Feb. 10, 2018
Notre Dame Florida State Box Score
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (15-10, 5-7 ACC) used a 17-2 run midway through the second half to pull away from Florida State (17-7, 6-6 ACC) in Saturday’s 84-69 win over the Seminoles inside Purcell Pavilion.
Senior guard Matt Farrell turned in a performance to remember, scoring a career-high 28 points. Farrelll wasn’t the only Notre Dame player to have the best offensive performance of his career against Florida State, as junior Rex Pflueger also posted a career-high 19 points. Other Irish players to reach double figures in the win were T.J. Gibbs (19 points) and senior Martinas Geben (10 points).
Notre Dame also welcomed back former standouts from the 1977-78 team to campus this weekend. The team reached the Final Four and was honored at halftime of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After knocking down a season-high 16 three-pointers in Tuesday’s victory over Boston College, the Irish picked up right where they left off against the Seminoles. Notre Dame connected on 7-of-16 shots from beyond the arc in the first frame to help build a 40-34 lead at the half. The Irish were in the lead for over 19 minutes of action in the first half and led by as many as 10 points.
Florida State managed to tie the game at 52-52 off a three-pointer from C.J. Walker with just over 10 minutes left in the game. After the two sides traded buckets for a couple of possessions the Irish took complete control of the contest, ripping off a 17-2 run over a five-minute stretch to go on top 73-58 with just three minutes to play. Notre Dame then cruised to the 84-69 victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Farrell had the best game of his career on the offensive end of the floor on Saturday, pouring in a career-best 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor, including a remarkable 6-of-10 effort from three-point range. The six makes from distance are the most the senior has ever recorded in a game in his Irish career. Farrell also added a team-high five assists, four rebounds and a steal to complete impressive performance.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
The Irish shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the second half off 15-of-27 shooting while holding the seminoles to just 36.8 percent shooting.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- The Irish leveled the all-time series with the Seminoles at 4-4 and have now won three straight games in the series.
- The senior class of Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben, Matt Gregory and graduate student Austin Torres tied the program record for most wins in a career with 97.
- Notre Dame knocked down 10 three-pointers against the Seminoles, marking the 10th time the Irish have finished with 10 or more in a game during the 2017-18 campaign.
- Notre Dame improves to 12-1 in games when leading at the half this season.
- The Irish are 10-0 on the year when they score 80-plus points.
- Pflueger scored 19 points, marking his 12th time this season with 10-plus points.
- Farrell became the seventh player in program history to record 350-plus assists and 150 or more made three-point field goals in his career against Florida State. Farrell currently sits at 351 assists and 155 threes in his career.
- Farrell’s 28-point performance was his 18th double-digit scoring game of the season in just 20 games played. He now also has five games of 20 or more points this year.
- Gibbs has recorded 10-plus points in 20 outings this season, including 13 straight.
- Geben has finished in double figures 14 times during his senior campaign.
UP NEXT
The Irish have a quick turnaround, as the team travels to North Carolina for a Big Monday showdown on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on February 12. The game will air live on ESPN.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.