2014-15 Men's Basketball - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Leonard Hamilton, Head Coach Michael Bradley, Strength and Conditioning Dennis Gates, Assistant Coach Stan Jones, Associate Head Coach Jacob Ridenhour, Director of Operations Charlton Young, Assistant Coach  Click here to see individual photos |
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Phil Cofer, 6-8, 205, F, Fayetteville, Ga. - ON COFER: An athletic power forward who attacks the glass on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court and has the ability to play above the rim on both ends of the court...will earn tip-dunk baskets because of his aggressive play around the rim and because of his quickness that allows him to out-maneuver players who might be taller than he is...runs the floor well and finishes around defenders...can score with his extremely quick first step and has the ability to start a primary break after working hard to earn a defensive rebound...is very active on both ends of the court and is a torrid rebounder...his strength entering college is rebounding...plays with a great deal of emotion and energy...a four-star recruit and the No. 56 overall high school basketball prospect in the nation in 2014 according to ESPN...the No. 8 overall ranked prospect in the talent-laden state of Georgia by the Phenom Hoop Report as a high school senior...the No. 6 ranked prospect in the class of 2014 by Georgia Hoops...one of five players from the state of Georgia who was nominated to play in the McDonald’s High School All-American game in 2014...a talented member of the Atlanta-based Team Georgia Elite coached by Al Outlaw...AT WHITEWATER: Graduated from Whitewater High School in 2013...averaged a double double of 18.0 points and 10.9 rebounds in two seasons as a member of the Whitewater varsity...shot .580 from the field during his two varsity seasons...totaled 116 career blocked shots including 73 as a senior (3.0 bpg)...averaged a double double of 19.3 points and 12.8 rebounds to go along with 3.0 blocked shots in 24 games as a senior...led Whitewater to an 18-10 record and a berth in the Georgia High School Scholastic Association Class AAAAA state tournament as a senior...earned All-State First Team honors in 2014 as he was named to the 5A All-State team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...led Whitewater to the state championship playoffs and to the best record in Atlanta’s Region Class 5A classification...Whitewater won two games in the state playoffs in only the second appearance in the state championship tournament since the school opened in 2005...named the Fayette County Player of the Year and to the All-County First Team by the Fayette County News...an All-State Second Team selection to the American Family Insurance All-Georgia team in 2014...scored his senior season high of 35 points in a win over South Cobb and scored at least 20 points nine times and scored in double figures in 23 of 24 games...totaled his season high of 19 rebounds in a win over Landmark Christian and pulled down at least 15 rebounds in six different games...recorded double figures rebounds in 21 of 24 games...totaled 10 double-doubles in points and rebounds in his 24 games as a senior...played in the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association’s North-South All-Star game following his senior season...averaged a near double-double of 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior and scored his season high of 42 points in a win over Landmark Christian...scored 20 points or more seven times as a junior including his 42-point outing and a 30-point scoring game in a victory over Northgate High School...earned All-State Second Team honors in Class 5A from the Georgia Sportswriters Association as a junior...PERSONAL: Born January 19, 1996...Philip is the son of Michael and Reba Cofer...Michael played football at the University of Tennessee and then in the NFL after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1983...played 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Lions and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1988 after earning 12 sacks...led the Lions in sacks each season from 1987 through 1990...his father played at Tennessee under the legendry Johnny Majors...Reba played women’s basketball at Tennessee...originally signed with Tennessee but was released from his National Letter of Intent after a coaching change in Knoxville...narrowed his choices to Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in May of 2014 before deciding to become a Seminole.
Dayshawn Watkins, 6-0, 180, G, North Little Rock, Ark. - ON WATKINS: A natural facilitator at the point guard position who has outstanding hands and can finish at the rim...rated No. 18 among all junior college players in 2014...the No. 3 rated junior college point guard in 2014...a true point guard...is fast, strong and aggressive when attacking in transition and also excels in the half court because of his ability to make pin-point passes...makes his teammates better because he makes great decisions with the basketball...has an incredible ability to develop remarkable chemistry with this teammates – a character trait that has allowed him to be a great leader throughout his career...as quick a point guard in the country during his prep career...has the ability to push the basketball and make solid basketball plays in both transition and in half court sets...sees the entire court well and can attack the basket while at the same time creating for his teammates...his speed also allows him to get past defenders and into the lane in order to create space for his teammates...a three-star recruit by both ESPN.com and Scout.com as a senior in high school...a star on the AAU level, Watkins led the Arkansas Wings to the 2012 AAU National Championship...also played with the Wings’ EYBL 17 and under team...former Arkansas All-American Corliss Williamson and Arkansas Little Rock and current New York Knick head coach Derek Fisher are among the prominent Wing alumni...was academically qualified to play collegiately following his senior season and will have three years of eligibility remaining at Florida State beginning with the 2014-15 season...AT HOLMES COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Attended Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., for one season (2013-14)...averaged 13.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 22 games played...shot .409 percent from the field and .763 percent from the free throw line...scored in double figures in 13 of 19 games during his only season at Holmes...scored his season high of 25 points against Coahoma Community College on nine of 15 shooting from the field...a second strong game of 21 points against Coahoma came in the second meeting of the season between the two teams...was nine of 10 from the free throw line in that game...20 points in a victory over Hinds Community College and 20 points or more coming three times during his one season at Holmes...at least 15 points scored six times...a season high of three 3-point shots in Holmes’ first game against Coahoma...career high 11 free throws made in a victory over Itawamba Community College...was 11 of 14 from the free throw line in scoring 15 points...perfect from the free throw line (six of six) in an early season win over East Central Community College and perfect again from the line (five of five) in scoring 11 points against Hinds in the second meeting of the season between the two teams...at least four assists in 12 of his 19 games...11 assists in a victory over Baton Rouge Community College and 10 assists in a win over Northeast Community College...totaled a double double of 19 points and 11 assists in the win over Baton Rouge and a double double of 12 points and 10 assists in the win over Northeast...in the back to back games against Baton Rouge and Northeast he totaled 21 assists and only two turnovers...was perfect against Baton Rouge with 11 assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes of playing time...five steals each in wins over Hinds and Itawamba with multiple coming in eight of 19 games...AT NORTH LITTLE ROCK: Graduated from North Little Rock High School in 2013...led the Charging Wildcats to an 18-9 record and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A state tournament...averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 assists as a senior...earned All-State First Team honors as selected by the Arkansas Activities Association...also named to the 2013 American Family Insurance All-USA Arkansas team...led North Little Rock to a 28-1 record and a national ranking as high as No. 25 during his senior season...the Charging Wildcats were ranked 29th nationally in the final high school boys’ basketball poll as voted on by MaxPreps...Watkins led North Little Rock to the State 7A championship with a 64-52 win over Fayetteville...scored 16 points to go along with five assists and two steals in the victory...totaled seven points in the fourth quarter including six in the final deciding five minutes of the game...spearheaded a championship clinching 8-0 run to end the game...with Watkins at the helm, the Wildcats won the state championship for the first time since 1971...named the Most Valuable Player of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in June of 2013...scored 16 of his game high 18 points in a 2:30 span of the first period...the high-powered North Little Rock team averaged 82 points per game and won each of its’ 28 game by an average of 28 points...scored a season-high 133 points in its season opener – a 67-point victory over Bryant...AT NORTH PULASKI HIGH SCHOOL: Attended North Pulaski High School as a freshman and sophomore during the 2010 and 2011 seasons...was named to the state championship All-Tournament team in his only season there...earned All-State First Team honors as both a freshman and as sophomore...PERSONAL: Born November 27, 1993...Dayshawn is the son of Vernada and Alfred Watkins...originally signed with head coach Jerod Haase and UAB in November of 2012 but never played at the Birmingham, Ala., school...chose Florida State over Arkansas, Creighton, Marquette and Nebraska after spending one season at Holmes Community College...major is sport management.
2015 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 40 Brandon Allen F 6-6 200 So * Milton (Milton)
* 24 Robbie Berwick G 6-4 188 Fr Atascadero, Calif. (Atascadero)
* 15 Boris Bojanovsky C 7-3 240 Jr ** Bratislava, Slovak Republic (Oakley College)
* 1 Devon Bookert G 6-3 185 Jr ** Anchorage, Alaska (West Anchorage)
* 32 Montay Brandon G 6-7 216 Jr ** Greensboro, N.C. (Wesleyan Christian)
* 0 Phil Cofer F 6-8 205 Fr Fayetteville, Ga. (Whitewater)
* 50 Michael Ojo C 7-1 292 Jr ** Lagos, Nigeria (Tennessee Temple)
* 22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes G 6-4 180 Fr-R Scarborough, Ontario, Canada (Huntington Prep)
* 31 Michael Saxton G 6-5 210 Jr Orlando (Lake Highland Prep/Tallahassee CC)
* 5 Jarquez Smith F 6-9 225 So * Haddock, Ga. (Jones County)
25 Aaron Thomas G 6-5 195 Jr ** Cincinnati, Ohio (Brewster Academy)
* 11 Kiel Turpin C 7-0 240 Sr-R * Normal, Ill. (Normal West/Lincoln College) granted sixth year of eligibility
* 4 Dayshawn Watkins G 6-0 180 So North Little Rock, Ark. (North Pulaski/Holmes CC)
2015 Roster - By Number
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 Phil Cofer F 6-8 205 Fr Fayetteville, Ga. (Whitewater)
* 1 Devon Bookert G 6-3 185 Jr ** Anchorage, Alaska (West Anchorage)
* 4 Dayshawn Watkins G 6-0 180 So North Little Rock, Ark. (North Pulaski/Holmes CC)
* 5 Jarquez Smith F 6-9 225 So * Haddock, Ga. (Jones County)
* 11 Kiel Turpin C 7-0 240 Sr-R * Normal, Ill. (Normal West/Lincoln College) granted sixth year of eligibility
* 15 Boris Bojanovsky C 7-3 240 Jr ** Bratislava, Slovak Republic (Oakley College)
* 22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes G 6-4 180 Fr-R Scarborough, Ontario, Canada (Huntington Prep)
* 24 Robbie Berwick G 6-4 188 Fr Atascadero, Calif. (Atascadero)
25 Aaron Thomas G 6-5 195 Jr ** Cincinnati, Ohio (Brewster Academy)
* 31 Michael Saxton G 6-5 210 Jr Orlando (Lake Highland Prep/Tallahassee CC)
* 32 Montay Brandon G 6-7 216 Jr ** Greensboro, N.C. (Wesleyan Christian)
* 40 Brandon Allen F 6-6 200 So * Milton (Milton)
* 50 Michael Ojo C 7-1 292 Jr ** Lagos, Nigeria (Tennessee Temple)
12/12/2014 - Aaron Thomas declared ineligible for the remainder of the season.
2014-15 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xavier Rathan-Mayes Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - Honorable Mention
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Rookie
All-Conference - 1
2014-15 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xavier Rathan-Mayes Kyle Macy - Freshman
All-Americans - 1
2014-15 Noles in the Pros
Name No Pos Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toney Douglas 16 G New Orleans Pelicans
Bernard James 55 C Dallas Mavericks
Noles in the Pros - 2
2015 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
AP |
USA |
AP |
USA |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan College Naismith Hall of Fame Classic |
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| Northeastern Naismith Hall of Fame Classic |
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| Providence College Naismith Hall of Fame Classic, Uncasville, Conn. |
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| Massachusetts Naismith Hall of Fame Classic, Uncasville, Conn. |
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| Citadel | |||||||||||||
| Charleston Southern | |||||||||||||
| Nebraska ACC/Big 10 Challenge |
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| Central Florida | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | |||||||||||||
| North Florida | |||||||||||||
| South Florida Orange Bowl Classic, Sunrise |
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| Stetson | |||||||||||||
| Florida | |||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | |||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | |||||||||||||
| Syracuse | |||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina State | |||||||||||||
| Clemson | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina | |||||||||||||
| Wake Forest 2 OT |
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| Miami | |||||||||||||
| Clemson | |||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | |||||||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | |||||||||||||
| Boston College | |||||||||||||
| Virginia | |||||||||||||
| Miami | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | |||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | |||||||||||||
| Clemson ACC, Greensboro, N.C. |
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| Virginia ACC, Greensboro, N.C. |
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EOY StatsRef Conference games in bold Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 17-16 12- 6 3- 7 2- 3 vs ACC 8-10 5- 4 3- 6 0- 0 Against Top 25 1- 6 1- 2 0- 3 0- 1
2014-15 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Virginia 16- 2 30- 4 2 Duke 15- 3 35- 4 3 Notre Dame 14- 4 32- 6 4 Louisville 12- 6 27- 9 5 North Carolina 11- 7 26-12 6t Miami 10- 8 25-13 6t North Carolina State 10- 8 22-14 8 Syracuse 9- 9 18-13 9t Clemson 8-10 16-15 9t Florida State 8-10 17-16 9t Pittsburgh 8-10 19-16 12 Wake Forest 5-13 13-19 13 Boston College 4-14 13-19 14 Georgia Tech 3-15 12-19 15 Virginia Tech 2-16 11-22
2014-15 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT, Greensboro, N.C. Date Score Comments ========== ================================================== ================================== 03/10/2015 (12)Boston College 66, (13)Georgia Tech 65 Round 1 03/10/2015 (14)Virginia Tech 81, (11)Wake Forest 80 Round 1 03/11/2015 (9)Florida State 76, (8)Clemson 73 Round 2 03/11/2015 (5)North Carolina 81, (12)Boston College 63 Round 2 03/11/2015 (7)North Carolina State 81, (10)Pittsburgh 70 Round 2 03/11/2015 (6)Miami 59, (14)Virginia Tech 49 Round 2 03/12/2015 (1)Virginia 58, (9)Florida State 44 Round 3 03/12/2015 (5)North Carolina 70, (4)Louisville 60 Round 3 03/12/2015 (2)Duke 77, (7)North Carolina State 53 Round 3 03/12/2015 (3)Notre Dame 70, (6)Miami 63 Round 3 03/13/2015 (5)North Carolina 71, (1)Virginia 67 Round 4 03/13/2015 (3)Notre Dame 74, (2)Duke 64 Round 4 03/14/2015 (3)Notre Dame 90, (5)North Carolina 82 Round 5
2014-15 - 30 Point Club
Name Date Opponent FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xavier Rathan-Mayes 01/24/2015 North Carolina 14 26 5 11 2 5 35 Xavier Rathan-Mayes 02/25/2015 Miami 10 19 6 11 9 11 35 Xavier Rathan-Mayes 03/11/2015 Clemson 11 19 5 9 3 5 302014-15 - 15 Rebound Club
Name Date Opponent O-REB D-REB TOTAL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ None2014-15 - 10 Assist Club
Name Date Opponent Assists ------------------------------------------------------------------ Xavier Rathan-Mayes 02/07/2015 Virginia Tech 11
--3 Point--- ----REBOUNDS-----
Name GP GS Min FGM FGA PCT FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT PTS AVG OFF DEF TOT AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
====================================================================================================================================
Xavier Rathan-Mayes 32 30 1110 165 397 .416 48 171 .281 98 142 .690 476 14.9 17 96 113 3.5 74 0 137 108 0 35
Montay Brandon 33 33 1142 133 245 .543 5 21 .238 117 174 .672 388 11.8 49 134 183 5.5 59 0 63 76 13 36
Devon Bookert 28 28 983 85 227 .374 53 135 .393 59 73 .808 282 10.1 13 88 101 3.6 56 1 74 69 3 27
Phil Cofer 33 24 737 78 171 .456 6 15 .400 67 106 .632 229 6.9 51 98 149 4.5 57 1 6 34 20 9
Jarquez Smith 33 9 586 75 150 .500 8 31 .258 45 60 .750 203 6.2 34 61 95 2.9 67 0 12 41 35 8
Boris Bojanovsky 33 0 540 57 99 .576 0 0 .000 54 80 .675 168 5.1 35 77 112 3.4 62 2 18 27 44 22
Kiel Turpin 33 12 411 71 127 .559 0 0 .000 21 35 .600 163 4.9 36 40 76 2.3 89 1 3 31 23 7
Aaron Thomas 6 5 170 32 70 .457 4 17 .235 21 29 .724 89 14.8 0 21 21 3.5 14 0 13 16 0 8
Robbie Berwick 33 3 361 26 89 .292 19 63 .302 9 17 .529 80 2.4 9 25 34 1.0 42 0 22 18 1 12
Michael Ojo 33 21 292 27 50 .540 0 0 .000 17 44 .386 71 2.2 24 54 78 2.4 44 0 6 28 16 5
Dayshawn Watkins 22 0 198 7 25 .280 1 8 .125 14 21 .667 29 1.3 2 20 22 1.0 25 0 20 17 0 8
Brandon Allen 24 0 116 5 16 .313 3 9 .333 2 2 1.00 15 0.6 4 9 13 0.5 21 0 5 7 2 4
Michael Saxton 3 0 4 2 2 1.00 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 4 1.3 0 1 1 0.3 1 0 0 0 0 0
Team 1 2 54 56 110 6
====================================================================================================================================
FSU 33 764 1668 .458 147 470 .313 524 783 .669 2199 66.6 328 780 1108 33.6 611 5 379 478 157 181
Opp 33 766 1825 .420 193 593 .325 485 692 .701 2210 67.0 366 702 1068 32.4 670 21 395 393 85 205
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Youngsters Spark Noles To Season-Opening Win.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Undeterred by a shaky start from his veterans, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton turned to a quartet of youngsters for a spark in his 13th basketball season-opener with the Seminoles, Saturday against tournament-test Manhattan.
