RECAP: FSU Basketball Buries Notre Dame On The Road For Fourth Consecutive Victory
It was a defensive struggle in Indiana today, but Florida State did enough to come away with its fourth straight win to start 2024, and now sits 4-1 in ACC play.
The first half was ugly, as Florida State struggled to score the basketball, shooting just 13/39 from the floor, but they grabbed 9 offensive rebounds and Notre Dame shot so poorly from the free throw line (1/8) to keep the game close. Jalen Warley led the team in scoring in the first half as the 'Noles took a 33-29 lead into the break.
The second half started off hot for Florida State, opening the half on two separate 8-0 runs to take a lead as large as 14 points. Notre Dame wouldn't go down quietly though, fighting tooth and nail, much like they have all season at home in conference play.
Florida State would lose track of Braeden Shrewsberry a couple of times down the stretch and he made them pay with some big 3s, getting the lead down to as little as three points with a little over a minute remaining. Primo Spears would respond with a couple of tough midrange baskets, FSU would get a couple of stops and made some free throws to put the game away 67-58.
Florida State won this game with its defense: 14 forced turnovers for a turnover rate of 22.2%, 7 blocks, and held Notre Dame to 41.8% from the floor and 34.6% from 3. They also grabbed a total of 12 offensive rebounds which helped them with their struggles offensively, as the 'Noles shot 39.1% from the floor for the game, but they made their free throws (13/15 for 86.7%) while Notre Dame basically lost the game from the charity stripe (3/11 for 27.3%).
Primo Spears led FSU in scoring with 13 points on 5/12 shooting. His two shots in the final minutes were big, as the rest of the team just couldn't buy a bucket. They weren't easy shots either: the first one was a step-back contested midrange and the second was a tough turnaround in the lane over the taller defender. I still don't love his shot selection, but he's never scared to shoot which this team oddly needs.
Jamir Watkins sat most of the first half with two fouls, but still ended up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals, playing with so much power and physicality. He simply bullied his way to steals and points, refusing to be denied at any point in the second half.
Jalen Warley had a big game, with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, a steal, and a team-high +20 in 31 minutes played. I've talked before about his minutes being cut, but he's starting to see his minutes climb back up and for good reason, as he's having a big impact on the team.
Darin Green Jr. added 10 points and 5 rebounds, while Baba Miller did a little bit of everything again with 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Miller specifically is clearly becoming more and more comfortable.
Markus Burton led Notre Dame with 20 points, while JR Konieczny had 11 points. No one else was in double figures. FSU had its moments of struggling to contain Burton, but they did a good enough job limiting everyone else.
Next up, it's the first matchup of the season against Miami and Benedict Arnold Matthew Cleveland on Wednesday night at 7.
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