SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In a thrilling matchup on Thursday night, Ta’Niya Latson secured 23 points and Makayla Timpson added 22 as No. 24 Florida State overcame No. 3 Notre Dame, handing them their second consecutive defeat with a score of 86-81.
This victory marks only the second time Florida State has defeated Notre Dame in 15 encounters and is notably their first triumph on Notre Dame’s home court in South Bend. O’Mariah Gordon contributed significantly with 15 points for the Seminoles (23-6, 13-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference), who are on a winning streak that now totals four games.
On the other side, Sonia Citron led Notre Dame (24-4, 15-2) with 21 points, supported by Liatu King’s 17 points. Hannah Hidalgo managed to score 16 points, albeit with a challenging shooting night of 4-for-17. This recent defeat follows the Fighting Irish’s 104-95 double-overtime loss to N.C. State on Sunday, placing Notre Dame in a tie with the Wolfpack for the Conference lead. Should both teams end up sharing the ACC title, N.C. State would secure the top seed in the conference Tournament owing to their victory over Notre Dame earlier.
The game saw Florida State extend to a 67-57 lead by the close of the third quarter, only for Notre Dame to surge back at the beginning of the fourth, tightening the gap to 67-66. However, Florida State managed to reclaim their double-digit advantage, maintaining control through the game’s conclusion.
Florida State overcame a rough start, where they shot only 4-of-20 in the first quarter, to lead 44-40 by halftime, thanks in large part to a dominant 30-17 second-quarter performance.
Key insights include the Seminoles enhancing their NCAA Tournament standing with this win. Meanwhile, back-to-back losses might jeopardize Notre Dame’s chances of securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A notable moment was O’Mariah Gordon’s interception of a Notre Dame inbound pass, which she converted into a point-boosting layup, pushing Florida State to a 58-53 lead during the third quarter.
Statistically, Florida State made a remarkable turnaround, going from 2-of-12 on three-point attempts in the first quarter to an impressive 6-of-8 in the following quarter.
As the regular season comes to a close on Sunday, Notre Dame is set to host Louisville, while Florida State will face off against Duke.
