Nothing about a 17-point first-half lead meant security for the Notre Dame men’s basketball team.
The Irish (8-10, 2-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference) started fast then fizzled Saturday in a 77-69 loss at Syracuse (9-9, 3-4).
Notre Dame led through the first 36 minutes of the game, but fell victim to an assault from JJ Starling, who started his career with the Irish (2022-23). A LaPorte (Ind.) LaLumiere Prep School graduate, Starling scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, when the Orange rallied from a 42-33 intermission deficit.
Twelve of Starling’s points came in the final five minutes of the game, when Syracuse took its first lead.
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At one stretch late in the second half, the Orange connected on just eight of 18 free throws. The misses allowed Notre Dame to claw its way into a position to win the game.
Syracuse led 70-69 with 11 seconds left, when ND’s Tae Davis was called for an offensive foul. Kyle Cuffe Jr. came through with two free throws to up the Syracuse lead to 72-69. ND sophomore Markus Burton, who led all scorers with 28 points, missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds to play.
Syracuse’s Jayre Davis got the rebound and was fouled by Matt Allocco with less than a second left.
That’s about the time when the frustration Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry had stored up boiled over. Shrewsberry was whistled for a pair of technical fouls and was ejected from the game.
The Orange suddenly started hitting free throws, accounting for the wider final score.
Braeden Shrewsberry scored 14 for the Irish, and Matt Allocco and Davis each had 11. Cuffe and Eddie Lampkin scored 13 apiece for the Orange to back up Starling.
Neither Burton nor Starling played in the first meeting between the teams because of injuries, a 69-64 Irish win Dec. 7 in South Bend. Notre Dame was gunning for its first season sweep of Syracuse since 1997.
The Irish outrebounded Syracuse, 43-34, but they had just three assists on 24 baskets.
Burton had 22 points in the first half, leading Notre Dame to its nine-point lead at the break. Actually, he had all those points in the first 12 minutes of the game, as the Irish led by as many as 17.
Notre Dame missed its last nine shots of the first half and didn’t get a field goal in the last 4 minutes, 55 seconds.
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