Markus Burton scored 16 of his game and season-high 25 points in the first half as Notre Dame held on to defeat Bellarmine 86-79 in South Bend, Ind., on Tuesday evening.
Jalen Haralson added 16 points and a team-high five assists, and Carson Towt posted his second double-double of the season as the Fighting Irish (4-1) rebounded from a last-minute 64-63 defeat at the hands of Ohio State on Sunday with their fourth straight victory at Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame dominated its first three home games, winning by an average of 24.7 points, and this game seemed headed in the same direction. However, the Knights made things interesting down the stretch.
Two Kebba Njie free throws gave Notre Dame a 70-48 lead with 6:50 to play before Bellarmine responded with a dominant 31-14 run. Burton closed the game out with two free throws with 13 seconds left. Michael Wilson Jr. led the Knights’ surge, scoring all 17 of his points in the second half.
Purdue transfer Brian Wadell paced Bellarmine (1-4) with 18 points. The Knights, who have now lost 23 straight road games dating back to the 2023-24 season, led 26-21 with 5:46 to play in the first half before Notre Dame exploded on a 25-5 run of its own that spanned both halves.
Towt had a season-high 12 points to go with 11 rebounds. It was the fifth straight game the graduate senior transfer from Northern Arizona has grabbed double-digit boards.
Haralson reached double digits in scoring for the third straight game. He, Burton and Towt combined to score all 25 points during that decisive run that put the Fighting Irish in control. Burton, who went just 3 for 14 from the field and missed the Fighting Irish’s last three shots in the loss to the Buckeyes, shot 76.9% (10 for 13) against the Knights.
Jack Karasinski, who led Bellarmine in scoring with 21.3 points per game coming in, finished with 17 points. Myles Watkins did most of his damage in the second half and chipped in with 11 points, while Kenyon Goodin added 10 points for Bellarmine.
Braeden Shrewsberry came in shooting 61.9% from three-point range but went just 2 for 5 from beyond the arc and totaled seven points for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish held a sizable 31-17 advantage on the boards and shot 36.8% (7 for 19) from long range.