Freshmen Dayshawn Watkins, Robbie Berwick and Phil Cofer teamed with sophomore big man Jarquez Smith on a 24-8 closing run, wiping out and 10-point deficit and restoring order, as the Seminoles pulled away to an 81-66 victory at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Readily admitting that coaches generally shy away from opening opponents like Manhattan – a 25-win team with an NCAA Tournament appearance last season – Hamilton didn’t hesitate to go to his bench when the Jaspers knocked down their first four 3-point attempts and built a 23-13 lead in the opening half.
“They [Manhattan] create a lot of havoc and I thought we were extremely tentative at the beginning of the game,” Hamilton said. “The success of this team this year will be in direct proportion to how much we are able to develop a rotation that will be able to perform at an efficient level when some of the guys are not playing well, or are in foul trouble, or you have an injury or illness.
“Tonight our guys exceeded some of my expectations. I thought Robbie and Dayshawn played a lot better than they’ve practiced…Their ability to come into the game and be calm and execute the things we had in our game plan said an awful lot about them.”
FSU’s youngsters first solved Manhattan’s pesky zone press, then went about attacking the basket and the deficit. A pair of Cofer free throws tied the game at 30-30 and a free throw by Smith with 1:40 remaining put FSU in front to stay. Junior Devon Bookert and Berwick drained 3-pointers down the stretch for a 37-31 halftime lead that was never seriously threatened.
The Seminoles held the Jaspers to 29 percent from the field and held a commanding 32-12 scoring advantage in the paint in a game that was aesthetically marred by a combined 65 fouls, 80 free throws and 42 turnovers.
“That affected rhythm,” said Manhattan coach Steve Masiello, regarding the fouls. “I thought we got a little stagnant…Fouling negates your rhythm and hustle. Give Florida State credit. They got out to our shooters and their size is so imposing that when you get in the lane they force you to make tough 2’s. They’re a very good defensive team. They don’t give you anything easy.”
Florida State received plenty of help offensively, as well, with six Seminoles contributing double-figure scoring efforts. Aaron Thomas led the way with 14 points, while Smith and Kiel Turpin contributed 13 each. Montay Brandon added 12 while Bookert and Berwick finished with 11.
Smith was very much a part of the game-changing run in the first half, scoring six of his career-high 13 points, highlighted by a dunk off a Bookert dish that provided an emotional lift and trimmed FSU’s deficit to two. Smith said he was merely playing to his teammates, especially the freshmen trio that had provided a spark.
“Those three guys always bring energy,” Smith said. “What was running through my head is I have to match their energy. When they got me going, they were able to get everyone else going. When people would sub in, everyone was hyped and ready to play even more…
“It’s a special feeling to be able to lift the entire team up from where we started. When our veterans got back in and picked up where we left off, we felt really good.”
One year removed from being a role-playing freshman, Smith is now part of the starting lineup, and his teammates have noticed a dramatic change.
“He’s grown a lot,” Brandon said of Smith. “Last year, he’d be pouting if he had a turnover. Today, he drove down the sideline and they took the ball from him. Something triggered and after that he played like a grown man. He wouldn’t have done that last year.”
The late first half play of the youngsters certainly left an impression on the most veteran of Seminoles, who scored the first eight points of the second half to build a 14-point lead and never really looked back.
“They gave us our energy,” Brandon said. “Seeing them break the press and get us our lead, we didn’t want to lose it because they had worked so hard to gain it.”
Added Thomas: “Once we regrouped, relaxed and played our game, everything else fell in place.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Devon Bookert g 33 3 5 1 2 4 4 11 0 5 5 2 5 6 0 1
5 Jarquez Smith f 25 2 2 0 0 9 11 13 1 5 6 3 1 3 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin f 23 6 9 0 0 1 1 13 0 2 2 4 0 2 2 1
25 Aaron Thomas g 29 5 9 0 3 4 6 14 0 2 2 4 4 3 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 20 4 4 0 0 4 5 12 1 4 5 4 1 2 0 0
0 Phil Cofer 25 0 4 0 1 4 7 4 1 5 6 2 1 1 1 1
4 Dayshawn Watkins 20 0 0 0 0 3 5 3 0 2 2 3 1 2 0 3
15 Boris Bojanovsky 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 18 3 4 2 3 3 5 11 0 2 2 4 0 1 0 1
40 Brandon Allen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 40 3 9 32 44 81 4 28 32 30 14 21 4 8
Opp 200 16 56 9 28 25 36 66 15 18 33 35 8 21 1 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan College | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Buzzer-beater Rims Out As Noles Fall To Northeastern.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – It would’ve made for a memorable debut.
Playing in his first collegiate game, Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes charged down the floor and launched a buzzer-beating 3-point shot that would’ve sent FSU and Northeastern to overtime.
The shot looked good out of Rathan-Mayes’ hand, but it hit the rim and spun out to seal a 76-73 win for the Huskies.
“I definitely thought it was going in,” junior guard Montay Brandon said. “Definitely. It just rimmed out.”
Which was a stark contrast from last year, when a last-second jumper by Devon Bookert lifted FSU to an early-season win over Northeastern.
FSU (1-1) on Monday shot 53.2 percent from the field and got double-digit contributions from Aaron Thomas (24), Montay Brandon (16) and freshman Phil Cofer (14).
But FSU coach Leonard Hamilton lamented the fact that, even though the Seminoles finished with a high shooting percentage, they also missed key shots at critical moments. FSU made just 2 of its 10 3-point attempts, compared to 9-of-15 for Northeastern.
Florida State led by as much as nine in the first half and held a three-point advantage with less than six minutes to play.
“I can’t fault our guys for taking wide-open, uncontested jump shots,” Hamilton said. “But, those things, we’ve got to knock them down.”
Northeastern (2-0), meanwhile, had a hot shooting night of its own.
Led by sophomore guard David Walker, the Huskies shot 54 percent from the field and touched up the Seminoles for 27 points from beyond the arc.
Walker, who stands at 6-foot-6, connected on all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with 22 points.
“Defensively, when a team is having a night like that, you have to step up,” Hamilton said. “I’m not sure we were as effective (defensively) as we have been in the past.
“They made us pay every time we made a defensive mistake.”
It took a remarkable 3-point shot from Thomas to put FSU in striking distance at the end.
The Huskies led 74-70 with 23 seconds to go, but Thomas connected on shot from well past the 3-point arc to cut the deficit to one. The Seminoles got the ball back after two NU free throws made it 76-73, but couldn’t come any closer.
“We still have room for improvement,” Hamilton said. “It’s early in the season. You’ve got to give Northeastern credit because I thought they did a tremendous job of maintaining their poise.”
Brandon finished 8 for 8 from the floor and also led FSU with seven rebounds, and Cofer continued to show promise with 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Rathan-Mayes had three assists in 16 minutes.
Florida State matched Northeastern in rebounds (30-30), had more assists (15) than turnovers (12) and even grabbed 11 steals.
It just wasn’t quite enough to outlast the Huskies.
“Sometimes you’ve got to give people credit for making shots,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes it’s not about what you didn’t do. Sometimes it's about what they’re doing well.”
“We know it’s still early. We stubbed our toe,” Brandon said. “We’ve got to just get back and get ready for this weekend.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Devon Bookert g 21 1 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 2
5 Jarquez Smith f 14 2 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1
11 Kiel Turpin f 9 3 5 0 0 2 2 8 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 0
25 Aaron Thomas g 36 11 19 2 4 0 0 24 0 6 6 3 3 7 0 6
32 Montay Brandon g 30 8 8 0 0 0 1 16 3 4 7 0 1 1 0 0
0 Phil Cofer 27 6 10 0 0 2 5 14 2 3 5 2 0 0 2 2
4 Dayshawn Watkins 14 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 23 2 6 0 0 1 2 5 0 4 4 2 0 0 1 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes 16 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 33 62 2 10 5 10 73 9 21 30 14 15 12 4 11
Opp 200 28 52 9 15 11 14 76 6 24 30 12 18 15 2 4
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Providence Tops Florida State.
UNCASVILLE, CT - Aaron Thomas led Florida State with 16 points and Montay Brandon had 13 points for the Seminoles but Providence defeated the Seminoles, 80-54, in the third round of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Friars scored five points in the first minute of the game and then jumped out to an 11-0 lead with 15:24 remaining before halftime.
Providence guard Kris Sunn had been waiting a long time for a homecoming game. He got the closest thing possible Saturday.
And when Dunn headed to the bench with just over two minutes remaining in the game, the crowd showed its appreciation with a standing ovation for his 15-point, 9-assist performance that helped Providence (4-0) to a wire-to-wire victory over Florida State (1-2).
Dunn, a 6-3 sophomore, had the support of Friars fans in addition to family and friends from his hometown of New London, Connecticut -- just about six miles away.
Joined by teammates LaDontae Henton (24 points) and Jalen Lindsey (15 points), Dunn and the Friars jumped out to an 11-0 lead and were never forced to look back against the Seminoles.
Henton was 8-for-11 from the field and scored 19 of his points in the second half after Providence had bolted to a 34-19 lead at halftime. And Lindsey, who had been slowed earlier in the season by a dislocated finger on his shooting hand, hit four of his five 3-pointers in the second half to take care of the outside scoring.
"I thought we fed off the crowd," Cooley said. "I thought we were playing at the Dunkin' Donuts Center (in Providence)."
A powerful dunk by Henton gave the Friars a 46-29 lead and forced Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton to call timeout with 13:18 left. The rest of the game was close to a highlight reel for Providence, with Dunn dishing off to Henton and Lindsey (5-for-6 on 3-pointers).
Henton opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and Dunn added a layup for the quick 5-0 lead. Henton's 3-pointer at 19:34 was his only basket of the first half.
But Hamilton knew it wasn't a good sign. "He just had one of those nights," Hamilton said of Henton. "The first 3 he hit to begin the game, I looked at my (assistants) and said, `I hope there's not a whole lot more of that coming.' "
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Devon Bookert g 10 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith f 11 1 4 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
25 Aaron Thomas g 36 4 14 1 4 7 9 16 0 5 5 2 1 1 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 34 5 8 0 0 3 5 13 2 5 7 1 0 3 1 1
0 Phil Cofer 26 2 3 0 0 3 3 7 2 1 3 1 0 1 0 1
4 Dayshawn Watkins 13 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 2 0 4 0 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 17 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes 26 1 6 1 5 2 2 5 0 1 1 1 5 2 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 15 3 4 0 0 1 5 7 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 2
Team 4 4 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 18 46 2 12 16 26 54 10 18 28 19 6 15 2 6
Opp 200 29 54 9 19 13 18 80 11 23 34 22 18 12 4 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Providence College |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Falls To UMass, 75-69.
UNCASVILLE, CT - Jabarie Hinds and Trey Davis combined to hit five of six free throws in the final 29.4 seconds as UMass (4-1) held on for a 75-69 victory over Florida State in the in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Hinds and freshman Donte Clark came off the bench to lead UMass with 15 points each. They combined to make 12 of 14 free throws, and the Minutemen were 23 of 30 from the line as a team. Center Cady Lalanne added 14 points.
Florida State lost its third consecutive game. Xavier Rathan-Mayes led the Seminoles with 22 points, but missed a pair of free throws with 15.1 second remaining and UMass leading 73-69. He rebounded the second miss and then missed a 3-point attempt.
Boris Bojanovsky came off the bench to score 18 points for Florida State, which scored the first eight points of the game on the way to a 35-34 halftime lead.
The first half was an exhibition of poor shooting by both teams. UMass made 12 of 31 shots from the field (38.7 percent). Florida State was just slightly better, connecting on 14 of 35 attempts for 40 percent. UMass was 1 for 7 from 3-point range but the Seminoles came up empty on their three shots beyond the arc.
Clark hit some timely shots," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Any time you've got a guy coming off the bench to give you that type of lift in a nip and tuck game, it gives you a tremendous boost."
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
5 Jarquez Smith f 8 1 4 0 0 2 2 4 0 1 1 3 0 2 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin c 8 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 3 1 0 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 39 8 20 0 5 6 12 22 2 1 3 4 3 3 0 1
25 Aaron Thomas g 15 0 5 0 1 2 2 2 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 38 1 7 0 0 4 4 6 4 5 9 2 1 3 0 1
0 Phil Cofer 28 4 5 0 0 0 0 8 5 7 12 3 0 1 1 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 20 1 6 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 4 0 1 0 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 22 7 10 0 0 4 6 18 1 3 4 2 0 1 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 2 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
50 Michael Ojo 10 2 4 0 0 0 2 4 3 2 5 2 0 0 1 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 66 0 7 19 30 69 18 26 44 26 6 11 2 5
Opp 200 24 57 4 15 23 30 75 10 29 39 22 11 11 2 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Massachusetts |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Top The Citadel 66-55; Rathan-Mayes Pours In 26.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Xavier Rathan-Mayes’ stat line on Tuesday would have been impressive enough on its own.
That he did it with two of Florida State’s key veterans sidelined by injuries made it even better.
Playing in just his fourth collegiate game, Rathan-Mayes scored 26 points as FSU snapped a three-game losing streak with a 66-55 victory over The Citadel.
The Seminoles (2-3) return to the court Friday against Charleston Southern.
“I’m not ready to start celebrating,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said, “but I do see some things that I like.”
Rathan-Mayes took charge as juniors Aaron Thomas (illness) and Devon Bookert (foot) continued to recover from their ailments.
He’s got 48 points in his last two games following a 22-point effort against Massachusetts on Sunday.
“In Xavier’s case, I think that it’s just a matter of time,” Hamilton said. “I don’t expect him – I would love to – but I don’t expect that to happen every night.
“I thought that he was challenged mentally, emotionally. He wanted to go out and help his team win. I thought he gave us a good effort on offense and defense.”
Rathan-Mayes, a redshirt freshman from Canada, entered Monday’s contest with a 30.0 shooting percentage. But he had hit just 1 of 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Against The Citadel (2-3), Rathan-Mayes made all but one of his nine field goal attempts. And he was a perfect 5 for 5 from both beyond the arc and the free-throw line.
He cut off any chance of a Bulldogs comeback with a spinning, fade-away jumper that made it 62-53 with just over a minute to play.
“We definitely need him to make shots so that the driving lanes will be opened up for our drivers to get to the cup and everything,” junior guard Montay Brandon said. “So him making those shots and getting that confidence gives everybody else confidence as well.”
Playing the role of lead veteran on Tuesday, Brandon bounced back from a quiet first half to finish with 19 points and eight rebounds.
He’s scored in double-digits in all but one of FSU’s games this season.
“It’s probably the first time I’ve been out there without (Thomas and Bookert),” Brandon said. “Going out, I just had the mindset to try to lead the team and be as aggressive as I could.”
Just as valuable as Brandon’s scoring, though, was his ability to guide all the underclassmen forced into playing significant minutes.
FSU had three freshmen and a sophomore on the floor for at least 11 minutes in the first half. Twenty-one of the Seminoles’ 22 points at halftime came from first-year players.
Hamilton said that Brandon helped the team navigate through an early deficit and played a big role in keeping the Bulldogs at bay in the second half.
“Montay, I thought, gave us tremendous leadership,” Brandon said. “Verbally, physically and emotionally. He was engaged, he was positive. Any time there was a letup he was talking to the youngsters and giving them right directions.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
5 Jarquez Smith f 18 1 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin f 10 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 3 0 1 1 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 34 8 9 5 5 5 6 26 2 1 3 3 3 2 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick g 28 2 7 1 6 0 0 5 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 3
32 Montay Brandon g 38 6 8 0 1 7 10 19 0 8 8 1 3 2 0 3
0 Phil Cofer 24 3 4 0 0 1 2 7 1 2 3 1 0 1 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 15 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 20 2 4 0 0 1 3 5 1 3 4 1 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 38 6 14 14 21 66 6 17 23 12 10 10 2 6
Opp 200 22 47 7 17 4 6 55 8 14 22 20 12 13 1 4
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citadel | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Top Charleston Southern 58-47.
