Markus Burton scores 29 in Notre Dame’s 70-63 win over Niagara

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP/WNDU) - The Micah Shrewsberry era is off to a 1-0 start after Notre Dame defeated Niagara 70-63 in its season opener on Monday night at Purcell Pavilion.

Highly-touted Penn High School grad Markus Burton scored 29 points in his collegiate debut, while Carey Booth added 10 points and nine rebounds.

The game was tight throughout, then Burton took over in the stretch. His layup gave the Fighting Irish a 53-51 lead with 7 1/2 minutes remaining and began a 5-minute run in which he scored 13 of Notre Dame’s 16 points.

The Irish led 68-61 after two free throws from Tae Davis at the 1:30 mark and they closed out the victory in Micah Shrewsberry’s first game as head coach, replacing Mike Brey.

Shrewsberry, the former coach at Penn State, brought a Top 25 recruiting class with him. Booth, Logan Imes and Braeden Shrewsberry – all flipped from their Penn State commits — and Burton, last season’s Indiana Mr. Basketball, made good on his commitment to Notre Dame.

Niagara took an early 12-2 lead and never trailed in the first half. Notre Dame scored the last four points before halftime to draw within 30-29. The Fighting Irish tied the score at 31 early in the second half and they took their first lead at 41-40 on a 3-pointer by Booth with a little less than 14 minutes remaining.

The Fighting Irish return to action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Western Carolina to Purcell Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. EST.

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