In their first game following Coach Leonard Hamilton’s announcement of his resignation at season’s end, the FSU Men’s Basketball team defeated Notre Dame 67-60 Tuesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
After falling behind by 10 points midway through the first half, the Noles clamped down the Irish and took an 8-point lead before ending the half leading 29-28. The second half remained close until the final minutes when the Noles were able to pull away and ended a 4-game losing streak.
The win takes FSU’s record to 5-7 in ACC conference play and 14-9 for the season. The Noles were led by senior Jamir Watkins with 21 points and junior Malique Ewin with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman A.J. Swinton, playing his most significant minutes of the season, finished with 9 points.
The victory followed several tumultuous days with a last-second loss at Boston College on Saturday and Coach Hamilton’s Monday announcement that he will resign at season’s end after leading the Noles for 23 years. Hamilton’s resignation also comes following last month’s lawsuit filed by six former players accusing the coach of misleading them about NIL compensation.
The Noles travel to Wake Forest for their next game on February 12th.
