CHICAGO – It took a half, but Notre Dame eventually looked like a team capable of making a Final Four. The No. 2-seeded Irish pulled away for a 69-56 victory over 15th seed Akron on Friday afternoon at the United Center and will meet Florida State in the Round of 32.

After leading by only four at halftime, Notre Dame opened the second half strong, going on a 9-0 run to take a 43-30 lead with 14:59 left.

Akron didn’t score until there was 14:40 left and never truly threatened down the stretch.

Irish guard Ben Hansbrough had a game-high 15 points, including 11 in the first half. Forward Tim Abromaitis finished with 14 points, making two key 3-pointers in the second-half to help Notre Dame seal its victory.

For a half, Akron had itself in position to become only the fifth No. 2 seed to win. The Zips had a marquee block late in the first half from 7-foot center Zeke Marshall and trailed 34-30 at the break. But they let it slip away in the second half.

Marshall had four blocks, while Quincy Diggs finished with a team-high 11 points.