Seminoles top Irish to halt slide
Dwayne Bacon scored 21 points as host Florida State (17-12, 7-10 ACC) led throughout the game and snapped a five-game losing streak with a 77-56 victory Saturday over No. 23 Notre Dame (19-9, 10-6), which has dropped two of three.
TALLAHASSEE — Dwayne Bacon stepped onto the court hours before Florida State’s contest against Notre Dame.
He was there so early that FSU’s dance team was practicing its routine for later that afternoon.
The freshman simply focused on his shooting form and forced himself to swish three consecutive shots from one area behind the 3-point line before moving to another spot around the perimeter.
So when Bacon got the ball atop the key a minute into Saturday’s game, he launched a 3-pointer without any hesitation. The shot went in. With that, it became clear it was going to be that type of afternoon for Bacon as the Seminoles (17-12, 7-10 ACC) cruised to a 77-56 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame (19-9,10-6 ACC) at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
“It’s always a good afternoon when I make my first shot, I don’t know why,” Bacon said. “I just felt like I was in rhythm and I felt like that in shoot-around. That’s why I took the shot.
“I know before I took the shot coaches were probably like, ‘What is he doing?’ But I just felt it. After I made it, I was just going with the flow.”
Bacon scored 21 points to help FSU end a five-game losing streak while simultaneously boosting the Seminoles’ slim hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. An announced crowd of 7,819 was on hand to witness what was arguably FSU’s most complete game of the year.
“There’s obviously a sense of urgency for us and there’s not much room for error at this point,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “This is a learning experience for a lot of our new guys. We’ve gone through some growing pains this year.”
Bacon exemplified that. He largely struggled during FSU’s five-game skid, scoring more than 12 points only once while making just 37.9 percent of his shots in that span.
But the freshman star showed renewed focus Saturday, playing with confidence and fervor that he seemingly lost weeks ago. He scored 14 points in the first half as FSU took a 46-30 lead at the break, and then carried that momentum over into the second period. Bacon made consecutive off-balance jump shots to start the half and finally nailed a 3-pointer with 3:21 remaining to extend FSU’s lead to 21 points. He just shook his head and shrugged.
Bacon stole the show, but FSU’s supporting cast is what turned the contest into a rout. Starting center Boris Bojanovsky had one of the most influential games of his four-year career while reserve guards Devon Booker and Benji Bell provided energy and proficient shooting off the bench.
Bojanovsky controlled the paint, recording six blocks and nine rebounds while adding eight points. The 7-foot-3 senior regularly altered shots and helped keep Notre Dame off the glass, as FSU out-rebounded the Fighting Irish 40-35.
FSU stifled a Notre Dame team that ranks second nationally in offensive efficiency, holding the Fighting Irish to their lowest scoring output of the year and 35.7 percent shooting from the field.
“They’ve got length and bodies that can get in passing lanes,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. “They blocked seven [shots] and changed at least six. When you can’t get those easy buckets, that demoralizes you.”
Bell had 14 points while Bookert added eight as they combined to make six of 13 3-point attempts.
Bell also added two assists and two steals, and had an11-second sequence in the first half in which he made a transition layup, stole the ball and then hit a 3-pointer to put FSU ahead 25-17.
Notre Dame never got within five points after the sequence.
FSU still faces an uphill battle to cobble together a tournament-worthy résumé, but the Seminoles can help themselves tremendously if they close out the regular season with a home win against Syracuse next Saturday.
“Don’t count us out,” Bacon said. “You never know what can happen and we still believe.”