(photo courtesy Fighting Irish Athletics)

(Winston-Salem, N.C.) — As the Four Tops once sang, “It’s the same old song” for Notre Dame men’s basketball.

Micah Shrewsberry’s squad played well for 33 minutes, only to see a late lead and game slip away as Wake Forest rallied for its 20th win of the season, a 74-71 triumph over the Irish Saturday evening.

Markus Burton had another dazzling offensive night for the Irish, pouring in 29 points for the Irish, who are now 12-17 overall and 6-12 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Notre Dame started strong in this one, as Tae Davis scored nine of his 15 points for the game to help the Irish build a 20-10 lead.

Wake Forest answered with a 13-2 run to take a brief lead, before Burton dropped a three and layup to put Notre Dame up 30-25 at the half.

Midway through the second half, Notre Dame drained six straight shots to build a 51-42 lead.  Wake Forest worked its way back at the foul line, converting a perfect 19-of-19 in the game.  Meanwhile, the Irish cooled dramatically from the field, making just one field goal in the final seven minutes.

Even on the game’s final possession, Notre Dame had three looks from three-point range, but Cole Certa, Burton and Davis all came up empty.

Cameron Hildreth led the Demon Deacons with 28 points, while Hunter Sallis added 17.

The Irish return home to close out the regular season this week. Stanford visits Purcell Pavilion Wednesday night, with tipoff at 9 p.m.