Taking another L
Coming off a confidence-boosting home win over Pitt, the Fighting Irish (12-15, 6-10) hit the road to take on a red-hot Clemson squad (22-5, 14-2). Historically, Notre Dame has the upper hand in this matchup, leading the all-time series 9-3, including a 4-2 record on the Tigers’ home court. Can the Luck of the Irish shine once more? Tip-off is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network—let’s break it down!
First Half
Clemson won the opening tip and quickly scored on a two-point jumper by Jaeden Zackery. Notre Dame missed a few shots and turned the ball over, allowing Clemson to extend their lead with a basket in the paint by Viktor Lakhin.
Notre Dame got on the board with a three-pointer from Markus Burton, but Clemson responded immediately with a three-pointer from Chase Hunter. After a Clemson turnover, Notre Dame made a statement with a dunk by Tae Davis. Lakhin then added another layup for Clemson, but Davis answered with a three-pointer for the Irish.
Clemson kept up the pace with a three-pointer from Dillon Hunter. Tae Davis missed his next shot, but Sir Mohammed grabbed the rebound and scored. Burton then missed a layup, and Lakhin capitalized with a three-pointer.
On their next possession, Notre Dame turned the ball over again, leading to an Ian Schieffelin layup and a foul.
Media timeout (13:39) – Clemson 17, Notre Dame 10.
After the break, Ian Schieffelin made his free throw, completing the three-point play.
Tae Davis missed a three-point attempt, but Notre Dame secured the rebound. Markus Burton then drove for a layup but had his shot blocked by Chase Hunter, who was called for a foul. Burton made both free throws.
Clemson committed a shot clock violation, giving the ball back to Notre Dame. Davis missed a layup, and Clemson regained possession. Myles Foster then scored on a layup, drew a foul, and made his free throw.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, Markus Burton responded with a jump shot.
Media timeout (11:30) – Clemson 21, Notre Dame 14
After the media timeout, Clemson failed to score on their first possession.
Markus Burton missed a jump shot but was fouled, sending him to the free-throw line, where he made both shots. Clemson then turned the ball over, but Burton missed a three-pointer on Notre Dame’s next possession. Clemson grabbed the rebound but couldn’t capitalize on the turnover.
Dillon Hunter then fouled Burton on a jump shot attempt, sending him to the line again. Burton made both free throws.
Media timeout (7:38) – Clemson 21, Notre Dame 18.
After the media timeout, Clemson missed a three-point attempt, and Notre Dame took advantage with a second-chance layup by J.R. Konieczny.
Clemson then missed a layup on the other end, and Notre Dame capitalized again with another basket from Konieczny.
The Irish are on a 10-0 run and have taken a one-point lead.
Clemson calls a 30-second timeout. Notre Dame 22, Clemson 21.
After Clemson’s timeout, Chase Hunter missed a layup but was fouled. He went to the free-throw line and missed both shots.
Notre Dame grabbed the rebound, but Tae Davis turned the ball over. Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin then scored on a layup, ending their scoring drought.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, Logan Imes lost the ball, leading to a three-pointer by Schieffelin. Imes quickly responded with a three-pointer of his own.
Clemson kept the pressure on, with Schieffelin scoring again on a second-chance tip-in layup.
Media timeout (3:27) – Clemson 28, Notre Dame 25.
After the final media timeout of the half, Markus Burton went to the free-throw line and made both shots, having been fouled by Chase Hunter before the break.
On Clemson’s next possession, Ian Schieffelin scored on a layup, drew a foul, and completed the three-point play at the line.
Markus Burton got his layup to drop, and Jake Heidbreder responded with a three-pointer, quickly followed by yet another layup from Burton. Schieffelin answered with a three-pointer of his own.
Notre Dame then turned the ball over, leading to a layup by Viktor Lakhin for Clemson.
Notre Dame calls a timeout with 39.8 seconds left. Clemson 39, Notre Dame 31
Jaeden Zackery made a layup as the buzzer sounded, giving Clemson a 10-point lead at halftime.
Halftime score: Clemson 41, Notre Dame 31.
Second Half
Clemson started the second half with possession but couldn’t score.
