Seminoles weather the storm and knock off Notre Dame

Florida State’s game plan was to make the Irish uncomfortable by speeding up the game, and to dominate on the interior. And to that end, FSU was flawless. They forced 18 Notre Dame turnovers (24% of their possessions), and held them to just 32% shooting on 2s.

But sometimes you execute the game plan and it doesn’t really matter.

The Irish made a completely ridiculous 15-21 3-pointers (71%) to keep the game close all the way.

In the early going, Notre Dame looked rattled. They committed careless turnovers. They were were looking over their shoulders. But Florida State couldn’t capitalize due a combination of poor shooting and sloppy ball handling.

The ‘Noles made a brief run in the middle of the half, but only led 39-33 at the break.

Braian Angola-Rodas injured his ankle in the first half and did not return.

In the 2nd half, Florida State’s offense kicked into gear, but Notre Dame began raining 3s, and the lead was gone before the under-12 timeout.

With 5:38 to go, the Irish led 64-62 and the crowd was getting restless.

Luckily for Florida State, the ‘Noles had one last run in them.

FSU outscored the Irish 11-1 over the next three minutes, and took what appeared to be a commanding lead.

The Notre Dame magic hadn’t quite run out, though. After Jonathan Isaac blocked a three, Rex Pflueger made one of the most improbable, spinning, 3-pointers you’ll ever see. On their next possession Steve Vasturia buried another.

With just a few ticks remaining, Jonathan Isaac tried to inbound the ball to Terance Mann, but a Notre Dame player got a finger on it. There was a scramble, and Notre Dame got up a shot. And Jonathan Isaac blocked it. They got another shot at the buzzer. And Jonathan Isaac blocked that one too.

Game.

FSU 83, Notre Dame 80.

With Dwayne Bacon in foul trouble, Jonathan Isaac had a monster game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks. PJ Savoy scored 12 off the bench. Dwayne Bacon had 11. Jarquez Smith scored 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who struggled vs North Carolina, bounced back with a tremendous effort, notching eight points, seven assists, and just one turnover.

With FSU (17-2, 5-1) going 4-1 against five straight ranked teams, the ‘Noles now face No. 12 Louisville at home on Saturday.