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Senior Day Marathon: Notre Dame outlasts Cal in 4OT classic

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•about 19 hours•

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Notre Dame guard Markus Burton. (Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports)

Markus Burton walked off the court, jersey pulled up to his chin as the Purcell Pavilion crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Burton had fouled out in quadruple overtime after dropping 43 points. It was the most prolific scoring output for a Notre Dame men’s basketball player since Adrian Dantley in 1975. But in that moment, every single one of those cheering fans probably thought that was it.

The Irish trailed 103-99 with 2:40 left after California made the free throws it earned from Burton’s fifth foul. Without its superstar, who practically willed his team to that point in a back-and-forth battle against the Golden Bears, there was no way Notre Dame could possibly come back.

Try telling that to Matt Allocco.

Allocco hit a three to take the lead. Cal took it right back. He hit step-back jumper to tie it. Cal pulled back in front on its next possession. Notre Dame had one more chance, down by 2.

Allocco took the ball at the top of the key and curled around a screen from J.R. Konieczny. With plenty of space, he stopped, popped and fired. With 15 seconds left, Allocco’s shot sunk through the bottom of the net and eventually won what Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry dubbed the “Senior Day Marathon.”

Notre Dame beat Cal 112-110 in four overtimes, finishing the regular season 14-17 (8-12 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Burton set the program record for points in an ACC game, and he put up Notre Dame’s first 40 piece since Luke Harangody in 2008. He scored 21 points in the overtimes alone, which amounted to one extra half of basketball.

In each of the first three OTs, the Irish survived thanks to Burton’s magic. He hit a three to tie the game at 79 with 36 seconds left in overtime No. 1. He hit another to stretch Notre Dame’s lead to 6 before Cal came back in overtime No. 2. And he made two back-to-back threes early in overtime No. 3 that gave the Irish enough of a cushion to extend the game.

Every time the Irish thought they struck the final blow through the first three overtimes, the Golden Bears had an answer. They fought tooth and nail for nearly 60 minutes, but Notre Dame had just enough to pull out a win.

The Irish will be the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament. They’ll take on Pittsburgh in the first round at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Charlotte.

This story will be updated.

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