TALLAHASSEE, FL — Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 16 points to lead Florida State to a 58-47 victory over Charleston Southern.
Rathan-Mayes has had the green light to shoot with Florida State (3-3) down two veteran starters.
Montay Brandon scored nine for the Seminoles and point guard Dayshawn Watkins led the team with eight rebounds.
"Offensively, we were extremely tentative," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "A lot of that, we have some inexperienced guys we've asked to step up and be efficient for us in order for us to be successful.
"I think that'll smooth itself out as they gain more and more experience."
The 58 points scored were the second fewest of the season for Florida State, but the Buccaneers shot just 29.6 percent from the field, including 8 for 31 from behind the 3-point line.
Danny Upchurch and Saah Nimley led Charleston Southern with 10 points apiece.
Charleston Southern (3-2) opened the second half with a 19-10 run the cut the lead to 39-36. The Bucs, however, couldn't find any consistency offensively. The 'Noles used a 10-0 run to go up 49-36 and ice the game.
"We simply couldn't get it done on the offensive end," Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh said. "Credit Florida State on that. Their size presented us a ton of problems. A lot of shots we make in our league couldn't even see the rim tonight.
"Coach Hamilton has made a career on having terrific defensive teams and terrific length."
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
5 Jarquez Smith f 15 2 5 0 1 2 2 6 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin f 14 1 4 0 0 1 1 3 1 2 3 2 0 4 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 39 6 15 1 7 3 4 16 1 3 4 3 4 6 0 2
24 Robbie Berwick g 17 1 6 1 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 38 3 5 0 1 3 7 9 1 4 5 1 1 0 0 1
0 Phil Cofer 18 1 2 0 0 5 6 7 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 31 1 3 0 2 5 6 7 0 8 8 3 1 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 15 0 0 0 0 3 6 3 1 5 6 2 0 0 1 2
40 Brandon Allen 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 11 1 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 0
Team 1 2 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 16 43 2 16 24 34 58 8 26 34 17 7 12 3 6
Opp 200 16 54 8 31 7 13 47 15 25 40 28 8 18 1 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Fall to Nebraska, 70-65, in ACC / BIg Ten Challenge.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State made one of its most impressive comebacks in recent memory Monday night against Nebraska.
The Seminoles just couldn’t quite finish it.
FSU whittled an 18-point deficit to just 1 late in the second half but couldn’t get over the hump in a 70-65 loss to the Cornhuskers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Seminoles (3-4) shot 40.7 percent from the field, but made just 2 of 18 3-point attempts.
“I thought we dug a hole for ourselves in the first half that couldn’t get back out of,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “We fought in the second half, did a much better job of executing the game plan than we did in the first half.”
Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 17 points – all in the second half -- to lead the Seminoles (3-4) in scoring for the third time in the last four games.
Boris Bojanovsky added a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Aaron Thomas scored 11 off the bench in his first game back from an illness that sidelined him for nine days.
Hamilton said he learned that Thomas, who left with dizziness at halftime of the UMass game on Nov. 23, would be available on Monday afternoon.
From there, it was a scramble to walk Thomas through the game plan in hopes of getting him ready on short notice.
“For him to come out there and play 29 minutes with the effort that he gave us, with very little practice and preparation, is extremely encouraging,” Hamilton said.
“It can be (tough to come back so quickly),” Thomas said. “I wasn’t even worried about me.”
Even still, FSU continued to feel the absence of its best 3-point shooter, junior guard Devon Bookert, who missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury.
After an 11-percent effort from beyond the arc Monday, the Seminoles are mired in a 4-for-38 3-point slump across their last two games.
“That’s a perfect formula for (Nebraska’s) defense,” Hamilton said. “Because they’ll give you those 3s and cut down on what you have inside.”
And when the Seminoles did get inside and draw contact, they often couldn’t convert at the free-throw line.
They made only 19 of 32 free throws, compared to 15 of 19 for Nebraska.
Hamilton said that this year’s Seminoles practice free throws as well as any team he’s had. But, for some reason, that hasn’t yet translated to the games.
“Sometimes you struggle, sometimes you don’t,” Thomas said. “We’re in a hole right now. I’m pretty sure we’re going to get out of this hole, shooting-wise.”
Terran Petteway scored a game-high 25 points and Shavon Shields added 21 for Nebraska.
The duo accounted for 66 percent of Nebraska’s offensive production.
“They have two guys that are probably going to play in the NBA, and they played like it tonight,” Hamilton said. “They played like all-conference, all-star-type players.”
FSU actually erased its deficit with relative speed.
Petteway’s layup made it 39-21 with 19:42 to go in the second half. The Seminoles were within two possessions, at 47-41, at the 11:28 mark.
A pair of free throws by Thomas had FSU down by just one with 2:18 to go, but the Seminoles could get no closer.
A David Rivers layup, followed by a 3-point miss by Rathan-Mayes and a 3-pointer from Tarin Smith gave the Cornhuskers all the breathing room they needed.
“We came out sluggish,” Thomas said. “We can’t wait until we’re down double-digits to try to dig ourselves out of the hole. We’ve got to start playing hard and go from there.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
5 Jarquez Smith f 26 1 4 0 1 2 2 4 2 4 6 3 1 2 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin f 8 4 6 0 0 0 0 8 2 1 3 3 0 1 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 37 6 17 2 11 3 4 17 1 3 4 1 6 7 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick g 15 0 4 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 1 0 0 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 37 3 9 0 1 3 6 9 1 3 4 1 1 0 0 2
0 Phil Cofer 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 7 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 23 5 5 0 0 0 2 10 2 8 10 3 1 1 2 1
25 Aaron Thomas 29 2 6 0 3 7 10 11 0 2 2 4 1 4 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 9 1 1 0 0 1 4 3 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 1
Team 4 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 54 2 18 19 32 65 14 27 41 17 10 17 3 6
Opp 200 24 58 7 19 15 19 70 8 22 30 28 12 13 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Sail Past Knights, 96-73.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – With Aaron Thomas returning to familiar form and Montay Brandon delivering a career-high offensive performance, Florida State ran away from UCF 96-73 Saturday at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Thomas’ 22 points were a promising sign for the Seminoles, who had not eclipsed 70 points in a game since a 76-73 loss to Northeastern on Nov. 18, when he scored a season-high 24. It was the junior guard’s most complete performance since falling ill at the half in a loss to UMass and subsequently missing the next two games.
Perhaps even more encouraging was the career-high 25-point effort by Brandon on 10-of-12 shooting. The slashing 6-foot-8 swingman also led the way with six rebounds as the Seminoles (4-4) climbed back to .500 on the season entering finals week with the ACC opener at Notre Dame just a week away.
“Having Aaron back obviously makes a huge difference for us,” said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton. “I thought Montay and Aaron showed their leadership in the game.”
The Seminoles were far from two-dimensional offensively as they posted their highest point-production since a 101-90 win over Georgetown in last season’s second-round NIT game. Sophomore forward Jarquez Smith contributed a career-high 16 points on a 7-of-8 shooting, while senior center Kiel Turpin added 10 points as the Noles looked inside early and often.
“We wanted to make sure that we gave them every opportunity to get the touches,” Hamilton said of his post players. “They do such a good job running the floor, and as a result of running of the floor, it opens up other things for you.”
Turpin scored three of FSU’s first six field goals, exploiting the Knights (5-2) with a soft jump-hook.
“It’s a huge lift for our team just to have their defense having to focusing more on me, because it opens up a lot of baskets for Montay and Jarquez to have wide-open looks,” Turpin said. “With me starting off strong that brings more and more energy for the team and kind of sets the pace.”
By focusing inside translated into a bulging 64-32 points-in-the-pain scoring advantage, to go along with a decisive 42-25 rebounding edge.
“I was pleased by the fact that we scored 41 baskets off 20 assists,” Hamilton said. “It means our guys understand a little bit better how to move the ball and make the extra pass. We have not been as consistent in that area as I hope we will be as we continue growing.”
The share-the-wealth performance included a season-high six assists by reserve point guard Dayshawn Watkins, while Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Robbie Berwick and Thomas chipped in four assists each.
Florida State led by as many as 25 in the second half, firmly seizing control of the contest on back-to-back three-point plays by Brandon for a 64-45 lead with 13:54 to play in the game.
Brandon’s big night coincided with his decision to wear a long-sleeved gold shirt under his jersey, carrying over his normal practice attire to the game floor.
“I practice in them all the time so I just felt like it would be more comfortable for me in the game if I wore the long sleeves out there,” said Brandon.
“He needs to wear them all the time,” Thomas said, laughing.
Brandon matched his previous career high of 19 points when his intended lob pass to Michael Ojo slipped through the rim for an 81-58 lead. “That was a little bit of luck,” Brandon said.
After two missed free throws, he made amends with back-to-back drives to the basket for an 87-62 lead – FSU’s largest of the night.
“It was very encouraging knowing my teammates looked for me and put me in position where I could score,” Brandon said. “My teammates deserve a lot of credit. Plus, with us just sharing the ball and moving it, we didn’t care who got the credit. We just played to each other’s strengths.”
“Montay’s playing totally within himself,” Hamilton said. “Getting defensive stops and getting out in transition, gives him a chance to utilize his ability to attack the basket and finish. He’s rebounding really well.”
The Seminoles actually took control of the game before intermission. Shooting a season-high 75 percent from the floor in the first half, the Seminoles opened up a 47-37 lead that the Knight never threatened. FSU went on a 13-0 run in a two-minute spurt late in the first half to turn a two-point game into a 41-26 advantage, with Thomas contributing six points as the Noles capitalized on three UCF turnovers.
FSU had four players in double figures at the break and its 47 points were the most since scoring 48 at home against Georgetown in last season’s second-round NIT game.
Now Hamilton’s club begin turning its attention toward what figures to be a challenging ACC schedule which will begin Saturday on the road at Notre Dame.
“We know it’s very important,” Brandon said of the UCF win. “We can’t afford any more bad losses or losses that will hurt our resume, especially with Notre Dame coming up [next] weekend. We know we needed to get some kind of momentum going up to South Bend.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
5 Jarquez Smith f 21 7 8 0 0 2 2 16 2 3 5 2 1 1 1 2
11 Kiel Turpin f 14 5 7 0 0 0 0 10 2 1 3 0 0 0 2 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 21 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 1 4 4 0 0
25 Aaron Thomas g 25 10 17 1 2 1 2 22 0 3 3 1 4 1 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 25 10 12 0 0 3 7 23 2 4 6 0 0 0 0 1
0 Phil Cofer 18 1 1 0 0 2 4 4 1 4 5 2 0 3 2 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 23 1 3 0 1 2 2 4 0 2 2 2 6 0 0 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 13 3 3 0 0 0 0 6 2 2 4 0 0 1 2 1
24 Robbie Berwick 21 2 6 2 6 0 0 6 0 2 2 2 4 0 0 0
31 Michael Saxton 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 4 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 13 1 1 0 0 1 3 3 0 3 3 4 0 2 0 0
Team 2 2 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 41 66 3 12 11 20 96 12 30 42 15 20 12 7 5
Opp 200 25 61 6 16 17 21 73 7 18 25 17 7 12 4 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Florida | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Irish Too Much For Noles to Handle.
SOUTH BEND, IN -- Montay Brandon scored 14 points and Devon Bookert added 11 in his first game back from a foot injury, but it wasn't enough in Florida State's 83-63 loss at No. 25 Notre Dame.
Zach Auguste scored a career-high 26 points and Notre Dame made more than half its shots, beating FSU in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson each finished with 18 points for the Irish (10-1). Notre Dame took control with an 18-2 run midway through the first half, put together another big burst in the second half and wound up hitting 31 of 60 shots overall.
Florida State (4-5) struggled without leader scorer Aaron Thomas, who was averaging 14.8 points a game. He was declared ineligible for the season on Friday.
Grant and Jackson both scored seven points as the Irish went on a 20-4 run midway through the second half. Jackson's dunk on a fast break made it 60-38.
Auguste shot 11 of 15 and had seven rebounds.
Bookert, who missed five straight games, did most of his damage from the 3-point line, where he finished 3 for 7.
Auguste finished the first half with a slam dunk to give the Irish an eight-point lead, then opened the second half with a layup. The Seminoles cut the lead to 40-34 on a pair of free throws by Jarquez Smith before Grant and Jackson took over.
Smith scored eight points for FSU and redshirt freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes had nine.
It looked early on as if Florida State might dominate inside. The Seminoles had twice as many rebounds as Notre Dame in the opening minutes and took a 19-15 lead on a layup by Boris Bojanovsky.
Auguste got the Irish going with a dunk and then 6-foot-5 swingman Pat Connaughton brought the home crowd to its feet when he blocked a shot by 7-1 Michael Ojo.
The fans got even louder when Grant followed that with a fastbreak dunk.
Florida State dropped to 10-14 in ACC openers. The Seminoles play five more nonconference games before getting back into ACC play against Virginia Tech on Jan. 6. That stretch begins Wednesday with a home tilt against North Florida.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Devon Bookert g 37 4 11 3 7 0 0 11 0 8 8 2 2 1 0 2
5 Jarquez Smith f 20 3 8 0 1 2 2 8 3 0 3 4 1 2 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin c 11 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 32 3 8 1 4 2 2 9 1 2 3 2 3 3 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 37 6 16 0 2 2 3 14 1 3 4 2 2 3 0 1
0 Phil Cofer 22 2 4 0 0 0 1 4 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 12 1 2 1 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 2 3 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 18 3 5 0 0 0 0 6 3 7 10 0 0 0 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 10 2 5 2 4 0 0 6 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 63 7 19 6 8 63 12 25 37 14 12 10 1 3
Opp 200 31 60 7 18 14 18 83 8 28 36 14 11 5 3 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Notre Dame |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Brandon, Turpin Lift Noles Past UNF.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State’s veterans said they felt a greater sense of responsibility after learning that teammate Aaron Thomas had been ruled ineligible last week.
They backed up those words on Wednesday night.
Montay Brandon posted a career-high 24 points and Kiel Turpin added a career-best 19 as FSU evened its record with a 93-77 victory over North Florida at the Tucker Center.
Brandon finished 8 of 11 from the field, dished eight assists and even knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season.
Wednesday marked the third time in the last six games that Brandon, a junior guard, has reached a new career high. His 14.5 points-per-game average is nearly double his 7.7 from last season.
“I think he’s found his niche,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “He’s playing the way, I think, he feels he has to play with the talent he has.
“He’s inspiring his teammates with his effort, so, to see him step up and do that, I think it’s making a big difference.”
Turpin, meanwhile, bounced back from a tough outing at Notre Dame with one of the finest outings of his career.
A native of Normal, Ill., about three hours west of South Bend, Ind., Turpin had more than a dozen friends and family in attendance for FSU’s game against the Irish.
But he finished with just two points and one rebound in an 83-63 defeat.
Turpin on Wednesday came off the bench and finished a sterling 8 of 9 from the field and grabbed five rebounds.
“I definitely had something to prove,” Turpin said. “I probably had the worst game of my career in front of my family and friends and I felt really devastated to even see my family after the game. … I wanted to come out tonight and show that was just a one-time thing.”
With the veterans leading the way, FSU’s newcomers pitched in to help turn what started as a close game into a lopsided win.
FSU led just 26-25 at the 5:29 mark of the first half before riding a 17-4 run into the break.
Making the first start of his carer, freshman Phil Cofer matched a season-high with 14 points and added eight rebounds.
And Xavier Rathan-Mayes posted nine assists to go along with 11 points.
The Seminoles finished with 25 assists against 15 turnovers and they only gave the ball away twice in the second half.
“I was pleased with the fact we had 34 baskets and 25 assists,” Hamilton said. “That means we’re playing unselfish.”
Brandon said after the game that picking up a win and playing well after a disappointing showing was as important for the team's confidence as its was for its overall record.
“It’s real encouraging, especially for our team morale,” he said. “Especially after getting embarrassed like that on national TV by Notre Dame, (winning) definitely put a good taste in our mouth.”
FSU has two more games – against South Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday and home against Stetson on Monday – before breaking for Christmas.
Hamilton stressed the need to develop an identity and tighten up some loose ends before conference play resumes next month.
