TALLAHASSEE — Florida State basketball (13-5, 4-3 ACC) earned its sixth win in the last eight games with a 91-78 win over Georgia Tech (8-11, 2-6 ACC) at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Saturday afternoon. FSU led wire-to-wire, scoring on its first possession and never relinquishing the lead. The Seminoles have won seven consecutive home games against the Yellow Jackets, dating back to February 24, 2018. FSU has won three straight ACC home games.
Florida State led 37-24 at the half. Offensively, FSU had an efficient half with 11 assists and one turnover. The Seminoles shot 44.1% from the floor and made five of 17 three-pointers (29.4%). Jamir Watkins and Jerry Deng produced four of those first-half triples. Watkins led the Seminoles with nine points. Justin Thomas collected seven boards, four more than in any other game as a Seminole, and tied a season-high with four assists.
FSU forced seven Georgia Tech turnovers, leading to 15 points. The rebounding was even in the half as the Yellow Jackets reeled in one more board than FSU with 21. GT’s short-handed offense was ice-cold, shooting 26% from the floor and only making two of 14 three-point attempts. Duncan Powell led GT with 11 points.
The Yellow Jackets quickly made it a one-possession game with a 10-0 run in the first two minutes of the second half. After a clean first half, the Seminoles turned it over three times in its first three possessions. Back-to-back and-ones made it a 37-34 game with 18 minutes remaining.
Florida State’s defense tightened up after the quick run, holding GT scoreless for the next 2:26. Taylor Bol Bowen hit a pair of crucial three-pointers in the first few minutes of the half. Before the U12 media timeout, Bowen had scored eight of FSU’s 19 points. It was his sixth double-digit scoring performance of the season. FSU extended its lead back to 10 with 11:32 remaining. Junior guard Chandler Jackson suffered a lower body shortly after the TO and didn’t return.
After Bowen went 1/3 at the free throw line, Georgia Tech cut Florida State’s lead to four with a corner three. Once again, the Seminoles had a response to the Yellow Jackets. FSU went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by an and-one by freshman Daquan Davis. Malique Ewin also notched his fourth consecutive double-double. GT missed four crucial free throws in that stretch and big man Baye Ndongo fouled out.
With GT limited to five available players, the Seminoles put the finishing touches on the Yellow Jackets. FSU went on another 9-0 run, featuring massive dunks from Watkins and Bowen. An alley-oop slap by Bowen capped a 16-3 run over 2:48. That dunk gave him a career-high 20 points.
Watkins and Ewin each produced 17 points. Watkins had five boards and three assists while Ewin had 11 boards and four assists.
FSU shot 52.2% from the floor on 67 attempts and was 9-27 from three (33.3%). The Seminoles were 12-17 on free throws. They turned it over eight times compared to Georgia Tech’s 12 turnovers. FSU also finished with 39 rebounds, seven more than GT. They had 23 fast break points, compared to only nine for the Yellow Jackets.
Up Next: FSU travels to the West Coast for a Wednesday night matchup against Cal (8-9, 1-5 ACC entering Saturday). The Seminoles’ game against the Bears will be televised on ACC Network at 9:00 p.m.
The Florida State University basketball team put on a dominating performance from start to finish in their recent matchup against Georgia Tech. The Seminoles came out strong and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in a convincing win.
FSU’s defense was stifling, forcing turnovers and contesting shots, while their offense was firing on all cylinders. The team moved the ball well, finding open looks and capitalizing on them with precision shooting.
Key players stepped up for the Seminoles, with standout performances from both the starters and bench players. The depth and talent of the team were on full display, with contributions coming from all areas of the roster.
The win was a statement victory for FSU, showcasing their ability to dominate a top opponent in the conference. The team’s chemistry and execution were on point, and they will look to carry this momentum into future games.
With this impressive wire-to-wire win over Georgia Tech, FSU has proven once again that they are a force to be reckoned with in college basketball. Fans can look forward to more exciting games and strong performances from the Seminoles as they continue their march towards a successful season.
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