The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (21-9, 14-5) dropped its final true road game of the season at Florida State, 74-70, in the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida, on Wednesday evening. Neither team was able to build more than an eight-point lead in the game and the lead changed hands six times which included another six times the score was tied.
Freshman Blake Wesley led the Irish with 21 points, adding six rebounds and two steals. Graduate student Paul Atkinson Jr. contributed a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Florida State had four players in double figures, led by John Butler with 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida State started the game red hot from behind the three-point line. The Seminoles connected on their first five shots from behind the arc with three of the jumpers from John Butler, to build a 17-11 lead at the first media timeout.
Notre Dame started to buckle down on defense and earn some stops, allowing them to get out in transition and chip into the lead. Wesley’s leak out lay up at 11:48 cut the Seminole lead to 21-18 at the second media stoppage.
The Irish earned their first lead of the game on a Laszewski three at the top of the key to claim a 27-25 lead at the eight minute mark. By the time the Irish earned a lead on the scoreboard, the visitors had passed the home team in field goal percentage after the Seminoles blistering start to the game.
Both teams traded baskets over the next segment, but Wesley provided the highlight driving down the lane for a tomahawk slam for his 11th point of the game and nudged the Irish ahead 33-31 with 3:15 left.
At the end of the first half, it was Notre Dame’s hot three-point shooting that earned the Irish a five-point lead at halftime. Trey Wertz drilled a deep three pointer as the defense sagged off of him, then Hubb found Laszewski open in the left corner for another three pointer.
Florida State answered with a deep contested three of their own. As the first half clock wound down, Wertz drove and found Laszewski open on the right side this time. The shot found nothing but net and the Irish went into the locker room with a 44-39 advantage.
Early in the second half the home team hot shooting from earlier in the game returned and an 8-0 Seminole run put the Irish on their heels.
It wasn’t for long, however, as a Hubb drive and a Wesley and-one play put him at the line with a chance to tie the game. The free throw was missed and FSU seemed to get a burst of energy, building the lead back up to seven with 10:54 left.
The Irish had another run left in them. Atkinson Jr. rebounded a Wesley miss with a flying slam, followed by a defensive stop and a Wesley transition lay up. Notre Dame had cut it to two at 61-59 with 8:59 left.
Notre Dame’s defense earned three straight looks at tying the game or taking the lead, but nothing would fall and both teams remained scoreless over the next two minutes. Florida State scored down low, then a Goodwin three pointer on a wide open look rimmed out.
The home team pushed out their lead yet again, but a Wesley baseline dunk gave Notre Dame some life. Minutes later the rookie delivered again with a steal and score to cut the lead to one.
The Seminoles had the answer on a drive for a score, then forced a Notre Dame turnover to take a 69-64 lead with 3:48 remaining.
The Irish continued to fight, Hubb cut the lead to two on a drive with 1:27 left but was unable to pull down some key defensive rebounds at the end of the game. Florida State’s Anthony Polite connected on a huge three pointer with under a minute remaining to put his team up five, but Atkinson Jr. responded with a traditional and-one to cut the lead back to two with 41.2 left.
Notre Dame’s defense forced a miss, but couldn’t corral the rebound and knocked the ball out of bounds with 11 seconds left. The Irish fouled RayQuan Evans, who sealed the game with two free throws and provided the game’s final score.
UP NEXT
The final regular season game for the Fighting Irish will be Saturday, March 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPNews) against Pittsburgh. The senior class of Paul Atkinson Jr., Trey Wertz, Cormac Ryan, Robby Carmody, Nate Laszewski, Dane Goodwin and Prentiss Hubb will be honored before the game.