Notre Dame capitalized on their first trip down the court with a layup by Tae Davis. Davis then fouled Ian Schieffelin, who made both free throws.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, J.R. Konieczny scored a layup, cutting into Clemson’s lead. He followed up with another layup, but Clemson responded with a layup from Schieffelin.
Sir Mohammed then turned the ball over, and Viktor Lakhin took advantage, scoring a layup and drawing a foul. However, he missed the free throw.
Notre Dame failed to score on their next possession, and Schieffelin extended Clemson’s lead with another layup.
Notre Dame calls a 30-second timeout. Clemson 49, Notre Dame 37.
After Notre Dame’s timeout, Markus Burton missed a jump shot.
Jaeden Zackery then drove to the basket, made a layup, and drew a foul.
Media timeout (14:45) – Clemson 51, Notre Dame 37.
After the break, Jaeden Zackery went to the free-throw line and made his shot.
Tae Davis missed a layup but was fouled, making one of his two free throws. Zackery then missed a three-point attempt, and Notre Dame grabbed the rebound.
Davis drove inside and made a spinning shot, cutting Clemson’s lead to 12. Clemson then turned the ball over, giving Notre Dame a chance, but Cole Certa missed a three-point attempt.
Zackery answered with a jumper for Clemson, but Markus Burton responded with a layup while drawing a foul. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Media timeout (11:58) – Clemson 54, Notre Dame 43.
After the timeout, Chase Hunter made both of his free throws.
Cole Certa missed a three-pointer, and Clemson responded with a jumper from Hunter, who also drew the foul. Hunter made his free throw to complete the three-point play.
Tae Davis hit a three-pointer, followed by an open three from Jake Heidbreder. Davis then drove inside for a layup, keeping Notre Dame’s momentum going.
Clemson turned the ball over, and Markus Burton capitalized with a deep three-pointer. Clemson lost possession again, and Burton was fouled. He went to the line and made both free throws.
Viktor Lakhin answered for Clemson with a layup. Chase Hunter then fouled Burton, but Burton missed his free throw.
On Clemson’s next possession, Heidbreder missed a layup but drew a foul.
Media timeout (7:58) – Clemson 64, Notre Dame 53.
After the break, Jake Heidbreder went to the free-throw line and made both shots.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, Kebba Njie grabbed a rebound and scored on a jumper. Clemson quickly answered with a three-pointer.
Burton then missed a layup for Notre Dame, and on the other end, Viktor Lakhin missed his shot but drew a foul. He went to the line and made one of two free throws, extending Clemson’s lead to 15.
On Clemson’s next possession, Ian Schieffelin scored a layup. Jaeden Zackery then fouled Garrett Sundra, who knocked down both of his free throws for Notre Dame.
Clemson responded with a jumper from Lakhin, but Markus Burton answered with a jumper of his own. Heidbreder then drained another three-pointer for Clemson, keeping Notre Dame from closing the gap.
Burton made another jumper and drew a foul. He completed the three-point play at the free-throw line.
Lakhin missed a three-pointer, and Burton grabbed the rebound but couldn’t convert his jumper on the other end.
Media timeout (3:55) – Clemson 77, Notre Dame 62.
After the break, Clemson failed to score on their first possession.
Notre Dame then turned the ball over, leading to a fast-break layup by Jaeden Zackery.
Kebba Njie was fouled on the next possession and made both of his free throws, but Clemson quickly responded with a layup from Viktor Lakhin.
Logan Imes made an errant pass, resulting in another Notre Dame turnover. J.R. Konieczny then fouled Chauncey Wiggins, who went to the free-throw line and made both shots.
Cole Certa missed a three-point attempt, but on Notre Dame’s next possession, Imes drove inside and scored a layup.
Certa was fouled shortly after and made both of his free throws with 19 seconds left in the game.
As time ran out, Clemson secured the victory with a final score of 83-68.
Notre Dame’s next challenge takes them on the road to Winston-Salem, NC, where they’ll face Wake Forest on Saturday, March 1st. Tipoff is set for 5:15 PM EST on the CW. Stay tuned as the Irish look to secure a victory.