“At this particular point it’s more about us,” he said. “We’ve still got some work to do. We’re still trying to identify that identity of how we have to play now.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 25 6 11 0 1 2 3 14 3 5 8 1 0 0 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 33 2 8 1 5 0 0 5 1 6 7 2 4 4 0 3
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 26 3 6 0 2 5 7 11 1 2 3 4 9 4 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 35 8 11 1 2 7 8 24 1 2 3 1 8 2 0 2
50 Michael Ojo c 10 2 4 0 0 0 1 4 1 2 3 2 1 1 3 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 13 0 1 0 0 2 3 2 0 1 1 3 1 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 15 2 3 2 2 1 2 7 0 1 1 4 0 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 19 8 9 0 0 3 5 19 0 5 5 3 0 2 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 3 0 0 0 1
24 Robbie Berwick 14 1 3 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0
31 Michael Saxton 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Team 2 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 34 58 5 15 20 29 93 8 30 38 24 25 15 4 7
Opp 200 24 56 5 24 24 33 77 6 21 27 24 14 12 1 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Florida | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Blocks Help Noles Cruise Past South Florida.
SUNRISE, FL -- With less than 30 seconds left and the game decided, Florida State's Jarquez Smith was still making it tough for South Florida to get the ball to the basket.
Smith swatted away an attempt in the closing moments to give the Seminoles a school record-tying 15 blocked shots, and they beat South Florida 75-62 Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Smith had six blocks and scored eight consecutive points during a pivotal stretch. His block total was a season high for the 6-foot-9 freshman, and 7-3 Boris Bojanovsky added three blocks.
"We challenged our big guys to be a lot more assertive," coach Leonard Hamilton said. "South Florida wanted to go inside. That was their game plan, and we wanted to be assertive, and tonight was one of those nights that our guys were."
The Seminoles (6-5) have won five consecutive games in the Orange Bowl Classic since December 2005. South Florida (5-6) lost its fifth consecutive game.
Devon Bookert had a career-high 22 points on 12 shots for Florida State and was voted the game's outstanding player. Smith added 16 points, and Kiel Turpin had 13, both in reserve roles.
Smith played 24 minutes and Turpin 20.
"While we're on the bench watching the other guys play, we see the adjustments that need to be made," Smith said.
"By the time we go in the game, we just make those adjustments. We just lock down on defense."
Corey Allen Jr. scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Bulls. He shot 12 for 21, while his teammates went 12 for 43 (28 percent).
Chris Perry, a 6-8 forward averaging 13.3 points per game, had five shots blocked.
He went 1 for 13 and scored three points.
The Bulls made 47 percent of their shots that weren't blocked by the Seminoles.
"They're a really big athletic team, and we knew that going in," South Florida coach Orlando Antigua said. "Early on it might have intimidated some of us. Some of our guys started ball-faking instead of playing through the contact and trying to finish high on the basket."
Coming into the game, Florida State had only 32 blocks all season.
"We have not been very disruptive, and that's been the challenge for our team," Hamilton said.
South Florida fell behind 25-14 and scored eight consecutive points in the second half to trail only 40-38, but could get no closer. Smith's eight points in a row put the Seminoles up 52-42, and the margin was at least seven the rest of the way.
Florida State shot 59 percent in the second half and 49 percent for the game.
"We are searching for our identity," Hamilton said. "We had spurts when we executed real well. We're a work in progress."
TIP-INS
Florida State: The Seminoles' school record for blocked shots was set in 1994-95 against Florida Atlantic. They tied the record in 2011-12 against Virginia Tech.
South Florida: The Bulls made consecutive 3-pointers after a three-game stretch of missing 29 of 31 from beyond the arc. That included going 0 for 9 in their last game, a loss to Seton Hall.
MIXED STAT LINE
Florida State's Xavier Rathan-Mayes had seven points, nine assists and six rebounds -- but also six turnovers.
PICKING UP THE PACE
The Seminoles have averaged 81.8 points in the past four games. They averaged 66.6 before that.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 16 1 1 0 0 2 4 4 3 2 5 1 2 0 1 1
1 Devon Bookert g 38 6 12 4 7 6 6 22 1 3 4 2 3 2 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 3 9 1 6 0 0 7 0 6 6 2 9 6 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 34 2 5 0 0 1 2 5 0 1 1 2 1 3 2 3
50 Michael Ojo c 10 1 3 0 0 4 7 6 2 2 4 2 0 1 1 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 24 6 11 0 2 4 5 16 0 3 3 3 2 1 6 1
11 Kiel Turpin 20 6 7 0 0 1 2 13 1 3 4 2 0 1 2 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 1 1 0 3 1
24 Robbie Berwick 5 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
31 Michael Saxton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 3 4 7
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 53 5 17 18 26 75 11 28 39 17 19 16 15 8
Opp 200 24 66 2 6 12 14 62 15 22 37 19 5 14 2 12
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| South Florida |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Overcome Holiday Spirit With Victory.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – In this season of giving, Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State basketball team was nearly too generous during Monday’s matinee game with Stetson at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Montay Brandon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes combined for 31 points – 21 in the second half – as the Seminoles spoiled the return of long-time FSU assistant and Stetson head coach Corey Williams with a 63-59 victory.
The Seminoles withstood the best shot of Williams’ Hatters (3-10), who converted 16 FSU turnovers into 26 points, held an 18-9 scoring advantage on second-chance opportunities and an 8-2 edge in fast break points.
“I thought they out-hustled us and were a lot more alert,” Hamilton said. “There were several times when I thought we had point-blank layups and didn’t convert…They were creating baskets because of their energy. I thought their guys were a little hungrier than we were.”
Florida State (7-5) saw its 10-point lead with just over eight minutes remaining whittled to 54-52, on a pair of Kentwan Smith free throws with 2:54 to go. The Seminoles countered with Brandon’s baseline drive for a dunk, a step-back jumper and four free throws by Rathan-Mayes to restore order and secure the team’s first three-game winning streak of the season.
It wasn’t easy.
The Seminoles scored the final six points of the first half to take a 29-26 lead into the locker room, then opened the second half with a 9-4 run to push their lead to eight. Williams’ squad, however, refused to let the Noles get too far in front thanks to a big night by Smith (21 points) and 13 points from reserve point guard Angel Rivera.
“They had a great game plan,” said Brandon, one of six Seminoles who were on the roster when Williams was on staff. “They went with a little match-up zone, stuck with our guys in the corner of the zone and that slowed us down a little bit. And they played with more energy than we did, especially rebounding-wise…
“And they knew everything we were doing, which helped them as well.”
Stetson used a 7-0 run to pull within 40-38, then endured a four-minute scoreless stretch as FSU extended its lead 48-38 behind six points from Brandon. The Noles, however, managed just two field goals over the next six minutes against Stetson’s zone, which allowed the Hatters to hang around.
“We really wanted to make them make some shots,” said Williams, who judiciously used his timeouts to stem several Seminole runs. “I just wanted to put some pressure on them and at the end see what the results would be.”
Smith scored 12 of his game-high 21 points over the final eight minutes, including a pair of free throws that made for an uneasy final 2:54 for the Noles.
Brandon’s thunderous dunk, capping his 13-point second half en route to a team-high 17, sparked FSU’s final surge.
“My teammates kept finding me and I knew I had to make plays for us to get the win today,” Brandon said.
Rathan-Mayes finished with 14 points – eight in the final 5:22 – and seven assists, though two of his five turnovers came in the final 44 seconds. Kiel Turpin and Devon Bookert added eight each, while Phil Cofer chipped in with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Noles had more turnovers than assists for the first time in five games and were out-rebounded for just the second time in the last seven games, which left Hamilton breathing a sigh of relief afterward.
“We went away from what we had been doing mentally and emotionally and it nearly cost us,” Hamilton said. “I’m very happy we’re going home with a victory.”
“These type of wins go a long way as far as our morale, knowing that we can fight through hard circumstances and know we can still get wins,” Brandon said.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 23 2 4 0 0 3 6 7 3 5 8 1 0 1 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 38 3 9 2 6 0 1 8 0 3 3 1 0 2 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 32 3 9 0 2 8 8 14 0 2 2 0 7 5 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 35 7 11 0 0 3 5 17 2 4 6 2 2 6 1 1
50 Michael Ojo c 11 2 2 0 0 1 4 5 1 2 3 1 0 0 2 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 5 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 3 0 1 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin 21 4 6 0 0 0 0 8 1 2 3 3 0 0 2 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 6 1 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 12 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
Team 1 4 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 49 2 11 15 26 63 9 26 35 12 11 16 6 5
Opp 200 23 62 7 27 6 8 59 14 24 38 21 15 16 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Snap Streak With Assist From Gators.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – On a night when points came sparingly for both sides, Florida State received the unlikeliest of assists to end a five-game losing streak against rival Florida with a 65-63 victory before a season-high crowd of 8,237 at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles prevailed when Devon Bookert’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner glanced off the rim, then off the hands of Gator reserve Jacob Kurtz and through the hoop for the decisive points.
“At the end it was one of those shots that went in that you just shake your head about,” said Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton. “I’ve been on the other end of that so many times, that I’ll take that and be very happy.”
In the process of extending their season-best winning streak to four games, the Seminoles (8-5) scored their first win over the Gators since a 57-55 triumph in 2008, which also came at home.
FSU junior Montay Brandon, who scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, could hardly believe his eyes as the deciding play unfolded.
“I thought Bookert’s shot was going in,” Brandon said. “Then when I saw Kurtz go up I thought he got the rebound, but it just slipped out of his hands, I guess…I was looking at Xavier [Rathan-Mayes] and we couldn’t believe it. That’s a crazy way to win a basketball game.”
The wild finish was set up when the Gators (7-5) erased a five-point deficit after a pair of Brandon free throws gave the Seminoles a 63-58 lead with 49.3 seconds to go.
Kasey Hill countered with a three-point play, adding a free throw after his driving layup to trim the margin to 63-61. An errant reverse layup attempt by Rathan-Mayes with 30 seconds to provided Florida with another possession for the chance to tie or take the lead. Devin Robinson misfired a 3-pointer from the corner, but Kurtz collected the offensive rebound, passed the ball to Hill, who fed Dorian Finney-Smith for the tying layup with eight seconds to play.
It was the fourth and final tie of the night in a game that saw eight lead changes.
After the Seminoles broke the Gators’ press - which had produced most of FSU’s 15 turnovers - Hamilton used a timeout with 2.6 seconds to set up the final play.
“The best option we had was for Devin to get the ball in the corner,” Hamilton said. “He’s a very good shooter. He missed it and obviously they tipped it in for us.”
“I thought it was going in at first, then I saw it go out,” said Bookert. “I saw the ball go back in and I didn’t know how. I just reacted.”
It was a well-deserved celebration at the end of a grueling night of emotional ebbs and flows.
The Seminoles led by as many as six early in the second half after a pair of Brandon baskets before the Gators countered with a 10-0 run for a 40-35 lead with 13:35 to play. Another Brandon driving layup and a three-point play by Phil Cofer pulled the Noles even at 40-40.
Hill, who led Florida with 17 points, countered with a runner for a 42-40 lead with 12:10 remaining. It would be the final lead of the night for the Gators, who endured a 4:57 scoreless drought as the Seminoles ran off nine unanswered points for a 49-42 lead on a pair of Cofer free throws.
Florida clawed back to even the score at 54-all on a 3-pointer by Michael Frazier and a Hill layup off an inbounds steal, before the Noles countered with Rathan-Mayes’ turnaround in the lane and a Bookert 3-pointer for a 59-54 lead with 1:32 to go.
Rathan-Mayes contributed 13 points to the victory, while Bookert added 12 and Boris Bojanovsky chipped in 10 for the Seminoles.
Despite converting five fewer field goals, the Seminoles prevailed in large part by outscoring the Gators 17-7 from the free throw line, converting 17 of 25 attempts.
The finishing flurry of action offset a defensive battle which unfolded from the opening tip. FSU managed one field goal in the first five minutes of play, while the Gators’ first shot didn’t pass through the rim until 12:59 remained in the first half.
“I thought this game was played with a tremendous amount of intensity by both teams,” Hamilton said. “The margin of the leads was never very wide for either team…They did such a great job in the first half creating the atmosphere that caused us to be so indecisive. We turned the ball over 12 times in the first half…We didn’t execute very well and were very fortunate to have that little spurt at the end to go into halftime ahead.”
Florida opened up the largest lead by either team – 20-13 – when Robinson converted the first of two free throw attempts with 6:37 remaining in the half.
Rathan-Mayes’ 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining – FSU’s first connection on seven first half attempts - sent the Seminoles into the locker room with a 26-24 lead.
Combined, the rivals were 2-for-17 from beyond the arc, evenly splitting 24 turnovers.
Florida State will carry its four-game winning streak on to Mississippi State for Friday’s non-conference finale.
“This just gives us confidence,” Brandon said. “Our goal was to get to [win] number eight. Now we’re more confident going to Starkville to get number nine.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 22 1 3 0 0 5 5 7 1 5 6 2 0 2 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 39 4 14 2 7 2 2 12 0 5 5 0 1 5 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 37 4 9 1 5 4 4 13 0 5 5 3 3 4 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 37 6 12 1 1 4 8 17 2 3 5 0 2 2 0 1
50 Michael Ojo c 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
5 Jarquez Smith 23 2 5 0 2 0 0 4 3 5 8 2 0 0 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin 9 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 16 4 5 0 0 2 4 10 1 1 2 1 3 1 0 2
24 Robbie Berwick 5 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
Team 1 2 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 53 4 17 17 25 65 9 29 38 12 9 15 1 7
Opp 200 26 61 4 19 7 13 63 10 27 37 19 7 17 1 3
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Fall At Mississippi State, 62-55.
STARKVILLE, MS -- Mississippi State got a season-high 14 points from I.J. Ready and held off Florida State 62-55 Friday night in the final non-conference outing for both teams.
The Bulldogs (7-6) held a 54-53 lead with 1:07 and closed out the game on an 8-2 run. Mississippi State got 12 points from Travis Daniels and 10 points from Gavin Ware. Devon Bookert led the Seminoles (8-5) with 16 points as Florida State had its four-game winning streak snapped.
"I put up on the board here before our guys came out on the floor and it said `perception vs. reality'," Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray said. "The perception is we are a really bad basketball teams and most Power 5 teams go into conference play with a 10-4 or 11-3 or 12-3 record or whatever. But the reality is we are a good basketball team and we have to display that every time.
"This is Florida State team coming off a quality win against Florida. But we spent a lot of time fixing ourselves and didn't spend as much time on the Florida State scouting. So I am just proud of our guys for the win. We needed that win and Bulldog nation needed that win."
The first half featured runs by both teams, including a 10-4 start to open the game by the Bulldogs. Florida State answered with a 7-0 run as the Seminoles took their first lead of the game at 11-10 mid-way through the first half. Florida State had the last run of the first half and used a 9-0 spurt to take a 25-22 halftime advantage. The Seminoles shot 4-of-6 beyond the arc in the first half while Mississippi State was just 1-of-9. Both teams had nine turnovers in the first half while neither team shot particularly well from the floor. Mississippi State shot just 38 percent from the floor in the first half while the Seminoles were a tad better at 42 percent.
The game was tied at 49-49 with 5:01 remaining. Mississippi State grabbed the lead back at 51-49 with a pair of Craig Sword free throws and never trailed again. Overall, the game featured 14 lead changes and three ties.
"I don't think the down-the-stretch bothered me," said Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton. "It was the fact they played with so much more of a sense of urgency than us from the beginning of the game. It was them that played like their backs were against the wall and we allowed them to make this a more important game to them than it was for us. And it had been our team playing with that sense of urgency."
Mississippi State did find an offensive rhythm in the second half and shot 53.8 percent. The Bulldogs finished with 46.2 percent for the game but were just 2-of-14 from three-point territory. The Bulldogs also out-scored Florida State 40-26 in the paint and 24-6 with bench points.
"We just got the points in the paint and ended up with 40 points in the game," said Ray. "They had 26 points (in the paint) on a team with three seven-footers. Another factor was our bench points and the last thing that stood out was, statistically, in the second half we only had three turnovers and made all of our free throws." The Bulldogs, however, were 12-of-13 from the free throw line while the Seminoles managed just 11-of-19.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 20 4 5 0 0 1 1 9 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 38 5 9 4 6 2 2 16 1 3 4 3 2 0 1 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 39 4 12 2 6 2 5 12 1 5 6 2 4 5 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 38 3 5 0 0 2 2 8 2 3 5 2 2 3 1 0
50 Michael Ojo c 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 20 1 4 0 1 2 4 4 1 1 2 2 0 3 1 1
11 Kiel Turpin 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 24 1 5 0 0 2 4 4 3 1 4 2 2 2 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Team 1 6 7 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 43 6 14 11 19 55 11 19 30 17 10 19 5 4
Opp 200 24 52 2 14 12 13 62 9 19 28 23 7 12 4 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Mississippi State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Sizzling Noles Stifle Hokies, 86-75.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Rinsing an ugly defeat with its finest 20 minutes of offensive basketball of the season to open the game, Florida State ran off to an 86-75 victory over Virginia Tech in its Atlantic Coast Conference home-opener Tuesday night.
