SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Matt Farrell scored a career-high 28 points to lead Notre Dame’s potent three-guard attack in an 84-69 victory over Florida State.
Rex Pfluger added a career-high 19 points and T.J. Gibbs matched him with 19 after a poor-shooting first half (2 of 12) as Mike Brey’s Irish (15-10, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their second straight after losing seven in a row.
C.J. Walker had 16 points, Phil Cofer, 12 and PJ Savoy, 11 — all in the first half — for the Seminoles (17-8, 6-7 ACC), who lost their second straight and left coach Leonard Hamilton still seeking his 500th career victory.
Both teams struggled shooting early — Florida State went 5 1/2 minutes between field goals and Notre Dame nearly 5 minutes — before the Irish found their stroke from 3-point range hitting six of its first 12 on way to its biggest lead of the half, 32-22, with 3:42 before the half.
The Irish then answered a 6-0 Seminole run and took a 40-34 halftime lead on the fourth 3-pointer by Farrell, who had 14 points.
Florida State’s height began to wear down the Irish on the boards in the second half. The Seminoles had a 16-9 edge and eventually caught the Irish 52-52 with 10:29 left on Walker’s 3-pointer.
But Gibbs made three free throws to give the Irish a 61-56 lead with 7:49 left. His driving bucket, combined with FSU’s 3 1/2-minute scoring, gave the Irish a 70-58 lead with 3:57 remaining.
