Notre Dame Fighting Irish at California Golden Bears
· NCAA Men's BasketballDai Dai Ames' four-point play in final seconds lifts Cal to 72-71 victory over Notre Dame
Ames' heroics also included a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining that cut Notre Dame's lead to 69-68. The junior made 9 of 16 shots — 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Chris Bell had 15 points and Justin Pippen scored 14 for the Golden Bears (13-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Lee Dort had 11 rebounds.
Braeden Shrewsberry sank five 3-pointers and scored 21 to pace the Fighting Irish (10-5, 1-1). Shrewsberry was 6 for 6 at the free-throw line, while his teammates made 10 of 20. Jalen Haralson had 17 points and Cole Certa made three 3-pointers and scored 16 off the bench. Carson Towt had 15 rebounds to go with eight points.
Certa hit a 3-pointer to give the Fighting Irish their largest lead at 25-13 with 8:36 left before halftime. Semetri Carr's only basket of the half was a 3-pointer with two seconds left, cutting the Golden Bears' deficit to 31-27 at the break.
Pippen hit a 3-pointer to finish a 17-11 run at the start of the second half and Cal moved ahead 44-42 — its first lead since 5-2 — with 14:13 left to play.
The Bears played with a lead until Certa hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Irish a 65-63 lead with 3:10 remaining.
The Irish beat the visiting Bears 112-110 in four overtimes in March — their first matchup as ACC rivals.
Notre Dame: Hosts Clemson on Jan. 10.
How can I watch Notre Dame vs. California?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 71 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 71 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | California Deadball Team Rebound. | 71 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Braeden Shrewsberry misses 25-foot three point jumper | 71 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:02 | Notre Dame Timeout | 71 - 72 |
Statistics
ND |
CAL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 22-55 | FG | 26-64 |
| 40 | Field Goal % | 41 |
| 11-31 | 3PT | 11-39 |
| 35 | Three Point % | 28 |
| 16-26 | FT | 9-12 |
| 62 | Free Throw % | 75 |
| 44 | Rebounds | 34 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 9 |
| 32 | Defensive Rebounds | 25 |
| 14 | Assists | 13 |
| 0 | Steals | 4 |
| 1 | Blocks | 1 |
| 7 | Turnovers | 3 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 7 | Total Turnovers | 3 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 11 |
| 10 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 18 | Points in Paint | 24 |
| 15 | Fouls | 21 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 7 |
| 5 | Lead Changes | 5 |
| 62 | Percent Led | 34 |
Game Information
Location: Berkeley, CA
Attendance: 5,158 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 9-0 | - | 20-1 |
| Clemson | 8-1 | 1 | 18-4 |
| Virginia | 7-2 | 2 | 18-3 |
| NC State | 7-2 | 2 | 16-6 |
| Miami | 6-3 | 3 | 17-5 |
| North Carolina | 5-3 | 3.5 | 17-4 |
| Louisville | 5-4 | 4 | 15-6 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-5 | 4.5 | 16-7 |
| SMU | 4-4 | 4.5 | 15-6 |
| California | 4-5 | 5 | 16-6 |
| Syracuse | 4-5 | 5 | 13-9 |
| Stanford | 3-6 | 6 | 14-8 |
| Florida State | 3-6 | 6 | 10-12 |
| Boston College | 2-6 | 6.5 | 9-12 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Notre Dame | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Wake Forest | 2-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Pittsburgh | 2-7 | 7 | 9-13 |


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