell 84-85.

Allocco recorded his first career double-double. It was also the first Irish double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds since Nate Laszewski against Radford on November 10, 2022.

The Fighting Irish are now 4-2 on the season and face another big test tomorrow at No. 6/7 Houston (3-2).

“There is no other group of guys I would rather be around than the guys in our locker room,” said Glenn & Stacey Murphy head coach Micah Shrewsberry. “We may not be as talented as some of the other teams here, but we are (for sure) just as tough. We will fight no matter what.”

Burton will undergo further evaluation by the team doctor and coach on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Braeden Shrewsberry started on a heater and scored all 12 of his first half points 10.5 minutes into the game. After a three-pointer from Matt Allocco and a two-pointer from Tae Davis, the Irish turned an 11-12 deficit into a 25-15 lead, their largest lead of the half.

However, Rutgers staged a comeback with a 6-8 shooting stretch from the field, outscoring Notre Dame 17-7 and tying the game 32-11 with 1:11 left. Allocco made his second three-pointer of the half in the final minute to give Notre Dame a 35-34 lead.

Shrewsberry and Allocco combined for 20 of the team’s 35 points on a combined 6-for-13 shooting and 5-for-11 from distance. Allocco already had the best seven boards of the season at the break.

Notre Dame shot 11 of 28 (.393) in the half, while Rutgers shot 13 of 30 (.433). The Irish had the boards 24/7.

Davis brought some energy to start the second half, scoring on consecutive possessions to give the Irish a 41-36 lead. Rutgers started the second 1-for-7 but quickly regrouped and fired off a 6-0 run to retake the lead.

Burke Chebuhar then responded with his second three-pointer of the game and it went back and forth. Shrewsberry, Imes, Allocco and Chebuhar all made three-pointers within two minutes and the score was 54-51 Irish at the 11:14 media timeout.

With just under eight minutes left, the game ended 56-5. The Irish needed some big baskets and they got them. Imes and Chebuhar connected on consecutive three-pointers and ND took a 62-56 lead at the 7:01 mark of the media timeout.

Of course, basketball is a running game, and Rutgers came out of the timeout and fired off a 9-0 run to retake the lead at 65-63 with 3:25 left.

Tae Davis reached the free throw line at 2:11, ending a nearly five-minute scoring drought and bringing both sides to a 64-65 score.

About 40 seconds later, Davis got a big defensive board that led to a layup by Allocco, and Irish was back on top at 66-65 with 1:19 left.

When Allocco was down three-pointers after a timeout with less than 15 seconds left, he made his highest three-pointer of the young season and tied the game 69-9. The Irish defense shut down in the final seven seconds, forcing overtime.

The Irish missed extra time. The difference came in a crucial period in which Rutgers went on an 8-0 run over a two-minute period, giving them a 73-79 lead with 57.3 seconds left.

Despite the odds, Allocco said the Irish aren’t done yet. It was an incredible sight when Allocco equalized with nine points in 26 seconds. Rutgers then took a one-point lead after being sent to the foul line. Irish later called a timeout with 3.8 seconds left and had a chance to win. The ball found its way into Allocco’s hands at the top of the key and narrowly missed.

NEXT

Grab your caffeine because Wednesday night is getting late (technically Thanksgiving morning for you East Coasters). The Irish will look to defeat the No. 6 Houston Cougars at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. PT on day two of the Players Era Festival. This matchup will be broadcast live on TBS/max.

– ND –