Notre Dame men’s basketball got its season started on Monday evening, and it went according to plan for head coach Micah Shrewsberry and company with a 89-67 victory over visiting Long Island University.
The Irish got off to a fast start, leading 23-5 after the first seven-minutes of play. Former 5-star freshman Jalen Haralson started off the scoring, as he made his first shot in the Blue and Gold. That was a high-point for the young player, as he’s make just one more of his six other attempts on the night.
Notre Dame’s bench and star guard Markus Burton were the biggest story, as Ryder Frost and Cole Certa along with Burton combined to score 61 of the Irish’s 89 total points. Certa was on fire from beyond the arc, making six of his nine attempts to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
Transfer forward Carson Towt did exactly what he was brought into the program to do, rebound. The senior controlled the glass all night, pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds. Defensively, the Irish held LIU to just 38.2% shooting from the field, and forced 15 turnovers.
It was a good start for Notre Dame in the 2025-26 season, but there are still plenty of things to work on as the season continues. I’d like to see the scoring a bit more evenly distributed, but Burton can do as he pleases. The Irish would also like to turn the ball over less, as they gave it away 19 times in the opener.
Regardless of the small aspects that need to get cleaned up, Notre Dame starts the season 1-0 and will face Detroit-Mercy on Friday evening.
game WON ☘️#GoIrish | @Gatoradepic.twitter.com/rJdWmDb8T4
— Notre Dame Men’s Basketball (@NDmbb) November 4, 2025
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame hoops cruises to a season-opening victory of Long Island
