Cole Certa and Jalen Haralson scored 20 points each as Notre Dame did just enough late in regulation and in overtime to beat TCU 87-85 on Friday in a nonconference game at Fort Worth, Texas.
Notre Dame (7-3) never trailed in the extra period, taking an 83-79 lead on a corner 3-pointer by Certa with 2:56 to play. David Punch made 1 of 2 free throws with 42.3 seconds left to bring the Horned Frogs to within two points before Certa converted a pair from the charity stripe to make in 86-82.
Brock Harding nailed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to pare TCU’s deficit to a point. Braeden Shrewsberry went 1 of 2 at the foul line for the Fighting Irish, and Punch’s jumper with one second left bounced off the rim, allowing Notre Dame to escape with the win.
Shrewsberry added 15 points and Carson Towt had 13 for the Fighting Irish, who were without star guard and leading scorer Markus Burton for the second half of the game after he sustained an undisclosed injury after scoring six points in the first 10 minutes.
Punch led TCU (5-3) with 20 points while Jayden Pierre had 17 points, Micah Robinson scored 13 and Harding had 12.
The Horned Frogs led by nine points at halftime but surrendered the advantage early in the second when Notre Dame scored 14 of the half’s first 16 points. Certa sank four 3-pointers in that span.
Harding’s layup with 1:16 remaining gave the Horned Frogs a 74-72 advantage, but that basket was answered by a Haralson hoop with 53 seconds left. Punch made 1 of 2 free throws with 30.1 seconds to play.
After the second of two Notre Dame timeouts, TCU’s Pierre ripped away the errant inbounds pass and split two free throws, only to see Haralson send the game into the extra period via a step-back jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation.
TCU led by 11 in the first half before Towt’s layup at the buzzer allowed the Fighting Irish to close to within 45-36 entering the break.
