Bulldogs show early fight against ACC opponent, fall to Fighting Irish on the road
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — South Carolina State men's basketball suffered its first setback of the 2026-27 season Wednesday night, falling 99-59 to Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion.
The Bulldogs (3-1), under fifth-year head coach
Erik Martin, showed early competitiveness against the Fighting Irish (4-0), cutting the deficit to one point in the opening minutes before Notre Dame pulled away behind a strong perimeter shooting performance.
SC State was led by guard
Mitchell Taylor, who finished with a team-high nine points, connecting on 3 of 8 shots from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Taylor also added three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Deshaun Jackson Jr. and
Brian Harris contributed eight points apiece, while
Teon Tindal added six points and three rebounds.
Treven Raymon and Clayton Everett Jr. chipped in five points each.
The Bulldogs demonstrated early resilience, trimming Notre Dame's advantage to 8-7 following a 3-pointer by Harris with 14:58 remaining in the opening half.
SC State continued to battle, pulling within 19-16 at the 10:14 mark after Christopher Parker converted a driving layup. However, Notre Dame responded with a decisive offensive surge, fueled by its outside shooting, to take a 50-28 advantage into halftime.
Despite the deficit, the Bulldogs continued to compete in the second half, scoring 31 points after the break compared with 28 in the opening period.
SC State received a strong contribution from its reserves, who combined for 37 of the team's 59 points. The Bulldogs also generated 13 second-chance points and 10 points off turnovers.
Jackson Jr. provided a steady presence in the backcourt, finishing with four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Christian Barnes added three assists and three rebounds, while Parker contributed four rebounds.
Notre Dame's Ethan Roberts led all scorers with 36 points, connecting on 10 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc. Brady Koehler added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame shot 55.9% from the field and 57.6% from 3-point range, while SC State finished at 29.6% overall and 23.8% from long distance.
The Fighting Irish held a 49-31 advantage on the boards, but the Bulldogs matched Notre Dame with 13 second-chance points.
The loss snapped SC State's three-game winning streak to open the season following victories over Morris, USC Upstate and Chicago State.
The Bulldogs will look to regroup and build on their early-season success as they continue their challenging nonconference schedule.
SC State Game Highlights
- Mitchell Taylor: Team-high nine points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist.
- Deshaun Jackson Jr.: Eight points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
- Brian Harris: Eight points, including one 3-pointer.
- Teon Tindal: Six points, three rebounds, one block and one steal.
- Treven Raymon: Five points and three rebounds.
- Clayton Everett Jr.: Five points and two rebounds.
- Bench production: 37 points from Bulldog reserves.
- Second-chance scoring: 13 points.
- Team record: 3-1 overall.
Final Score: Notre Dame 99, South Carolina State 59
Halftime: Notre Dame 50, SC State 28
Second Half: Notre Dame 49, SC State 31
Source: Official NCAA game box score and play-by-play, Nov. 11, 2026.
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