Wilkes scores 19 points, No. 5 Florida St. beats Notre Dame

Wyatt Wilkes scored 19 points and No. 5 Florida State held off Notre Dame 85-84 Saturday night for its 10th straight victory. Wilkes drilled 5 of 6 from 3-point range and the Seminoles (17-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) made 12 of 18 from beyond the arc.

Florida State missed its last nine shots from the floor and Notre Dame (11-8, 2-6) nearly took advantage. The Fighting Irish had a few chances in the final moments, including Rex Pflueger’s desperation 3-pointer that fell short at the buzzer. Trent Forrest and RaiQuan Gray each scored 13 points for Florida State, which has also won 10 consecutive home games. Prentiss Hubb scored 24 points, hitting 5 of 11 3-pointers, and John Mooney had 16 points for Notre Dame. Mooney pulled down just four rebounds, halting his streak of double-doubles at 12 games.

Notre Dame shot 22 of 27 (81.5%) from the free-throw line. Florida State’s Balsa Koprivica returned after missing four games due to injury. The freshman centre had six points and six rebounds in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish used just seven players and didn’t have the depth to keep up with the Seminoles, who had a 40-12 bench scoring advantage. Florida State: The Seminoles had a 23-11 rebounding edge early, including eight offensive boards that led to 10 second-chance points.