Notre Dame Rallies Late, Grabs Much-Needed Win Over Missouri Behind Burton, Certa
SOUTH BEND - This was one of those games Notre Dame had to have. And when the pressure peaked, the Irish delivered.
Freshman guard Cole Certa stepped into a deep three - the kind of shot you only take when you're confident or desperate - and buried it with 16.2 seconds left, giving Notre Dame a 72-69 lead they wouldn’t give back. The Irish went on to close out a 76-71 win over Missouri at Purcell Pavilion, a gritty non-conference victory that felt bigger than just one December night.
Markus Burton led the way with 18 points, once again showing why he’s the engine of this young Irish team. Certa added 14 off the bench, including 11 in the second half, none bigger than that moonshot three from well beyond the arc.
Let’s set the scene: tied at 69 in the final minute, with the shot clock winding down and the game hanging in the balance, Certa found himself with the ball and limited options. So he pulled up from deep - somewhere near Elkhart, if you ask the crowd - and drilled it. Ice in the veins.
Before that, Burton had calmly knocked down two free throws with 53.9 seconds left to give Notre Dame a 69-67 lead. But Missouri answered quickly, tying it again on two free throws from Jacob Crews with 44.4 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Certa’s heroics.
This wasn’t just a win - it was a response. Notre Dame came in having dropped three of their last five.
And for a team still trying to build its identity under second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, this was one of those swing games. A non-conference home matchup against a Power Five opponent?
You need to take care of business. And they did.
It didn’t always look like it would go that way. Notre Dame trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and struggled to contain Missouri’s Mark Mitchell, who poured in 26 points, including 13 in the opening 20 minutes. Mitchell did what he wanted for long stretches, bullying his way to the rim and keeping the Irish defense on its heels.
But credit the Irish for fighting back. Trailing 65-61 with just over three minutes left, backup guard Logan Imes stepped into a big-time three to cut it to one. That bucket sparked a back-and-forth flurry, with both teams trading punches down the stretch.
Notre Dame got a lift from freshman forward Jalen Haralson, who finished with 13 points before fouling out with just over six minutes to play. His presence was missed late, especially when the offense started to stall, but Certa filled the void with clutch shot-making.
The Irish also got solid contributions from Braeden Shrewsberry, who helped steady the offense during their second-half surge. After trailing by double digits, Notre Dame flipped the script and went up seven midway through the second half, only to see Missouri rattle off 11 straight and reclaim the lead with 8:25 to go.
That’s been the story of this team so far - young, inconsistent, but resilient.
Even in the first half, there were signs of fight. Notre Dame jumped out to a quick six-point lead in the opening five minutes, a small but meaningful improvement after flat starts against Kansas and Houston out in Las Vegas, where they opened both games 0-for-7 from the field.
Still, the first half had its frustrations. Missouri closed the half strong, capitalizing on a technical foul assessed to Coach Shrewsberry after a heated exchange with officials. The Irish were down 10 when the whistle blew, and the Tigers pushed it to 12 before Notre Dame closed the half with five unanswered to cut it to seven.
Shrewsberry’s frustration wasn’t unwarranted. Notre Dame was called for nine fouls in the first half compared to Missouri’s six, but the Tigers got to the line far more often - 13 free throws to Notre Dame’s four. That disparity had the head coach fired up.
“We can’t get to the bonus (at home), we might as well have played this one at Missouri!!” he shouted from the sideline.
That fire may have helped spark the second-half turnaround. The Irish came out with more energy, more urgency, and just enough shot-making to claw their way back.
Now, they’ll try to build on this win as they head to Texas for a Friday night matchup at TCU - a rare road trip to the Lone Star State and another chance to sharpen their edge before conference play ramps up.
For a young team still learning how to win, Tuesday night was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t perfect.
It wasn’t pretty. But it was a win they absolutely needed - and one they earned.