Connecting on 73-percent of its first half shot attempts (19-of-26), the Seminoles carried a 53-45 lead into the locker room and were never seriously threatened over the final 20 minutes.
FSU’s first half scoring total was a season-high – for any half - and just two points fewer than it managed in Friday’s four-game win streak-snapping 62-55 loss at Mississippi State.
Instead of wallowing in the wake of that defeat, the Seminoles (9-6, 1-1 ACC) rose to the occasion.
“[Mississippi State] outplayed us mentally, emotionally and physically,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. “They were more invested into the game. It was obvious when we watched the film. I thought our guys wanted to redeem themselves and at least come back and play with the focus and the effort that we’ve been accustomed to.”
It showed from the start.
“We had a warrior mentality coming into this game and we really wanted to keep that mindset and try to come out with a win,” said junior guard Devon Bookert, who dropped a pair of 3-pointers in the first four minutes of selfless and fluid offensive play.
“Everybody was tuned in and ready to play,” said fellow junior Montay Brandon.
Six different Seminoles had assists on FSU’s first six field goals of the game. Though the score was tied twice in the first five minutes, the Hokies never led, despite converting 8-of-13 3-point attempts in the first half.
“It was tremendous for us because we really focused on that in practice, to really move the ball and not let it stick,” Bookert added. ““It was real fun just to move the ball with everyone playing real unselfish and seeing a lot of points go up on the board.”
There was little first-year Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams could do to stem the Seminoles offensive onslaught.
“We really struggled in the first half,” Williams said. “We probably set a school record for defensive field goal percentage. Those are hard numbers to overcome. They went on a run there where they scored 10 consecutive times and that’s hard.”
By the time that run ended with Bookert’s third of four 3-pointers of the half, the Noles held a 37-26 lead with 5:49 to play in the half.
Bookert and Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Bookert carried the scoring load in the first half, combining for 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Scoreless over his last four games, freshman Robbie Berwick contributed seven first half points on 3-of-4 shooting, including one of FSU’s seven 3-pointers. The Noles matched their season-high for 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, thanks to Rathan-Mayes’ finishing flurry.
The flashy freshman followed Bookert’s fourth triple with back-to-back 3-pointers in a 16-second spurt that he capped off with a free throw for a four-point play which provided the Noles with their largest lead – 53-39.
Rathan-Mayes led four Seminoles in double figures with 22 points, his top effort since scoring 26 against The Citadel on Nov. 25. Bookert chipped in 16, Berwick had a career-high 13 – his first double-figure contribution since the season-opener - and Brandon finished with 10.
“I thought Robbie Berwick would be a guy that could contribute, but freshmen go through a period of adjustment,” Hamilton said. “I thought he was very relaxed and he was very comfortable within our system offensively and defensively. It was nice to see him step up. I knew it was just a matter of time before he started contributing.”
Meanwhile, the Hokies received 49 points from Justin Bibbs (25) and Adam Smith (24), but little else.
Smith’s transition basket to start the second half scoring pulled the Hokies within six, 53-47, before the Seminoles ran off eight unanswered points, restoring a 14-point margin. Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-2) could get no closer than seven the rest of the way as the FSU defense tightened its grip after a spotty first half.
Missing 21 of its 31 shots in the second half, the Hokies were unable to significantly reduce the deficit as the Noles clamped down defensively.
“We held them to 32-percent field goal shooting in the second half,” Brandon said. “We’re not going to continue to make shots at that high of a clip, like we did in the first half, so in the second half we wanted to focus in on the defensive end and stop them because they were also making a lot of shots.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 18 3 7 0 0 3 4 9 4 3 7 4 1 0 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 40 4 10 4 7 4 4 16 0 7 7 1 2 1 0 2
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 37 8 14 2 6 4 5 22 0 2 2 1 3 4 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 25 2 5 0 0 6 8 10 1 7 8 3 0 2 0 1
50 Michael Ojo c 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 17 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 2 0 2 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 16 2 5 0 0 3 5 7 3 1 4 5 0 3 2 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 16 2 2 0 0 2 3 6 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0
24 Robbie Berwick 22 5 8 2 3 1 2 13 3 3 6 2 2 0 0 1
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 27 52 8 16 24 35 86 15 27 42 18 11 14 6 4
Opp 200 24 58 11 28 16 23 75 8 14 22 24 14 6 2 4
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Syracuse 70, Florida State 57.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida State men’s basketball team stayed at arm’s length with the Syracuse Orange on Sunday night, but the Seminoles missed out on a few opportunities to potentially come away with an upset. FSU suffered a 70-57 defeat at the Carrier Dome to fall to 9-7, 1-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
What happened: Syracuse shot well from outside. Florida State didn’t. The Orange protected the ball. The Seminoles didn’t. FSU’s margin of defeat was easily represented in an overwhelming disparity in outside shooting. Led by Trevor Cooney’s 28 points and seven 3-pointers, the Orange shot 59 percent (10 of 17) from 3-point range. FSU, meanwhile, struggled to adjust to the Carrier Dome’s deeper sight lines and made only two of its 16 3-point attempts.
The Seminoles also struggled to hang on to the ball, suffering 14 turnovers against 12 assists. Syracuse dished 18 assists and turned it over only eight times.
FSU actually cut its deficit to nine twice in the second half, first at the 10:58 mark and later at 5:29. Each time, though, the Orange answered with a backbreaking 3-pointer and never allowed the Seminoles to get any closer.
Who stood out: Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half and also knocked down one of FSU’s two 3-pointers. Boris Bojanovsky scored 10 and Montay Brandon added eight points and seven rebounds.
For Syracuse, Cooney doubled his season scoring average (13.2 points per game) and 3-point shooting percentage (36.1 percent). And while Cooney will grab the headlines, All-ACC candidate Rakeem Christmas did plenty of damage with 14 points and a game-high 11 assists.
What it means: Winning at the Carrier Dome was always going to be a challenge, but FSU likely regrets that it at least didn’t put itself in better position to win. The Seminoles had shot much better in recent games – they were a combined 14 of 30 from 3-point range in their last two games – but went cold on Sunday.
Junior guard Devon Bookert labored through a tough night as well, finishing with only six points after shooting 2 of 12 from the field. It marked an end of three straight games with double digits for him.
FSU on Sunday started a challenging stretch where four of its next five games are on the road. That includes trips to Pittsburgh, Clemson and North Carolina, as well as a home date with North Carolina State. A loss to Syracuse hardly cripples the Seminoles, but it does place an added emphasis on the next few games.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 24 1 3 0 0 3 6 5 2 3 5 3 0 3 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 40 2 12 0 6 2 2 6 1 4 5 2 5 1 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 32 6 14 1 5 1 2 14 1 3 4 3 2 2 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 38 2 7 0 1 5 8 9 1 6 7 2 4 1 1 0
50 Michael Ojo c 7 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 14 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 2 2 4 4 0 1 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin 7 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 25 5 5 0 0 0 1 10 0 2 2 1 0 0 4 1
24 Robbie Berwick 13 3 6 1 3 0 0 7 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 1
Team 2 3 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 53 2 16 13 21 57 10 25 35 18 12 13 5 4
Opp 200 22 57 10 17 16 22 70 11 28 39 15 18 8 6 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Syracuse |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Pittsburgh 73, Florida State 64.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – For much of the first half, the Florida State men’s basketball team looked primed to pick up a key road victory at Pittsburgh. Then things unraveled in the second half and the Seminoles slipped to a 73-64 defeat at the Peterson Events Center.
FSU is now 9-8 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
What happened: Led by freshman forward Phil Cofer’s career night, the Seminoles got off to a hot start and led by as much as eight midway through the first half.
The Panthers, though, rallied back to take a 33-32 lead into halftime and later pulled away thanks to a 16-3 run.
The Seminoles suffered an extended scoring drought during that stretch, making just one of 15 field goal attempts across an eight-minute span of the second half.
After shooting 55 percent (11 of 20) from the field in the first half, the Seminoles made only 10 of 31 attempts in the second.
Pitt, meanwhile, enjoyed an advantage on the glass. Despite giving up size to FSU’s frontcourt, the Panthers outrebounded the Seminoles, 39-31, and pulled down 15 offensive boards. That disparity was especially noticeable in the second half, when Pitt rebounded nine of its 16 missed shots.
Clemson outrebound Pitt 39-22 when the two met last weekend.
A late-game stretch in which the Panthers missed seven of eight free throw attempts left the door open for a potential comeback, but the Seminoles couldn’t cut their deficit under six points.
Who stood out: Cofer had the finest outing of his young career, putting up 19 points and 10 rebounds on 6 of 12 shooting.
Junior guard Devon Bookert made three 3-point shots on the way to 13 points and made the 100th 3-pointer of his career along the way. Montay Brandon added 12.
Forward Michael Young led Pitt with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
What it means: Even though the ACC schedule is still relatively young, this would’ve been a really nice win for FSU to grab, especially given how well the Seminoles started.
The Seminoles are now 1-6 away from the Donald L. Tucker Center and have yet to win a true road game.
And the road ahead doesn’t look much easier as FSU returns home for a difficult date with North Carolina State before heading back on the road for trips to Clemson and North Carolina.
Still, Cofer’s breakout is a very encouraging development, and FSU’s season could swing dramatically if he evolves into a consistent producer.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 30 7 13 1 1 6 10 21 4 7 11 2 2 1 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 38 4 9 3 6 2 2 13 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 35 3 9 0 2 2 2 8 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 36 3 6 0 1 6 8 12 2 2 4 2 3 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo c 7 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 2 4 1 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 7 1 3 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 2 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 12 2 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 16 1 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 4 5 1 0 0 3 0
24 Robbie Berwick 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 1
Team 2 2 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 51 4 11 18 27 64 10 21 31 22 13 7 7 4
Opp 200 24 55 3 10 22 32 73 15 24 39 21 13 6 2 4
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Pittsburgh |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: NC State 72, Florida State 63.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State came all the way back from 19-point deficit, but ran out of gas down the stretch of a 72-63 loss to North Carolina State.
After the Seminoles tied the game at 60-60 with four minutes to play, the Wolfpack responded by closing the game with a 12-3 run that sealed FSU’s third straight defeat.
What happened: Despite a rocky start, everything appeared aligned for FSU to steal a win. Walk-on Brandon Allen’s tip-in with four minutes to go tied the game for the first time since 0-0, brought the announced crowd of 8,675 to its feet and seemed to tilt momentum in FSU’s favor.
But State’s Ralston Turner quickly did away with that notion by drilling a 3-pointer, a shot that occurred only after three offensive rebounds and an NC State timeout.
“More than anything, I’m proud that we responded after they made their run,” NCSU coach Mark Gottfried said. “Sometimes that’s hard to do.”
Trevor Lacey’s long jumper with 31 seconds left stretched State’s lead to six and effectively sealed the game.
Despite the result, Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton was still mostly pleased with his team’s defensive effort. He said that much of NC State’s success came by making difficult, well-defended shots.
After shooting 56.3 percent in the first half, State’s percentage fell all the way to 31 in the second.
“I don’t think it's as much what we didn’t do as they just did a good job of making tough shots,” Hamilton said. “It’s what they do.”
Who stood out: Brandon bounced back from a relatively quiet effort last week at Pittsburgh and just missed out on a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds.
He was one of three Seminoles to score in double-figures. Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes (15) and junior Devon Bookert (11) were the others.
Allen also showed a few nice traits during his first taste of extended action. The 6-foot-6 sophomore from Milton scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in nine minutes on the floor.
NC State’s guard duo of Lacey and Turner proved to be a difficult combination for FSU to defend. Hamilton earlier this week said the pair reminded him of “two Tim Picketts” for the way they made shots in high-pressure situations like the former FSU star. They lived up to their billing on Saturday.
Lacey, the ACC’s third-leading scorer, finished with 17 points on 9 of 23 shooting while Turner added 15.
"They’re a very good basketball team,” Hamilton said. “Lacey is a very good basketball player, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time at making tough shots.”
What it means: In each of their last three losses, FSU played well enough at times to take a measure of encouragement from its performance. On Saturday, it was the rally back from 19 points down, which is an impressive feat regardless of the final score.
Still, it was plain in FSU’s postgame interviews that players are tired of finding silver linings in defeats. They’d rather just win.
The good news, as Brandon said, is that the Seminoles won’t have to wait long for a chance to wash this one out of their mouths. They have a date with the Clemson Tigers in Littlejohn Coliseum in just a little more than 48 hours.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 29 0 6 0 0 4 6 4 1 3 4 3 0 2 1 3
1 Devon Bookert g 35 3 9 3 7 2 2 11 1 1 2 1 2 4 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 4 15 0 5 7 10 15 1 4 5 3 5 1 0 3
32 Montay Brandon g 31 6 7 1 1 7 8 20 3 6 9 0 0 2 0 2
50 Michael Ojo c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 26 3 7 0 1 1 2 7 2 2 4 1 0 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 8 2 2 0 0 0 2 4 2 0 2 3 0 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 4 1 1 2 1
24 Robbie Berwick 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 9 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 51 4 15 21 30 63 14 20 34 16 9 12 4 9
Opp 200 27 61 6 18 12 18 72 18 20 38 21 9 14 4 3
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Florida State 59, Clemson 55.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
CLEMSON, SC – After having to hold their breaths for the game’s final few moments, the Florida State Seminoles could finally exhale. Clemson’s Damarcus Harrison missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, and Jarquez Smith pulled down the rebound and dished it to Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who sealed FSU’s 59-55 victory with a layup.
Florida State’s triumph snaps a three-game losing streak, moves the Seminoles to 2-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play and gives them some much-needed momentum going into Saturday’s contest at North Carolina.
What happened: A game that initially seemed headed for a lopsided final score turned out to be a nail-biter.
FSU jumped out ahead of the Tigers early, taking a 12-point lead midway through the first half and a six-point advantage into the break.
But after the Seminoles built that lead back to 12 with 12:21 to go, Clemson rallied with a 22-11 run that saw FSU’s lead cut to just 56-55 with 26 seconds on the clock.
Devon Bookert made one of two free throws and, rather than attempt to send the game to overtime, the Tigers went for the win on their ensuing possession.
Smith’s rebound was especially critical given Clemson’s success on the offensive boards in the second half. The Tigers finished with 10 offensive rebounds in the second half and had 14 second-chance points for the game.
Led by another strong outing from Rathan-Mayes, FSU shot 48 percent from the field (22 of 46) and, even better, made 12 of its 14 free throw attempts.
Clemson, meanwhile, finished 8 of 17 from the line and at one point missed five straight free throws with fewer than four minutes to play.
Who stood out: Rathan-Mayes has scored more points during his young career, but given the opponent, venue and circumstances, a case could be made that this was his finest effort. The freshman posted 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and just missed out on a double-double with nine assists.
Rathan-Mayes also contributed on defense, grabbing four steals and five rebounds.
Junior guard Devon Bookert added 14 points, which included a crucial 3-pointer that stretched FSU’s lead from three to six with 4:14 to go in the second half.
The Tigers finished with three players in double figures, but no one had more than 12 points. Sophomore Jaron Blossomgame finished with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
What it means: A glance at the box score suggests that FSU might have won this one comfortably, and it was a strange sequence of events that allowed this one to be close at the end. Still, it was a win, and a win on the road at that.
And it’s of course encouraging to see Rathan-Mayes have such a big impact. Fellow freshman Phil Cofer took a turn in the spotlight during last week’s loss at Pittsburgh and, if both of the newcomers can get hot at the same time, it could make a big difference for FSU over the final few weeks of the season.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 27 1 4 0 1 3 4 5 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 35 4 9 2 6 4 5 14 0 3 3 3 1 1 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 39 7 15 1 4 2 2 17 0 5 5 2 9 4 0 4
32 Montay Brandon g 36 2 5 0 1 3 3 7 1 3 4 1 1 3 0 2
50 Michael Ojo c 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 4 0 2 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 14 3 6 0 1 0 0 6 1 2 3 4 0 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 22 3 4 0 0 0 0 6 2 1 3 4 0 2 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 5 0 0 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Team 2 5 7 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 46 3 13 12 14 59 6 26 32 24 11 16 4 6
Opp 200 17 50 5 19 16 31 55 14 17 31 16 8 10 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Clemson |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: North Carolina 78, Florida State 74.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Xavier Rathan-Mayes erupted for a career-high 35 points as Florida State took No. 15 North Carolina down to the wire in a 78-74 defeat at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
After trailing by four at halftime, FSU (10-10, 2-5 ACC) hung around for most of the second half and cut its deficit to just three points with 13 minutes to go. UNC’s star combo of Brice Johnson (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Marcus Paige (19 points, three assists) proved too much to handle.
What happened: In one of its most difficult tests of the season, the Seminoles continued the recent momentum from a win at Clemson and played well enough to give UNC a serious scare.
That’s thanks in large part to Rathan-Mayes, who made 14 of his 26 shots while also dishing a game-high four assists.
His 35 points are the most for a Seminole since Al Thornton scored 45 against Miami in 2007. They’re also the most for any player at UNC’s Smith Center since 2006.
But while Rathan-Mayes had an all-time performance, no other Seminole scored more than 11 points. Those came from Devon Bookert, who made three 3-pointers and also led FSU with seven rebounds.
Carolina, meanwhile, had four players finish in double-figures and shot 48.3 percent from the field. The Tar Heels’ 8-2 run midway through the second half helped to preserve their victory.
Who stood out: Rathan-Mayes’ outburst will go down as one of the best individual performances in program history. His 53.8 shooting percentage is his best this season when attempting at least 10 shots, and he’s scored in double-digits in eight of his last nine games.
What it means: Yes, the Seminoles are 1-2 in their last three games, but there have been lots of encouraging developments in that stretch. And FSU has opened its ACC slate with what has to be one of the most difficult runs in the league, having played five of its first seven conference games on the road. No other team in the ACC has played five in-conference road games.
Rathan-Mayes, of course, isn’t going to go off for 35 every game, but he clearly is finding his stride offensively. And if he and the Seminoles can play at a similar level over the next few weeks, they should be able to make some positive things happen as the calendar turns to February.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 16 1 3 0 0 2 2 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 35 4 12 3 9 0 0 11 3 4 7 3 2 3 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 14 26 5 11 2 5 35 0 5 5 2 4 3 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 38 2 10 0 1 5 5 9 0 3 3 3 1 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo c 5 2 2 0 0 0 1 4 2 1 3 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 23 3 3 0 0 3 4 9 1 5 6 1 0 1 3 0
11 Kiel Turpin 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 19 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 1
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 1
40 Brandon Allen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Team 4 4 8
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 27 61 8 23 12 17 74 11 24 35 20 8 10 6 4
Opp 200 29 60 2 8 18 28 78 12 24 36 18 13 5 4 4
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| North Carolina |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Florida State 82, Wake Forest 76 (2OT).
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said earlier this week that if his team is to be successful, it needs contributions from the entire roster – not just star freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
Rathan-Mayes did his part against Wake Forest on Wednesday night, and so too did some of his teammates.
In his first game since a 35-point outburst at North Carolina, Rathan-Mayes scored 21 points, Phil Cofer added 19 and Devon Bookert contributed 15 as the Seminoles outlasted the Demon Deacons for an 82-76 win in double overtime at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
“I think we’re learning the level that we’ve got to play at to compete in the ACC,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “… This is a rock ‘em, sock ‘em league now.”
What happened: Florida State (11-10, 3-5 ACC) again dug itself into an early hole and again climbed its way out. The Seminoles trailed 19-4 midway through the first half, but closed on a 23-14 run to go into the break down by just six.
They completed their comeback early in the second half thanks to a Rathan-Mayes layup, and then took their first lead on one of Bookert’s three 3-pointers.
Wake (9-12, 1-7), though, responded with a 3 of its own, which sparked the teams to trade scores for the rest of the half. Florida State led 65-63 with less than a minute to go before Codi Miller-McIntyre’s layup with 11 seconds left forced overtime.
Each team had a chance to close out the game in the first extra period. But Montay Brandon missed a layup at one end for FSU, then Wake’s Mitchell Wilbekin missed an open 3-pointer as time expired.
Finally, Rathan-Mayes, who suffered an apparent ankle injury at the end of the second half, took over in the second OT frame, knocking down a jump shot and three free throws to give FSU some separation.
His last two from the line came after a Wake Forest turnover and essentially sealed the game with less than 30 seconds to play.
“He’s a dynamic scorer,” Wake Forest coach Danny Manning said. “He scores at all three levels. He’s able to go make plays for his teammates as well.”
Who stood out: Florida State’s freshman duo will grab most of the headlines. Rathan-Mayes had five assists and five rebounds to go along with his offensive output, and Cofer added a team-high eight boards.
“It shows how much they’ve been watching film and doing the extra stuff,” Bookert said. “And I think their work is really showing up now.”
Still, Hamilton said in his post-game press conference that FSU had “a lot of heroes,” Wednesday, and proceeded to name just about everyone on the roster. In particular, he pointed out that while Boris Bojanovsky didn’t score from the field, he still brought down seven important rebounds.
Simply playing two overtimes meant that several Seminoles needed to give an extra effort. Bookert played 49 of a possible 50 minutes. Rathan-Mayes set a career high with 47 minutes. And Montay Brandon (39) and Cofer (37) were on the floor for significant stretches, too.
What it means: FSU needed a strong start to its three-game home stand and got it. Wake Forest is one of the league’s struggling teams, but the Demon Deacons seem to be better than their record suggests and have been right in the thick of most of their games.
Most encouraging, though, is that Rathan-Mayes again performed like a star, and, this time, got plenty of support from his teammates. If the Seminoles can keep that up, they should be a capable of making a little noise as the season enters its home stretch.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 37 9 13 0 0 1 2 19 4 4 8 0 0 1 2 0
1 Devon Bookert g 49 5 10 3 4 2 2 15 0 3 3 4 2 2 1 4
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 47 8 15 1 5 4 6 21 0 5 5 0 5 5 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 39 2 7 0 1 3 5 7 0 4 4 2 4 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo c 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 21 1 5 0 1 5 6 7 2 2 4 2 1 0 2 0
11 Kiel Turpin 10 1 2 0 0 3 3 5 1 0 1 4 0 0 0 1
15 Boris Bojanovsky 28 0 2 0 0 5 6 5 2 5 7 2 1 0 4 2
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 6 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Team 2 2 4 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 250 27 58 5 13 23 30 82 11 28 39 20 13 11 9 7
Opp 250 24 70 8 27 20 29 76 22 22 44 24 12 10 2 7
| 1 | 2 | OT | 2-OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | |||||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Know No Deficit Too Large - Rally Past No. 23 Canes.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – After surviving its own hideous stretch of scoreless basketball in the first half, Florida State put No. 23 Miami on lockdown when it mattered most, squeezing out a 55-54 victory Sunday at an energized Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles held the Hurricanes scoreless over the final 3:46 and Kiel Turpin’s go-ahead hook shot from the baseline with 1:41 stood up as the game-winner when Sheldon McClellan’s runner caromed off the back of the iron and time expired.
Fueled by a Montay Brandon’s momentum-shifting play to start the second half, the Seminoles overcame a sizeable double-digit deficit for the second consecutive game. After rallying from 15 down to beat Wake Forest in double-overtime on Wednesday, FSU spotted Miami a 16-point first half lead.
“That [Wake Forest game] was a grinder and this was a grinder,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “The truth of the matter is, that is ACC basketball now…You’ve got to be prepared for these types of games or else you’re not going to be very successful in this league.”
Brandon, who finished with a game-high 18 points, scored nine in a row for FSU in the opening portion of the second half to turn things around. Converting a pair of steals into slam dunks – sandwiched around his first 3-pointer in ACC play this season – Brandon pulled the Noles within 40-36 at the first media timeout of the second half.
“We had to create some offense from our defense and I think [Brandon’s] experience told him, ‘Somebody has to make some plays,’” Hamilton said. “He made several defensive plays that gave us an emotional lift; gave us some easy baskets and gave us some momentum. That really sparked us.”
Miami coach Jim Larranaga directly pointed to Brandon’s two steals and slams as the turning point.
“That really got them going,” he said. “They were behind at the half by 11 and the lead evaporated right away.”
Conversely, FSU’s defense did not go away, limiting the Hurricanes (14-7, 4-4 ACC) to six second half field goals, enabling the Seminoles to whittle away at the deficit.
Jarquez Smith’s three-point play with 5:19 remaining tied the game at 51-51, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes reverse layup with 4:34 to go gave the Noles their first lead since the 12-minutes mark in the first half, 53-52.
“Their defense is the second half was the difference,” said Larranaga, whose team shot 31 percent and committed eight turnovers after intermission.
It certainly didn’t hurt that the Noles were receiving 10 points from Turpin, nine from Smith and eight from Boris Bojanovsky, on a night when the backcourt of Devon Booker and Rathan-Mayes were a combined 2-of-11 from the floor for five points.
With back-to-back ACC wins for the first time this season, the Seminoles (12-10, 4-5 ACC) have rallied to within a game .500 in league play to join a seven-team logjam in the middle of the conference standings.
They have also their first win against a nationally-ranked opponent this season and are now 7-0 against in-state opponents this season. Hamilton, however, down-played the long-term significance of either accomplishment.
“What’s important is for us to prepare for Clemson,” said Hamilton, whose team can get to the .500 mark by defeating the Tigers at home on Wednesday.
Clearly, the sum-of-all-parts Seminoles will carry some confidence into the Clemson game after recording their third ACC win in the last four contests – a stretch which began with a wire-to-wire lead and win on the Tigers’ home court.
“We definitely see the growth in us,” Brandon said. “For us to pull out a win against a very good team like Miami shows that we’re moving in the right direction.”
In what has become nearly routine, especially at home, the Seminoles had to rally from a sizeable first half deficit. The Noles saw a 13-11 lead turn into a 30-14 deficit after during an 10:36 stretch between field goals, including a scoreless drought of more than seven minutes.
While the Seminoles have become all too familiar with scoring droughts, they have also shown an amazing resiliency and the ability to summon spurts before intermission to provide some hope. That was the case once again as they outscored Miami 11-6 over the final 2:45 to get within 36-25 at the break.
“We just inched back within striking distance,” Hamilton said.
Bojanovsky sandwiched two free throws and a three-point play in the closing stretch around a Brandon three-point play, and Rathan-Mayes’ 3-pointer before the horn sent the Seminoles to the locker room with some spring in their step.
“It helped that X hit that last-second shot,” Turpin said. “Then being able to come out in the second half strong helped tremendously…It helped boost Montay’s aggressive behavior.”
“It gave us life, but we’ve been in the situation before,” Brandon added.
A bit too much for Hamilton, who was asked if the Seminoles’ recent run of turning double-digit deficits into victories was becoming his teams’ identity.
“I hope that’s not our identity, getting down by 16 and fighting back, like we did against Wake Forest and Miami,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “We’ve got to do a better job than we have in the last couple of games…
“I want to maintain our identity of playing hard, executing and giving tremendous effort. The identity of getting down and then have to dig out of a hole is not one I like very much.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 20 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 0 2 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 38 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 4 1 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 36 2 7 1 4 0 2 5 2 4 6 3 3 1 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 37 7 7 1 1 3 5 18 2 4 6 1 1 2 1 3
50 Michael Ojo c 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 21 4 8 0 1 1 1 9 2 1 3 2 0 2 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 19 5 6 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 16 2 4 0 0 4 4 8 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 2
24 Robbie Berwick 4 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 2 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 41 3 9 8 12 55 7 18 25 12 9 16 3 5
Opp 200 20 47 8 24 6 11 54 9 13 22 16 15 11 1 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Missed Opportunities Block FSU's Path To Victory Against Tigers.
By Bob Thomas, Associate Sports Information Director
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State’s uphill climb to the .500 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play hit a road block Wednesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center against Clemson.
Capitalizing on the Seminoles’ mistakes, the Tigers turned 17 turnovers into 16 points, opening up a late 10-point lead. Yet it took two Josh Smith free throws with 25 seconds remaining for Clemson to lock up its fourth consecutive victory, 62-56.
Florida State missed nine of 20 second half free throw attempts, a handful of point-blank scoring opportunities and managed just two points off 14 Tiger turnovers.
That kind of inefficiency proved to be a recipe for disaster, based on the long-standing history of low-scoring, defensive games between the Seminoles and Tigers.
“Just a typical Clemson-Florida State game,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “It’s always going to be a fight. Both teams compete really hard, defend at a high level, usually. Points are generally hard to come by.
“We pulled away a little bit there with some good play in the second half, but certainly gave them a chance to come back at the end with some missed free throws. I’m just glad we were able to find a way to win this one.”
The Seminoles were certainly not without opportunities, perhaps none bigger than what transpired over the final 90 seconds. Trailing 57-48 with 1:34 to play, FSU mounted a late surge fueled by Clemson’s inability to convert from the free throw line. The Tigers missed seven of eight attempts from the line over next 52 seconds as the Noles whittled the deficit to five on a Devon Bookert 3-pointer and a Boris Bojanovsky putback.
Awarded three free throws with 31.8 seconds to go, freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a chance to draw the Noles within two, but missed his first two attempts before making a third. After two more Tiger misses from the line, Bookert drained two free throws as FSU crept within 58-56 with 29 seconds to go.
That’s when Smith stepped up at the line and delivered the decisive free throws.
“You cannot afford to have missed opportunities,” said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, whose team missed four consecutive free throws – including the front end of two one-and-ones - during nearly a five-minute scoring drought by the Tigers midway through the second half.
“We missed opportunities to finish point-blank layups and floaters in the lane…I thought that was the difference in the game. We had the same opportunities and maybe higher percentage of shots that we didn’t finish. Tonight, they made those timely plays and put us in a situation where we had a hard time digging out of that ditch.”
It was a frustrating outcome for the Seminoles (12-11, 4-6 ACC), who had won three of their last four and were trying to build on their first two-game winning streak in conference play against a team they had beaten just 16 days earlier on the road.
“Every possession matters more in a low possession game like this,” said Bojanovsky, whose 13-point, 10-rebound performance went for naught.
Junior Montay Brandon, who was held scoreless until the 5:37 mark of the second half, summed up the missed opportunities succinctly.
“When you get opportunities, free throws and little bunnies in the lane, you’ve got to make shots against a team like that,” Brandon said.
Clemson (14-8, 6-4) didn’t get its first lead of the game until the waning moments of the first half, which they closed with a 10-0 run. The Seminoles turned the ball over six times in the final 1:48 of the half and were held scoreless over the final four minutes.
Jordan Roper’s 3-pointer with 1:34 to play before the break put the Tigers up for the first time, 22-21. He followed with three free throws on the ensuing possession and Rod Hall’s runner before the buzzer sent Clemson to the locker room with a 27-21 advantage that the Noles did not overcome.
Rathan-Mayes led the ways with 15 points and Bookert added 10 for the Seminoles, who head to Virginia Tech for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Hokies.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 26 1 6 0 0 1 3 3 3 1 4 5 0 1 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 33 3 6 2 4 2 3 10 1 1 2 5 0 4 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 33 5 13 2 6 3 8 15 0 4 4 4 2 3 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 35 3 7 0 1 0 0 6 1 3 4 1 3 3 0 1
50 Michael Ojo c 11 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 4 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 14 1 6 0 1 3 3 5 0 3 3 0 1 0 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 7 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 22 5 8 0 0 3 4 13 5 5 10 2 1 3 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 16 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 1
Team 4 1 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 20 56 4 14 12 21 56 17 20 37 23 7 17 4 4
Opp 200 19 47 5 13 19 30 62 10 24 34 20 10 14 4 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Florida State 73, Virginia Tech 65.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
BLACKSBURG, VA – The Florida State men’s basketball team used a furious second-half run to break open a close game and cruise to a 73-65 victory at Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon.
The Seminoles (13-11, 5-6 ACC) led by five at halftime before launching a 17-6 run that kept the Hokies (9-14,1-9) at arm’s length for the rest of the game.
What happened: Florida State received scoring contributions from 10 players to earn its third win in four contests and second ACC road victory.
Junior guard Montay Brandon led the way with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes had another strong game with 12 points and 11 assists while junior Devon Bookert scored 10 – nine of which came on the strength of three 3-pointers.
Brandon’s dunk midway through the second half gave FSU its largest lead of the game at 17. Tech's 8-0 run down the stretch cut the Seminoles' advantage to nine, but the Hokies never seriously threatened to rally.
FSU shot 54.3 percent from the floor and made 15 of its 21 free throw attempts to help seal the win. The Seminoles also enjoyed a 32-23 advantage on the boards.
Who stood out: Brandon has had big outings in two of his last three games. His 18 points led the Seminoles to an upset over Miami last week, and he played a key role in Saturday’s proceedings.
Rathan-Mayes, meanwhile, posted a career-high in assists on the way to the first double-double of his career.
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton will no doubt be pleased to see contributions from so much of his roster. Every Seminole to check in to the game scored at least three points, and all but one had at least two rebounds.
What it means: After a rocky, 2-5 start in ACC play, the Seminoles have bounced back to win three of their last four games and four of their previous six. And those two losses – against North Carolina and Clemson – could have gone FSU’s way.
Brandon, Rathan-Mayes and Bookert have formed a nice scoring trio, and when FSU’s other players are contributing like they did Saturday, the Seminoles can be tough to beat.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 18 2 3 1 1 0 0 5 1 2 3 1 0 0 2 0
1 Devon Bookert g 20 3 4 3 3 1 2 10 1 3 4 4 3 2 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 36 3 8 0 5 6 8 12 0 4 4 2 11 4 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 34 6 9 1 1 3 5 16 3 3 6 3 2 4 1 0
50 Michael Ojo c 12 2 3 0 0 0 1 4 1 3 4 0 0 3 2 0
5 Jarquez Smith 20 3 5 1 2 0 0 7 1 1 2 3 0 3 2 0
11 Kiel Turpin 14 2 5 0 0 2 2 6 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 15 1 2 0 0 1 1 3 0 3 3 3 1 3 2 0
24 Robbie Berwick 18 1 3 1 3 0 0 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 1
40 Brandon Allen 13 2 4 1 3 2 2 7 1 3 4 0 1 0 0 0
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 46 8 18 15 21 73 9 23 32 21 18 20 9 1
Opp 200 21 52 8 21 15 23 65 9 14 23 21 15 12 1 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Virginia Tech |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Give Duke A Scare In 73-70 Defeat.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Devon Bookert stepped to the free-throw line twice in the final seconds here Monday night needing, of all things, to miss.
With No. 4 Duke holding a three-point lead on two separate occasions in the last 10 seconds, the Blue Devils twice chose to foul Bookert and eliminate the threat of a 3-point shot.
The strategy worked, as the Seminoles never got the opportunity to put up a game-tying attempt in a 73-70 defeat to the Blue Devils. Bookert’s last intentional miss deflected into the hands of freshman Robbie Berwick, but Berwick couldn’t get a handle on the ball before time expired.
“It’s real frustrating because you don’t know when someone’s going to foul,” said Bookert, who led FSU with a career-high 23 points.
“So you don’t know if you should shoot the ball. You try to time it right to get a shot so you can get the call and get a shooting foul. It’s just a hard situation.”
The Seminoles were frustrated by the way the game ended. But coach Leonard Hamilton quickly pointed out that, once again, it only came down to the end because FSU fell into another deep deficit.
Florida State (13-2, 5-7 ACC) started well enough, opening on a 5-0 run while not allowing Duke (21-3, 8-3) to score until more than six minutes had passed.
But then the Blue Devils got going, racing to an eight-point lead at halftime and, eventually, a 14-point advantage midway through the second half.
“Once again, we dug a hole that was difficult for us to climb out of,” Hamilton said. “However, our guys kept fighting. … We got beat by a team that’s a little better than us tonight.”
Bookert helped rally the Seminoles by shooting 6 of 8 from the floor while also dishing six assists.
So, too, did Michael Ojo, who had a career-high nine rebounds and three blocks in what might have been the best game as a Seminole.
“He played great, man,” said freshman Phil Cofer. “Just having to rebound, being aggressive. … Ojo had a mentality of going in, just playing as hard as he can and just not thinking about fatigue.”
And Cofer brought the sold-out crowd to its feet with two thunderous slam dunks, the second of which came over the head of Duke star Jahlil Okafor and prompted ESPN’s SportsCenter to tweet that he was headed for the program’s nightly countdown of Top 10 plays.
“I thought I was going to miss it at first,” Cofer said. “Because in the Nebraska game, I had missed one that was kind of the same dunk. But Coach told us to keep going to the basket aggressive and just finish strong.”
Duke, though, got some star-powered performances, too.
Senior guard Quinn Cook scored 26 while making 6 of 7 free throws, and freshman Tyus Jones added 16 points and 12 assists.
“Our guards, Quinn and Tyus, they played big-time games tonight,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
And after a quiet first half, Okafor, projected to be the potential No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, shot 5 of 5 from the floor in the second and finished with 13 points.
“I don’t know how well we defended him if he was 5 for 5,” Hamilton said. “That’s perfect. That’s pretty good.”
Xavier Rathan-Mayes’ falling, reverse layup with 11 seconds left cut Duke’s lead to 70-69, but the Seminoles couldn’t complete their comeback.
Krzyzewski after the game paid the Seminoles several compliments, saying that they “played winning basketball” and that the Blue Devils “won a very difficult game tonight.”
The Seminoles, meanwhile, are left to regroup after another encouraging performance – they took No. 15 North Carolina down to the wire last month – that ended in a loss.
FSU visits Georgia Tech (11-13, 2-10) on Saturday.
“We’re 5-7 with enough games remaining for us to dig ourselves back into the conversation,” Hamilton said. “Of course we’ve got the ACC tournament, but I’m more concerned about just making sure we continue to get better.
“And I do think we’re getting better, it’s just that coming close doesn’t count unless you’re playing horseshoes.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 20 4 7 0 1 1 1 9 1 3 4 2 0 0 0 1
1 Devon Bookert g 36 6 8 3 4 8 12 23 0 2 2 3 6 2 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 30 2 7 1 3 0 0 5 0 2 2 1 1 6 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 36 4 7 0 0 4 4 12 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo c 21 0 1 0 0 1 3 1 3 6 9 3 1 3 3 1
5 Jarquez Smith 13 5 7 1 1 0 0 11 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1 0 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 13 1 4 0 0 1 1 3 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 20 2 8 2 5 0 0 6 2 0 2 2 3 0 0 1
40 Brandon Allen 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
Team 3 2 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 53 7 14 15 21 70 12 19 31 18 14 13 4 5
Opp 200 23 51 7 20 20 26 73 11 20 31 20 14 10 6 3
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Happy Homecoming For Smith As Noles Down Yellow Jackets.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
ATLANTA, GA – Playing in front of his mother, father and half a dozen other relatives, Jarquez Smith enjoyed perhaps his best game as a Florida State Seminole.
A native of Haddock, Ga., about 90 miles south of Georgia Tech’s campus here in Atlanta, Smith scored 15 points and added six rebounds and three blocks as FSU emerged with a 57-53 victory over the Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 20 points, including the go-ahead jumper with under a minute to play. The Seminoles improved to 14-12, 6-7 in the ACC, and can even their conference record against Boston College on Wednesday.
Georgia Tech dropped to 11-14, 2-11.
“I was more pumped about being able to come home and play in front of my family. So that helped out a lot,” said Smith, who finished 6 of 8 from the field.
“…They said they need to come to more games if I’m going to play like that.”
And he did it all in just 22 minutes on the floor, the byproduct of a scary knee injury suffered in the second half.
While going for a rebound, a Yellow Jacket fell into Smith’s right leg, and Smith said he felt his knee slide out of place.
He was down on the floor several moments before hobbling off with help.
“It’s scary,” he said. “Very scary.”
But after showing coaches that he could run baseline to baseline, Smith checked back in and even made a free throw that helped seal FSU’s victory.
“I wanted to get back out there and help my team win,” Smith said, “because I knew I was a big part in our momentum.”
Smith was part of a stretch in which FSU made seven of eight free throws over the game’s last 2:39.
So, too, was Boris Bojanovsky, who continued his recent tear from the line by making four consecutive free throws to help trim FSU’s deficit from 53-48 to 53-52.
Bojanovsky, who began the season 14 of 31 from the line, has made 13 of his last 14 free-throw attempts and is 18 of 20 since FSU played Clemson on Feb. 4.
“We came over (to the arena) last night and basically all we did was shoot free throws,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Just to kind of get accustomed to the depth perception and the lights.
“I thought it kind of paid off for us.”
Just moments after Bojanovsky’s last free throw, Rathan-Mayes grabbed the rebound after a Georgia Tech miss. Then, with 54 seconds to play, he hit the shot the put the Seminoles up for good.
It was a stirring response for Rathan-Mayes, who had only five points in FSU’s loss to Duke earlier this week.
“I don’t worry about him coming back. He believes in himself almost to a fault,” Hamilton said. “He doesn’t lack for confidence. But freshmen will be freshmen, and (sometimes) they’ll play like freshmen. He’s played great.”
Rathan-Mayes said he chatted with his dad, former FSU star Tharon Mayes, after the Duke game, and heeded some of his advice coming into Saturday.
“After the Duke game, I thought about it and that night I didn’t get too much sleep,” Rathan-Mayes said. “But, the next day, I just completely forgot about it. My dad told me to forget that the game even happened.”
After sharing a few laughs with his parents before boarding the team bus, Smith said he viewed this win as the start of a potential winning streak that could help the Seminoles reach their postseason goals.
The Seminoles next host Boston College Wednesday at 9 p.m., before back-to-back road games at No. 2 Virginia and Miami.
“I just feel that it was just fortunate for us to come in and get just a few more free throws and another basket or two to come away with a victory,” Hamilton said. “Because ACC road victories are hard to come by.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 17 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 40 2 6 1 4 2 2 7 0 3 3 2 6 4 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 9 17 2 5 0 1 20 0 6 6 2 2 5 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 38 1 5 0 1 1 2 3 0 8 8 2 3 4 1 0
50 Michael Ojo c 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 0
5 Jarquez Smith 22 6 8 1 2 2 3 15 2 4 6 1 1 2 3 0
11 Kiel Turpin 15 3 5 0 0 0 0 6 2 4 6 2 0 2 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 16 1 2 0 0 4 4 6 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 1
24 Robbie Berwick 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 48 4 12 9 12 57 6 29 35 16 13 18 9 4
Opp 200 21 59 3 15 8 14 53 12 22 34 14 16 11 3 8
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Georgia Tech |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Bookert's Hot Hand Pushes Noles Past Boston College.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton warned earlier this week that Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan might be the best player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Hanlan lived up to his billing, but the Seminoles slowed him down enough in the second half – and got enough contributions of their own – to pull away for a 69-60 win over the Eagles on Wednesday night.
Devon Bookert scored 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting, while Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Phil Cofer each added 13 for FSU (15-12, 7-7), which evened its conference record after beginning the season 1-4.
“Tonight we were very fortunate that we were able to turn it up a little bit, come back out, move the ball, get to the foul line and make some easy baskets,” Hamilton said. “Obviously, Devon was shooting the ball very well.”
Hanlan’s 32 points were the most by any player at the Donald L. Tucker Center this season. But the vast majority came in the first half, when he shot 10 of 15 from the field and scored 23.
He found a much tougher road in the second half, scoring just nine while shooting 2 of 7 from the field.
“Whenever you can be happy that a guy scored nine points in the second half, that just tells you how much respect we have for him,” Hamilton said.
“It was hard to handle him,” Cofer said. “He’s a great player in the ACC. We just had (Rathan-Mayes) have a lot of ball pressure and just helped the gap coverages.”
Florida State, meanwhile, enjoyed another strong perimeter-shooting effort. Led by Bookert’s four 3-pointers, the Seminoles shot a torrid 66.7 percent (8 of 12) from beyond the arc.
Dating back to their visit to Virginia Tech on Feb. 4, FSU has shot a combined 27 of 56 (48.2 percent) from 3-point range over its last four games. And only once during that stretch have the Seminoles dipped below 40 percent.
“They were high-percentage shots that we got,” Hamilton said. ”We made three, four, five passes and got uncontested shots. ... That’s what ball movement will do for you against teams that are playing good defense.”
FSU got off to a slow start Wednesday, turning the ball over 10 times in the first half on the way to a 32-27 halftime deficit.
“The first part of the game I thought I was having a nightmare and I couldn’t wake up,” Hamilton said. “We tried to do everything we could to dig a hole for ourselves and I thought we were very successful.”
But as they have for much of the season, the Seminoles gathered themselves and rallied back.
After trailing by as much as 11 midway through the first half, FSU stormed back and, after back-to-back 3-pointers by Bookert and Jarquez Smith, claimed a 40-39 lead less than five minutes into the second.
“It was big for us because we needed that momentum push,” Bookert said. “I think that really put us over the hump.”
A pair of Robbie Berwick 3s later helped give the Seminoles some breathing room.
Rathan-Mayes dished five assists, while Cofer (13 points, nine rebounds) and Montay Brandon (nine points, nine rebounds) each narrowly missed out on double-doubles.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 27 4 9 0 0 5 7 13 2 7 9 1 0 1 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 39 6 7 4 5 2 4 18 0 3 3 1 2 2 0 2
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 3 14 1 4 6 8 13 0 1 1 4 5 3 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 33 4 6 0 0 1 3 9 4 5 9 3 4 5 1 1
50 Michael Ojo c 12 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 4 1 1 1 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 9 2 3 1 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 23 0 1 0 0 2 4 2 0 2 2 2 1 2 1 2
24 Robbie Berwick 14 2 2 2 2 1 2 7 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 44 8 12 19 30 69 9 23 32 20 14 15 2 7
Opp 200 23 50 3 14 11 16 60 7 19 26 22 12 13 1 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: Virginia 51, Florida State 41.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State hung tight with No. 2 Virginia, but a field-goal drought that lasted more than 10 minutes derailed the Seminoles’ upset bid in a 51-41 defeat at John Paul Jones Arena.
What happened: The Seminoles (15-13, 7-8) used a strong first half to not just keep pace with the Cavaliers (25-1, 13-1), but also to take a 16-13 lead on the heels of a 10-0 run.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 10 points over the last five minutes of the first as FSU went into halftime well within striking distance 22-21.
FSU, though, couldn’t sustain its momentum in the second half. Or, perhaps more accurately, Virginia played defense at a level worthy of its No. 1 national ranking.
After shooting 36.4 percent in the first half (including two 3-pointers,) the Seminoles’ percentage fell to 29.2 in the second. That mark is heavily skewed by the fact that FSU missed each of its last 12 shots, a stretch that lasted over the game’s final 10:33.
UVA also withstood a frightening collision between two of its players, Malcolm Brogdon and London Perrantes. Both players left the game and went to the locker room for treatment. Brogdon eventually checked back in, while Perrantes came back to the bench but did not return to the game.
Who stood out: Rathan-Mayes led the Seminoles with 13 points on 5 of 15 shooting. Otherwise, most of the Seminoles found a tough challenge against Virginia’s defense. Boris Bojanovsky scored eight and Montay Brandon added six, but Devon Bookert, fresh off an 18-point effort last week against Boston College, finished 0 of 8 from the floor and finished with only one point. Bookert did add three assists and four rebounds.
Anthony Gill had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds for Virginia and Darion Atkins added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
What it means: The Seminoles will no doubt be disappointed with the way this one got away, but there's not much room for error when trying to beat Virginia. After all, only one team (No. 4 Duke) has done it this season. The Cavaliers’ defense is exceptional and furthermore presents a pretty tough matchup for the Seminoles. FSU has three games left (at Miami, home against Louisville and Pittsburgh) and needs one more win to secure a winning record in the regular season.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 21 2 4 1 2 0 0 5 0 3 3 3 0 3 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 38 0 8 0 5 1 2 1 0 4 4 1 3 2 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 36 5 15 3 9 0 0 13 0 1 1 3 2 1 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 36 1 6 0 1 4 6 6 2 6 8 4 2 2 0 2
50 Michael Ojo c 7 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
5 Jarquez Smith 18 1 3 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 3 0 1 1 1
11 Kiel Turpin 10 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 22 3 4 0 0 2 2 8 0 3 3 2 1 1 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 1 1 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 15 46 4 19 7 12 41 6 24 30 20 9 14 5 5
Opp 200 18 41 1 11 14 27 51 8 26 34 9 9 11 3 11
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Virginia |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
The Fast Break: XRM Goes Off As Noles' Rally Falls Short.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – It will go down as one of the all-time iconic individual performances in Florida State basketball history.
Unfortunately for the Seminoles, it came just a little too late.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 35 points, including a jaw-dropping 30 in the last 4:38, as FSU clawed back from an 18-point deficit before falling, 81-77, at Miami.
What happened: With less than five minutes on the clock, the Seminoles (15-14, 7-9 ACC) appeared to be headed for a double-digit defeat. Miami (18-10, 8-7) led 62-47 and had outscored FSU 33-22 after a close first half.
Rathan-Mayes then went into superhero mode.
It started with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 16.
Then three straight free throws.
Then another 3. And another.
In the span of a little more than four minutes, Rathan-Mayes scored 26 straight points for FSU, the last of which came after a four-point play in which he was fouled while banking a trey off the glass.
In the process, Miami’s lead had been cut to just three points with 20 seconds to go.
The Hurricanes, though, held off FSU’s rally thanks to some steady free-throw shooting that kept the Seminoles at arm’s length. They made 14 of 16 from the line over the game’s final three minutes.
Who stood out: That, of course, would be Rathan-Mayes, who has made a habit out of turning in star performances in other team’s arenas. His 35 points actually matched a career high set last month in a 78-74 loss at North Carolina.
