Highly touted freshman Markus Burton scores 29 to lead Notre Dame's 70-63 win over Niagara

Updated Nov. 6, 2023 9:21 p.m. ET

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Markus Burton scored 29 points in his collegiate debut, Carey Booth added 10 points and nine rebounds, and Notre Dame began a new era with a 70-63 victory over Niagara on Monday night.

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 the retired 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 Mr. Indiana Basketball, made good on his commitment to Notre Dame.

Ahmad Henderson and Luke Bumbalough each scored 14 points for Niagara. Yaw Obeng-Mensah scored 13.

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.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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