Notre Dame Stuns Mizzou with Late Three, Hands Tigers First Loss of the Season
SOUTH BEND, IN - In a game that delivered all the drama you could ask for, Missouri saw its perfect start to the season vanish in the final seconds, undone by a deep, dagger three from Notre Dame’s Cole Certa that turned Purcell Pavilion into a madhouse.
With 17 seconds left and the score tied at 69, Certa found himself open on the left wing after Jacob Crews blitzed Markus Burton at the top of the key. That defensive decision left just enough daylight for Certa to rise and fire from well beyond the arc.
Shawn Phillips Jr. scrambled from the paint to contest, but the shot was already in flight - and it was pure. Notre Dame took a 72-69 lead, and Mizzou’s unbeaten run was suddenly on life support.
Crews, who had been scorching hot all night, had a chance to play hero on the other end. He pulled up for a contested three from the top of the arc, but the shot rimmed out.
Burton snagged the rebound and iced the game with two free throws. Final score: Notre Dame 76, Missouri 71.
The Breakdown: One Possession, One Breakdown
Postgame, Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates explained the defensive call that led to Certa’s game-winner. The plan was to get the ball out of Burton’s hands - and it worked. But the rotation didn’t come fast enough, and Certa made them pay.
“I’ll live with it any day of the week,” Gates said of the shot. And to be fair, it was a high-difficulty look. But in a game of inches, that half-step late from Phillips proved costly.
On the offensive end, Gates didn’t regret letting his guys play through the final possession. A set play might’ve allowed Notre Dame to clamp down harder. Instead, Crews - who had 22 points and hit five threes - took the shot in rhythm.
“I had the hot hand. I felt comfortable taking that shot.
I missed it. But 10 out of 10 times, I’m taking it,” Crews said.
Crews and Mitchell Carry the Load
Despite the miss, Crews was a big reason Mizzou was even in position to win. He hit five of his nine three-point attempts, providing the offensive spark the Tigers desperately needed on a night when very few others had it going.
Mark Mitchell, meanwhile, was a freight train in the lane. Notre Dame couldn’t keep him out of the paint, and he powered his way to a game-high 26 points. He even stepped outside and buried a clutch three with just over four minutes left to give Mizzou a 63-61 lead - his only make from deep after missing his first three.
“He’s one of our leaders, and we’re going to live with him taking those risks,” Gates said. “Last year, he hit the same shot against Kansas and won that game for us late.”
Mitchell’s confidence? Unshakable.
“He has amnesia. He goes 1-for-1 in his mind,” Gates added.
Support Cast Struggles
Outside of Crews and Mitchell, though, the Tigers didn’t get much help. The rest of the roster combined for just 28 points.
Anthony Robinson II, expected to shoulder more of the scoring load this year, was held to just six points in 37 minutes. He made his presence felt in other areas - pulling down seven boards and swiping five steals - but also turned it over five times, fouled out, and didn’t attempt a single free throw. That last stat, in particular, raised eyebrows.
“That’s hard for me to believe,” Gates said.
Cold from Deep, Again
Mizzou’s three-point shooting woes were a major storyline. The Tigers missed their first seven attempts from downtown and finished just 6-of-20 from beyond the arc. Take away Crews, and the rest of the team went 1-of-11.
“I thought we settled for too many threes,” Gates said. “That’s how the game got away from us.”
It’s not the first time Mizzou has had to adjust on the fly. Against Cal in last year’s ACC/SEC Challenge, they abandoned the three-ball after halftime and overwhelmed the Bears with a relentless attack inside. That second-half effort - 22-of-26 on two-pointers - sparked a comeback win.
In South Bend, the Tigers showed flashes of that same adaptability in the first half. Their defense created chaos, forcing 10 turnovers and turning them into 18 points. Annor Boateng’s deflection and dunk, followed by back-to-back steals and a Crews corner triple, gave Mizzou a 26-19 lead and plenty of momentum.
They were also efficient inside early, going 12-of-15 on two-point attempts in the first half.
Second-Half Slide
But the second half was a different story. Notre Dame opened with a 20-6 run, flipping a 7-point deficit into a lead. Mizzou’s inside game, so effective early, went ice cold - just 6-of-18 from two-point range after halftime.
Meanwhile, the Irish found their rhythm. They moved the ball, took smart shots, and converted in key moments. From the 10-minute mark on, it was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team leading by more than four - until Certa’s three broke the deadlock.
Notre Dame sealed it at the line, and Mizzou was left to wonder what might’ve been.
What It Means
This one stings, not just because of how it ended, but because of what it could’ve meant. Mizzou’s nonconference schedule hasn’t exactly been a gauntlet - their strength of schedule ranked 364th out of 365 teams coming into the night. That means every opportunity to notch a quality win matters, and Tuesday night was one of the few chances left before SEC play begins.
Instead, it goes down as a missed opportunity.
Now, all eyes turn to Sunday’s showdown in Kansas City against rival Kansas - a team that just dropped a tight one to UConn. It’s a rivalry game, a resume-builder, and a chance for Mizzou to bounce back in a big way.
“We’ve got a big game coming up on Sunday,” Crews said. “We can make a real statement bouncing back from this one.”
They’ll need to. Because in college basketball, statement wins don’t come around often - and when they do, you’ve got to hit the shot.