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Wiggins scores 22 as FSU takes 82-79 win at Notre Dame

On3 imageby: Corey Clark02/08/26Corey_Clark

FSU center Alier Maluk had not made a free throw in a game since a Dec. 19 win over Mississippi Valley State.

The sophomore center had only played two minutes total in the last three weeks.

But on Saturday afternoon, with his team nursing a one-point lead on the road in South Bend, he went to the line and knocked down two straight free throws. The Seminoles then survived two potential game-tying three-point attempts by the Fighting Irish in the final seconds and held on for a 82-79 win over Notre Dame.

It’s the third straight ACC win for Luke Loucks’ team and fourth win in five games overall. With the victory, Florida State is now 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the conference. Notre Dame drops to 11-13 and 2-9.

For the first 10 minutes of Saturday’s game, it looked like the Seminoles were going to be able to cruise to a road victory. Florida State hit four three-pointers in the first four minutes and led 15-2 out of the gate.

The lead ballooned to 18, at 27-9, on a Chauncey Wiggins‘ 3-pointer with 8 minutes left in the first half. But as is almost an inevitability in the ACC, the home team made a run.

The Fighting Irish kept whittling away at the FSU lead for the remainder of the game. The Seminoles’ lead was 41-32 at half and both teams struggled to get stops in the early portions of the second half as well. Notre Dame took advantage of FSU senior Robert McCray’s foul troubles — he played just 23 minutes overall and 10 minutes after halftime — to finally tie the game at 72-72 with 2:47 left on a breakaway dunk.

McCray answered with two free throws but then picked up his fifth foul on Notre Dame’s Logan Imes’ made 3-point shot. Imes squandered the four-point play opportunity when he missed a free throw, but the Fighting Irish still had their first lead of the entire game at 75-74 with 2:07 left.

Wiggins made sure the lead didn’t last long. He drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Seminoles the lead right back with 1:52 remaining.

After both teams got stops, the end of the game became a parade of missed free throws. FSU’s Lajae Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one with 36 seconds left, and Notre Dame’s Carson Towt bricked two in a row on the other end.

Jones then made two in a row to push the lead to four, but the Fighting Irish wouldn’t go away. Mainly because the Seminoles wouldn’t put them away. Wiggins missed two straight free throws and Martin Somerville missed one as well.

But with nine seconds left, and the Seminoles clinging to the one-point lead, Maluk was inserted into the game with nine seconds left after Alex Steen fouled out. He was immediately fouled by Notre Dame. He calmly made both shots.

And nine seconds later, the Seminoles had themselves another ACC win.

Wiggins celebrated his birthday by scoring a team-high 22 points (on five made 3-pointers) to lead FSU. McCray added 15 points, Jones had 11, Steen added 10 points and nine rebounds and A.J. Swinton had eight points off the bench.

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