Coming off of a home win against North Dakota, the Irish prepare to face Elon this Friday. Notre Dame hasn’t played Elon since 2006 when they defeated the Phoenix 94-63 in South Bend.
Elon has only played three games so far this season, losing to North Carolina and Gardner-Webb with a win against Bluefield in between.
To begin their season, the Irish handedly defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in their charity exhibition game, ending with a 91-54 victory. Three Irish players scored in double digits, including sophomore guard Markus Burton. The Mishawaka native put up 18 points and three rebounds to finish the game. Sophomore guard and Granger native Braeden Shrewsberry, also tallied 18 points alongside two rebounds and a block. Hailing from South Bend, senior guard J.R. Konieczny scored 11 and led the team on the glass with six rebounds.
In the first game of the regular season, Notre Dame took down Stonehill 89-60 in Purcell Pavilion with Burton and Shrewsberry again leading the team with 18 points each. Burton also had a team-high five assists. Graduate student guard Matt Allocco, hailing from Hilliard, Ohio, also scored in the double-digits with 10 points along with three rebounds. Konieczny led the team in rebounds once again with six and added six points.
Following their game against Stonehill, the Irish hosted Buffalo and defeated them 86-77. Junior forward and Indianapolis native Tae Davis scored a season high 27 points and had six rebounds. Shrewsberry and Burton scored 19 points each. Burton also led the team in rebounds with nine total. Junior forward Kebba Njie from Centerville, Ohio also scored in the double-digits with 12 points while tallying five rebounds.
In their first road game, Notre Dame beat Georgetown 84-63. Allocco scored a season-high 17 points and led the team in assists with seven. Burton scored 16 points and had three rebounds. Davis and graduate forward from Ukraine Nikita Konstantynovskyi led the team in rebounds with eight each. Davis also scored 13 points and Konstantynovskyi scored eight.
In their most recent game, Notre Dame retuned home and took down North Dakota 75-58. Burton led the team in points with a season-high 29. He also led the team in rebounds with nine total. Konieczny also scored in the double-digits with 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.
In their three games, Elon have averaged 86 points per game compared to Notre Dame’s 83.5. Sophomore guard TJ Simpkins leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game. Sophomore Nick Dorn joins him in the backcourt, the Charlotte native averaging 16.7 per game. In the 2023-2024 season, Dorn made the CAA All-Rookie Team. TJ's older brother, junior TK Simpkins, falls right behind Dorn, putting up 15 points per game along with 2.3 rebounds.
In their first game, Dorn led the team with 17 points and five rebounds. Sam Sherry, a senior from Pennsylvania, scored 15 points and led the team with eight rebounds in the game. The Phoenix, however, fell short to North Carolina 90-76.
Following their matchup with the Tar Heels, Elon faced Bluefield and defeated them 103-66 at home. Dorn again led the way with 16 points and grabbed five rebounds. TK Simpkins added 14 of his own and a pair of rebounds. In their most recent game, Elon again fell just short, losing 80-79 against Gardner-Webb. Dorn and TK Simpkins both scored 17 points to lead the team. Dorn also led the team in rebounds with six, while Andrew King, a sophomore from Arizona, led the team in assists with five.
Notre Dame is set to host Elon in Purcell Pavilion on Friday with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
