Shorthanded Notre Dame men hold on for 76-72 win over Pitt

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU/AP) - The Notre Dame men’s basketball team finds itself back in the win column after holding on for a 76-72 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion.

The Fighting Irish (12-15, 6-10 ACC) were without starters Braeden Shrewsberry and Matt Allocco due to injuries, but in their absence Tae Davis scored 21 points and Markus Burton had 20 points. They were also helped by Cole Certa (12 points) and J.R. Konieczny (10 points) in the win.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first 33 minutes and the score was tied at 54 with seven minutes left in the second half. Burton scored seven points and Davis added four in an 11-2 run that gave Notre Dame a 65-56 lead with about four minutes remaining.

The Irish made seven of their last nine shots but got off only one shot in the final two minutes, committing two turnovers and making several trips to the free-throw line. Pitt got within 74-72 with eight seconds left but Konieczny made the last two of Notre Dame’s eight free throws in the final 37 seconds to close out the win.

Notre Dame entered Saturday’s game having lost two straight and five of its last six. The last two losses included a 24-point loss on Wednesday to SMU and a 15-point loss last Sunday to Louisville that inspired an emotional postgame rant from Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

While the win doesn’t change much for the Irish in terms of the overall outlook of the season, a victory over a Pitt team that many considered to be on the bubble is certainly a step in the right direction. With the loss, the Panthers (16-11, 7-9 ACC) now likely need to win the ACC Tournament to secure their spot in the “Big Dance” next month.

Notre Dame has four regular season games left and will travel to No. 18 Clemson on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST on the ACC Network.

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