FSU basketball: Noles defeat Notre Dame for regular season sweep

FSU basketball (6-13, 4-4 ACC) used an incredible opening five minutes of the game to put Notre Dame (9-10, 1-7 ACC) on its heels and coast to a 84-71 victory Tuesday night.

It was the first road win for the Noles this season and gave them the regular season sweep of the Fighting Irish. The Noles opened the game with a 13-0 run in the first four minutes of the game and opened up a 32-8 lead behind three free throws by Darin Green Jr. with 11:05 remaining in the first half.

However, Notre Dame settled into the game and closed the gap to a 10-point halftime deficit. FSU shot 45 percent from the floor in the first half and was 4 of 12 from three-point range. They made 7 of 8 free throws and only turned the ball over four times.

FSU was also +8 on the boards. The second half saw FSU open up a 22-point lead, with 11 minutes remaining. However, Notre Dame would not go quietly into the night on their home floor. They trimmed the lead to six with 1:09 remaining.

However, FSU basketball made their free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Matthew Cleveland continued his recent double-double tear with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Darin Green Jr. had 20 points, and Jalen Warley chipped in with 17 points. All five starters scored in double figures for the Noles.

Freshman Baba Miller saw action for the second time this season, finishing with four points and six rebounds. I wrote in the preview FSU would need to defend the perimeter better, and that’s what they did Tuesday night. FSU shot 50.9 percent from the floor and was 7 of 18 from three-point range. They shot 23 of 29 from the charity stripe and were +13 on the boards for the game.

FSU held Notre Dame to 38.8 percent shooting overall and 9 of 32 from three-point range. The Noles will travel to Pittsburgh Saturday for a 3 p.m. ET tip with the game airing on the ACC Network.