FSU Sweeps Notre Dame

They say basketball is a game of runs, oh boy did this one live up to that mantra. FSU started the game off on a 32-8 run, shooting 11/14 to open it up. Notre Dame responded by going to a 2-3 zone over the final 10 minutes of the half to go on a 21-7 run. Despite the furious comeback, FSU still had a 39-29 lead at the break with the game feeling like it could go either way.

Jalen Warley and Matthew Cleveland stepped up down the stretch to make plays for this team and keep the game out of reach. It was still a game of massive runs though. FSU comes out of the break and gets the lead right back to 21 on the heels of a 19-8 run, using great playmaking and scoring by Caleb Mills, who sat most of the first half with two fouls. Notre Dame responded with a 16-1 run from the 8 minute mark to about the 3 minute mark, and all of a sudden it was a 9 point game. Trading 2s for 3s the next 3 possessions got the lead down to 6 with 1:15 left. Really anything could've happened. And with Mike Brey starting to foul with two minutes left to extend the game, it was almost working. Jalen Warley found his groove from the free throw line to ice the game, and FSU would hit some more free throws to win 84-71, nabbing their first win away from home this season, and getting back to .500 in ACC play at 4-4. Winning at Notre Dame has never been easy for this program, so you take them however you can.

Darin Green Jr. was electric in this one. 20 points, 4/8 shooting from 3 (including one of the toughest corner 3s you'll ever see), and a couple of rebounds as well. There are few players that are as fun to watch when they get it rolling as Green is. 15 of his points came in the first half as they used him as a zone buster early.

Jalen Warley grew up a little bit in this one, finishing with a career-high 17 points, including 8/10 from the free throw line. Notre Dame was choosing to foul him in the final two minutes, and it looked like it would pay off as he went 2/4 on his first two trips in that sequence. He responded by knocking down the final 4 shots from the stripe. He wanted the ball, and was being aggressive throughout the second half. The broadcast mentioned that Coach RJay Barsh said they need Warley in double figures every game. This was a big step in that direction.

Ho hum, another double-double for Matthew Cleveland as he finishes with 14 points and 16 rebounds, smoking his previous career high in rebounds of 13 that he set against St John's about a month ago, and adding in 3 blocks as well (tied a career high that he set on Saturday). It's hard to not like the way he's been playing.

I liked what Cameron Corhen gave this team tonight with his 10 points. He confidently made two free throws in the final minute, and his athleticism is apparent on the defensive end of the floor, I really like what he's going to end up being for this team. Chandler Jackson had some real nice moments in the first half, including hitting a 3.

Caleb Mills and his two fouls were a big reason Notre Dame got back into the game, and it's the second time recently that's happened. He came out in the second half and had a couple of really tough buckets to give FSU momentum, but I wish he'd take care of himself a little better on the defensive end.

For Notre Dame, if it wasn't for Marcus Hammond coming off of the bench, they would've had no life offensively in the first half, as he had 10 of Notre Dame's 29 points at halftime. The Irish were missing point blank layups, some 3s that they'd normally hit were clanks, and Hammond came in and gave them a steady dose of scoring as the rest of the team found their way.

Trey Wertz and JJ Starling had 15 points and 12 points, respectively, but it came on a combined 10/26 shooting, just not what you need out of those two. Nate Laszewki had a rough go of it, just 7 points on 2/5 shooting; FSU seems to be a bad matchup for him.

FSU still needs to clean things up, such as the turnovers (12 is way too many), but they dominated on the glass 42-29, and held a great 3-point shooting team in Notre Dame to just 9/32 from 3 (28.1%). They're starting to learn.

Next up, they're on the road at a house of horrors for them, Pittsburgh and the Oakland Zoo on Saturday at 3:00.

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