FSU Hoops: Isaac Shows Ability to Close in Notre Dame Win

Don’t look now, but Florida State freshman Jonathan Isaac is starting to become a real force at the college level. After recording his first ACC double-double last weekend in a loss to North Carolina, the 6-10 freshman had a monster night for the Seminoles on Wednesday, propelling them to an 83-80 win over Notre Dame.

Isaac finished the night with a career-high 23 points on 7-for-9 shooting, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, including two in the final seconds to seal the victory. Perhaps more importantly, Isaac proved that he was a horse FSU can ride down the stretch.

With FSU trailing 64-62 with less than five and a half minutes to play, Isaac erupted for nine of the Seminoles’ next 11 points to his team ahead for good. That included a pair of 3-pointers and a 3-point play.

“The two 3s that he hit in the second half across from their bench were back-breaking buckets,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “Those are big-time pressure shots. I have a lot of respect for that guy, because some guys can’t make them. They can make then in the first half, but can they make them in the second?”

Isaac also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the game’s final 30 seconds to help seal the victory.

“It was great,” Isaac said. “All my teammates got in my head at the free throw line, telling me I got this, telling me that they believe in me to make these shots, so I just stepped up to the line with the ultimate confidence and knocked them down.”

The role of closer for FSU had primarily belonged to sophomore Dwayne Bacon. Bacon had been the player FSU turned to late and tended to excel in that role, hitting the game-winner to beat rival Florida last year and a 3-pointer with two seconds left to sink Virginia earlier this season. After fouling out with 28 seconds left, Bacon could only watch as FSU held off the Fighting Irish to snap Notre Dame’s 7-game winning streak.

“In our previous five wins, teams couldn’t make that big shot like Isaac made,” Brey said. “He’s a great talent. The way he knocked down shots with the game on the line, I’ve got the utmost respect for him.”

For much of the season, Isaac has quietly and efficiently filled up the box score. Isaac had a way of beating up on opposing teams without them ever really noticing the impact he had. Last night, Notre Dame and many others noticed.

“I didn’t know he would be a reliable jump-shooter like that,” Brey said. “I knew he was active around the bucket. I knew he could block shots. I knew he could fly and rebound and stuff in there. He should go pro right now. Don’t tell Leonard (Hamilton) I said that.”

For the season, Isaac is averaging 13.1 points, while shooting 54 percent from the field, and a team-high 7.7 rebounds. In six ACC games, Isaac’s numbers have increased to 13.5 points and nine rebounds per game to go along with 2.2 blocks. In addition to his versatility, Isaac gives FSU another player it can go to down the stretch of an important, close game.

“Jonathan is locked into the game,” FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said after Wednesday’s victory. “What we’ve intentionally done with him is not try to pressure him to force shots, create things. We’re letting him mature at the right pace. I think he’s gaining more confidence.”

Robert Blackburn and Clint Eiland contributed to this report

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson