Notre Dame’s late-game surge came up just short as the Fighting Irish fell to Wake Forest, 74-71, in a tightly contested ACC matchup on Saturday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Despite a stellar 29-point performance from Markus Burton, the Irish (12-17, 6-12 ACC) were unable to overcome Wake Forest’s clutch free-throw shooting and a dominant second half by Cameron Hildreth, who led the Demon Deacons (19-10, 11-7 ACC) with 28 points.
Late Rally Comes Up Short
Trailing by four with just under a minute to play, Notre Dame clawed its way back behind Kebba Njie’s layup with 1:20 remaining, cutting the deficit to 69-68. After Hildreth answered with a jumper, the Irish had a chance to respond but missed three potential game-tying three-pointers in the final seconds. A desperation heave from Tae Davis at the buzzer fell short, sealing the Irish's fate.
The loss marked another frustratingly close defeat for Notre Dame, which has now dropped four conference games by five points or fewer this season.
Key Performances
Burton continued his breakout freshman campaign, finishing with 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including two three-pointers and a near-perfect 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Davis contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, while Njie added 10 points and four rebounds.
However, the Irish struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 27.8% (5-for-18) from deep, including a critical 1-for-8 in the second half.
Wake Forest, meanwhile, executed in the clutch. Hildreth shot 10-for-14 from the field and hit all seven of his free throws, while Hunter Sallis chipped in 17 points and Efton Reid controlled the glass with seven rebounds. The Demon Deacons were a perfect 19-for-19 from the free-throw line, an edge that proved decisive in the closing moments.
Turning Point
Notre Dame led 61-60 with 4:32 to play, but Wake Forest responded with a 10-0 run, capitalizing on Irish turnovers, and getting to the free-throw line. By the time Njie’s layup ended the drought, Wake had built a 72-68 lead with under a minute left. Free throws kept Notre Dame alive, but the Irish could not convert from three-point range when they needed it most.
Implications for the Season
With the loss, Notre Dame drops to 12-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play, making any postseason hopes a long shot. Wake Forest strengthened its NCAA Tournament résumé with another critical conference win. It’s the final week of the regular season and Notre Dame will look to bounce back on Wednesday night when they host Stanford at Purcell Pavilion, hoping to end its skid, and then finishing the season by hosting Cal on Saturday, March 8th.