Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Howard Bison
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Notre Dame wins at Howard 71-68 in MLK Classic
Notre Dame led 67-56 before turning it over four times in five possessions, while Howard scored 10 straight. Cormac Ryan ended the Irish’s drought with two free throws with 41.5 seconds left for a three-point lead.
Elijah Hawkins converted a layup in traffic to pull Howard within 69-68, but Prentiss Hubb answered at the other end on a driving layup with 12.7 left. Hawkins had a chance to tie it but his step-back 3-pointer hit the back of the iron as time expired.
Blake Wesley added 13 points and Paul Atkinson had eight rebounds for Notre Dame (11-6), which returns to ACC play on Saturday at Louisville. Wesley set a program record for most double digit scoring games from a true freshman in a season with 14, passing Troy Murphy.
Steve Settle III, averaging 13.5 points per game, scored a career-high 25 points for the Bison (6-8). Kyle Foster and Hawkins each had 12 points.
It marked Notre Dame’s first road game at a Historically Black College or University — made possible by the coaching connection. Howard coach Kenny Blakeney played for Notre Dame coach Mike Brey at Duke (1992-95) while Brey was an assistant with the Blue Devils and was an assistant coach under Brey at Delaware (2002-05).
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Statistics
 ND |
 HOW |
|
|---|---|---|
| 25-48 | FG | 24-60 |
| 52 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 6-18 | 3PT | 7-23 |
| 33 | Three Point % | 30 |
| 15-19 | FT | 13-15 |
| 79 | Free Throw % | 87 |
| 33 | Rebounds | 30 |
| 4 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 29 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 9 | Assists | 15 |
| 5 | Steals | 9 |
| 1 | Blocks | 4 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 9 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 15 | Total Turnovers | 9 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 14 | Fouls | 13 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 5 |
Game Information
Location: Washington, DC
Attendance: 1,315 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 29-2 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 27-4 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 24-7 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-7 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 22-9 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 22-9 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 19-12 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 17-14 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 21-10 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-12 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 19-12 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-12 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 16-15 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-16 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 13-19 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |
2025-26 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | 11-3 | - | 21-10 |
| Morgan State | 10-4 | 1 | 14-15 |
| Norfolk State | 8-6 | 3 | 15-16 |
| North Carolina Central | 8-6 | 3 | 12-17 |
| South Carolina State | 7-7 | 4 | 9-21 |
| Maryland Eastern Shore | 5-9 | 6 | 9-22 |
| Coppin State | 5-9 | 6 | 7-24 |
| Delaware State | 2-12 | 9 | 7-22 |