Notre Dame Defeats Eastern Illinois 94-70 With a 24-0 Scoring Run

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team secured a 94-70 victory over Eastern Illinois on Monday night, fueled by a devastating 24-0 scoring run during the first half.

According to reporting from fightingirish.com, the Fighting Irish moved to a 3-0 record on the season. The momentum shifted decisively after the Panthers opened the game with three consecutive three-pointers to take an 11-0 lead. Following a timeout, Notre Dame responded with the longest scoring streak in head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s tenure.

The surge began with a three-pointer from Shrewsberry, followed by a transition layup from Braeden Smith and a post score from Logan Duncomb. The Irish defense proved equally relentless, forcing seven turnovers during that seven-minute stretch to hold the Panthers scoreless.

All five Notre Dame starters finished the game in double digits. Logan Duncomb led the scoring with 20 points, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the field. He also contributed four rebounds and two assists.

Braeden Smith anchored the playmaking, recording 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Smith also tallied a team-high five steals, five rebounds, and eight assists. He currently sits at 21 assists through three games and is just one assist away from reaching 500 career assists.

The offensive performance was supported by several other key contributors:

Player	Points	Shooting Performance	Notable Stats
Braeden Smith	17	6-for-8	8 assists, 5 steals, 5 rebounds
Ethan Roberts	14	5-for-9	3 three-pointers
Braeden Shrewsberry	12	N/A	4 three-pointers, 5 assists, 3 steals

Braeden Shrewsberry’s four three-pointers moved him into sole seventh place on the program’s all-time career three-pointer list with 250. Ethan Roberts also showed efficiency from deep, hitting three triples to finish 7-of-12 from beyond the arc for the season.

The Irish defense forced 23 total turnovers, a high mark that follows a 20-turnover performance against Villanova two games prior. Notre Dame converted 28 of those turnovers into points.

Notre Dame Defeats Eastern Illinois 94-70 With a 24-0 Scoring Run

The team recorded 17 steals, a figure that ranks fourth all-time for a single game in program history. According to fightingirish.com, this represents the most steals the Irish have recorded in a single game since Jan. 6, 2002.

The defensive intensity allowed Notre Dame to shoot 58.9 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from beyond the arc. The team also recorded a season-best 20 assists.

While Eastern Illinois attempted to regain footing with a 6-of-9 shooting stretch later in the game, Braeden Smith halted the momentum with an “and-one” play. The Irish held a 46-33 lead at halftime and maintained control throughout the second half, eventually leading 83-56 with 7:28 remaining.

The Notre Dame program returns to action this Wednesday night at Purell Pavilion against South Carolina State. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off on ACCNX.