That outburst was spread over the course of an entire game. This one occurred largely within one remarkable four-minute stretch.
After scoring five points in the first half, Rathan-Mayes went more than 15 minutes of the second without finding the net. After that, he could hardly miss, finishing 8 of 10 from the floor, 6 of 8 from 3-point range and 8 of 9 from the free throw line.
Miami coach Jim Larranaga called it “one of the greatest shooting performances I have ever seen.”
What it means: Rathan-Mayes’ performance will be remembered for a long time, but the record book will also reflect that the Seminoles lost a game in which they desperately needed a win.
Credit should go to Miami, too. The Hurricanes are scrambling in hopes of securing their postseason fate, and they got fine performances from Angel Rodriguez (25 points, five assists), Sheldon McClellan (19 points) and Davon Reed (18 points, eight rebounds).
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 11 1 5 0 0 1 3 3 1 2 3 3 0 0 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 37 2 9 1 6 2 2 7 0 0 0 4 3 1 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 36 10 19 6 11 9 11 35 0 4 4 4 5 2 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 36 4 5 0 0 3 5 11 0 5 5 1 0 3 0 2
50 Michael Ojo c 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0
4 Dayshawn Watkins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 20 2 4 1 1 0 0 5 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 0
11 Kiel Turpin 11 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 11 1 1 0 0 3 4 5 1 0 1 5 0 0 1 0
24 Robbie Berwick 13 1 2 1 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 10 1 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 1
Team 1 3 4 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 50 10 21 19 27 77 4 19 23 28 9 11 1 3
Opp 200 23 48 4 16 31 38 81 10 27 37 19 9 9 2 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Miami |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Louisville Runs Past Noles, 81-59.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Midway through the second half of Florida State’s game with No. 17 Louisville here Saturday afternoon, the Seminoles had clawed back from a slow start and closed their deficit to single digits.
Then, in dizzyingly short order, the Cardinals showed why they’re one of the top teams in the country, going on an 18-1 run that took just 3:06 off the clock and effectively sealed an 81-59 victory over FSU at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
“It happened very quickly,” junior guard Montay Brandon said. “I think we knew were down by more and more points. We tried to fight but we didn’t have the energy, it seemed like.”
The loss is the Seminoles’ third in six days. FSU (15-15, 7-10 ACC) is assured of a sub-.500 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play for the first time since 2007-08, and will look to finish with an overall winning record in next week’s regular-season finale against Pittsburgh.
“I thought our kids fought hard,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said.
“I wasn’t disappointed in the effort. I was disappointed in some of the execution, but our effort was pretty good.”
Missteps in execution, Hamilton said, can be attributed to tired legs.
The Seminoles were playing in their third game this week, two of which came on the road. Louisville (23-6, 11-5) had been off since Monday.
As a result, FSU made the kind of miscues typical of a tired team. There were missed layups and short jumpers that led to an 0-for-9 start from the field.
And there were turnovers –21 total, 13 in the first half – that Louisville converted into 32 points.
“I thought they were a lot fresher than we were,” Hamilton said. “They were quicker to the ball, more explosive. I thought we were a half step slow. …
“When you play guys 35, 36, 37 minutes … when you do that three out of six days, I think it’s a little more challenging than someone might think. I’m not trying to make excuses, but that’s the fact.”
Louisville coach Rick Pitino said after the game that he watched FSU freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes’ 35-point outburst against Miami Wednesday night, and that he was determined not to let Rathan-Mayes have his way with the Cardinals.
Rathan-Mayes still scored 12 points and added two assists and three rebounds. But the Cardinals mostly held his shooting in check (5 of 16, 0 for 5 from 3-point range) and never let him or FSU threaten to rally down the stretch.
“We just wanted to take his legs out as much as we could, pressure him as much as we could,” Pitino said. “If he goes to the baseline, we want to trap him. On the wing we wanted to trap him … We were going to make sure we weren’t going to rely on him missing. We were going to play him really, really hard.”
With his three rebounds, Rathan-Mayes became the first FSU freshman with 400 points, 100 assists and 100 rebounds in a single season.
And Brandon scored a team-high 13 points to set a career high with 17 double-digit scoring games this season.
With their three-game gauntlet behind them, the Seminoles next have a welcome week off before hosting Pittsburgh on March 7.
Hamilton after the game shook off any questions about his team’s motivation or mindset as the season winds down.
“We’re trying to regroup and there’s a lot of reasons why we’re in the situation that we’re in,” he said. “However, we’ll overcome it like we always do. I’m extremely confident in our kids, our players, and I think (with) the direction that we’re going in, I think it’s just a matter of time before we get back to where we need to be.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 18 1 1 0 0 2 3 4 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 40 3 10 1 4 5 6 12 0 2 2 3 2 6 0 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 35 5 16 0 5 2 3 12 2 1 3 1 2 1 0 2
32 Montay Brandon g 32 5 6 0 0 3 8 13 3 2 5 4 1 4 1 1
50 Michael Ojo c 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
5 Jarquez Smith 23 1 4 0 0 3 4 5 1 2 3 2 0 3 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin 14 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 8 1 0 1 1 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 22 3 4 0 0 5 8 11 4 5 9 2 1 1 3 2
24 Robbie Berwick 11 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 48 1 10 20 32 59 17 18 35 17 6 21 6 6
Opp 200 31 64 8 18 11 18 81 17 18 35 25 20 14 5 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Turpin, Noles Race Past Pitt on Senior Day.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Every year, on the eve of its final home game, the Florida State men’s basketball team gathers together and coach Leonard Hamilton asks his seniors to give a speech.
This year, there was only one. Kiel Turpin, the sixth-year senior who has battled injury and illness during his time in Tallahassee, stood up in front of his teammates and gave a simple message.
“Last night, when we had our team meeting, he asked his teammates to play for him and his family,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Unfortunately, being from where they are (in Illinois), they’ve been to several games and they had not seen Kiel win a basketball game, especially this year.”
Those teammates did their part, and so, too, did Turpin by scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds in the Seminoles’ 61-52 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday.
FSU (16-15, 8-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) ensured itself a winning record in the regular season for the 10th consecutive year and will enter next week’s ACC tournament as either the ninth or 10th seed. Pitt (19-13, 9-9) finished the season with a third straight loss.
“If I had no points and no rebounds and we won, I would still be happy,” Turpin said. “But the fact that I played well and the team encouraged me to play well and get the ball and score, that just means a lot.”
And it meant even more to do it in front of his mother, stepfather and sisters.
Turpin’s folks have made it to two games this year – they made a short trip to Notre Dame in December and then loaded up the car and drove to Chapel Hill, N.C., to see FSU take on North Carolina in January.
Neither of those games went FSU’s way, and Turpin came away from each unsatisfied with his performance.
But it was clear on Saturday that this time would be different. Turpin scored the game’s first points with a jump shot that he said boosted his confidence.
A few moments later, he threw down a hard dunk in transition that stretched FSU’s early lead to 8-3.
Later, with the shot clock winding down early in the second half, Turpin threw up an off-balance jumper that he hoped would at least hit off the rim and give his teammates a chance for a rebound.
Instead, it banked off the top of the glass and in.
“At that point, when that ball in, I was just like ‘This is one of those days where you start hitting anything,’” said Turpin, who finished 5-6 from the field. “I started laughing, just because I totally just threw it up.”
Hamilton’s roots with Turpin and his family are deep.
Turpin’s father, Melvin, starred at Kentucky when Hamilton served as a UK assistant, and the FSU coach said Saturday that they were “extremely close.”
So having Mel’s son under his care meant a lot.
“I always get emotional when I talk about Kiel,” Hamilton said, “because I probably knew him before he was born.
“This was really an effort, I thought, inspired by him.”
The Seminoles played inspired on Saturday, especially on the defensive end where they limited Pitt to a paltry 33.8 shooting percentage.
Even better, FSU enjoyed a 37-28 rebounding advantage that was a stark contrast to the beating it took on the glass in its first meeting with the Panthers earlier this year.
“When we played them last time, we thought that might have been the difference in the game,” Hamilton said.
“Coach kind of made it a big emphasis that, we pretty much got punked in the paint (last time),” Turpin said. “He looked at us bigs, saying that we just weren’t doing the job right and weren’t boxing out and we couldn’t give up that many offensive rebounds if we were going to be successful. That was key tonight.”
A hot shooting effort helped, too.
The Seminoles finished 19 of 40 from the field (47.5 percent) and made 5 of their 9 3-point attempts.
Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes led all scorers with 19 points, junior Montay Brandon and Turpin each had 10 and Devon Bookert added eight for FSU.
Jamel Artis paced the Panthers with 17, but the rest of the team struggled and shot just 33 percent from the field.
“I wish we’d shot the ball better,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “I think their defense had something to do with that.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 24 2 8 1 2 0 0 5 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 36 2 9 2 4 2 2 8 1 5 6 0 3 6 1 0
11 Kiel Turpin f 16 5 6 0 0 0 2 10 2 3 5 4 0 2 2 1
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 32 5 8 2 3 7 10 19 1 3 4 3 5 5 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 35 4 6 0 0 2 4 10 1 5 6 1 4 1 0 2
5 Jarquez Smith 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 2 0 1 0 2
15 Boris Bojanovsky 14 0 2 0 0 6 6 6 1 2 3 3 0 1 0 0
24 Robbie Berwick 14 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1
40 Brandon Allen 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 1 0
Team 3 2 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 40 5 9 18 26 61 9 28 37 19 12 19 4 7
Opp 200 19 57 5 21 9 13 52 12 16 28 23 10 13 2 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Outlast Clemson, Move On In ACC Tournament.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
GREENSBORO, NC – For almost 32 minutes of their 76-73 victory over Clemson here Wednesday, the Florida State Seminoles played as well as they have all season.
They then spent the last eight minutes holding on for dear life.
Behind another stellar effort from freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes, No. 9-seed FSU built a 20-point lead with just less than 10 minutes to go in the second half. Clemson then used a hot shooting streak combined with a stout full-court press to whittle that lead to just two with 25 seconds to play.
Not until a last-second 3-pointer fell short could the Seminoles finally exhale.
FSU (17-15) moves on in the ACC tournament to face top-seeded Virginia (28-2) in Thursday’s first quarterfinal.
“We thought the crowd would get bored so we thought we’d allow the game to be interesting so people would stay in their seats,” joked FSU coach Leonard Hamiton, who moved into a tie atop FSU's all-time record book with his 236th victory.
“And I can sell you some swamp land if you believe that.”
Making his postseason debut, Rathan-Mayes made himself right at home in Greensboro, dropping 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting.
He hit five 3-pointers and scored nine of FSU’s first 12 points in becoming the first freshman in school history to score 30 on three separate occasions.
The first two – both of them 35-point efforts at North Carolina and Miami – came during FSU losses. So this one felt a little bit sweeter.
“This is something I’ve always dreamed about, to be able to come and play at the ACC tournament,” said Rathan-Mayes, who visited the tournament two years ago when his father, former FSU star Tharon Mayes, was honored at the league’s annual legends banquet.
“It’s a big stage and it definitely raises your level of play.”
Rathan-Mayes’ latest star turn was part of an FSU offensive effort that, for most of the game, had the Seminoles cruising toward an easy win.
FSU had its way with Clemson’s defense, shooting 54.5 percent (71.4 in the second half) against a team that allows an average of 39.8 percent.
Greensboro native Montay Brandon added 17 points while making 11 of 12 free throws, and freshman Phil Cofer added 10.
“We did a really good job moving the basketball, getting open shots, getting shots for each other,” Rathan-Mayes said. “That was one of our main emphases today – creating for others.”
It worked to perfection, as the Seminoles raced to a 57-37 lead with 9:09 to play.
Then Clemson (16-15), desperate for some momentum, switched a full-court press that quickly swung the game in its favor.
After turning the ball over only five times in the first half, the Seminoles suffered 12 giveaways in the second half.
That, combined with five Clemson 3-pointers, helped the Tigers launch a 36-18 run over the next 8:25 that made it 75-73 with 25 seconds on the clock.
“They were making extremely difficult shots,” Brandon said, “and sometimes we were playing great defense and we were just trying to weather the storm.”
Despite forcing two more turnovers in the game’s final minute, including two on inbounds plays, Clemson could get no closer.
CU senior Rod Hall finished with 25 points, but missed a layup that would’ve tied the game with 10 seconds to go. Then, after a Cofer free throw made it 76-73, DeVoe’s deep 3-pointer fell short and bounced off the front of the rim.
“For 32 minutes, I thought we did a very good job of managing the game, moving the ball, making the extra pass and getting everybody involved,” Hamilton said. “Obviously, at the end, you’ve got to give Clemson credit. They caught fire.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 26 3 6 1 3 3 6 10 0 7 7 0 0 3 1 0
1 Devon Bookert g 31 2 4 0 2 0 0 4 0 4 4 4 3 3 0 2
11 Kiel Turpin c 26 2 3 0 0 2 4 6 3 3 6 4 0 2 3 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 38 11 19 5 9 3 5 30 1 3 4 3 2 2 0 0
32 Montay Brandon g 38 3 7 0 1 11 12 17 1 1 2 2 3 3 2 1
5 Jarquez Smith 13 3 4 1 2 0 0 7 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 11 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 0 1 3 1 1 0 1
24 Robbie Berwick 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Team 3 3 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 44 7 17 21 29 76 6 23 29 16 11 17 6 4
Opp 200 26 62 7 18 14 16 73 12 16 28 20 13 11 4 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Clemson |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Noles Rally, Fall Short Against No. 3 Virginia.
By Tim Linafelt, Seminoles.com Senior Writer
GREENSBORO, NC – Even after falling into a 17-point hole against No. 3 Virginia, the Florida State men’s basketball team made a run at what would have been one of the marquee upsets of the ACC tournament.
The third-ranked Cavaliers had just a little too much down the stretch.
Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 13 points and helped FSU trim its deficit to five on two separate occasions in the second half, but the Seminoles couldn’t complete their comeback in a 58-44 defeat to UVA.
The top-seeded Cavaliers move on to face ether Louisville or North Carolina in Friday’s semifinal.
Florida State (17-16) will learn of its postseason future this weekend. The Seminoles are still hoping for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, but coach Leonard Hamilton indicated Thursday that FSU would like to play in any competition.
“We’re looking forward to playing in one of the tournaments,” Hamilton said. “Whichever one that we have the opportunity to.”
Virginia (29-2) started Thursday’s game looking like a team on the verge of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. And it helped that the Cavaliers hadn’t played since Saturday.
UVA made its first six shots from the field and added four more from the free throw line to race out to a 16-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest.
“We came out kind of sluggish,” said junior guard Montay Brandon, who was held scoreless but did have eight rebounds. “And we were letting them catch the ball in spots where they were comfortable with it and had good scoring options."
Meanwhile FSU, fresh off a down-to-the-wire win over Clemson yesterday, struggled to find its footing in the first half and went into the break shooting just 28.6 percent (6-21) from the field.
Virginia made 12 of 19 first-half shots.
“We dug a hole for ourselves,” Hamilton said. “We came back in the second half and played much better, but whenever you give a team of that caliber that working margin, obviously you put yourself in a very difficult situation to overcome.”
They at least gave the 22,026 in attendance – most of which heavily favored Virginia – a reason to sweat it out.
A Virginia cold streak to start the second half resulted in a 17-5 FSU run that cut the Seminoles' deficit to 39-35 with more than 10 minutes still to play.
But back-to-back FSU turnovers followed by a Malcom Brogdon jumper and an Evan Nolte 3-pointer put an end to that rally.
Three minutes later, Rathan-Mayes followed up a Phil Cofer 3 with a jumpshot that made it 44-39. And once again, the Cavaliers had an answer. They finished on a 19-5 run to provide the final margin while FSU missed nine of its final 10 shots.
“We felt like we were going to win that game,” Rathan-Mayes said. “We got a couple stops, we were able to score off those stops. We felt like we were going to win the basketball game.
“We had a couple calls not go our way, but it was in our hands. If we didn’t allow ourselves to get in that big of a hole, it was a whole different ballgame.”
Virginia, which boasts the nation’s top-ranked defense, made life difficult for Rathan-Mayes, who went off for 30 points against Clemson on Wednesday.
In the face of UVA’s disciplined, pack-line defense, Rathan-Mayes finished 6 of 8 from the field and just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He had several seemingly on-target shots rim out.
“I had a few shots that felt really good coming out of my hand that just didn’t go in,” said Rathan-Mayes, who Wednesday became the first freshman in ACC history to at least 30 points in three games.
“That’s the nature of basketball.”
Devon Bookert and Phil Cofer each added nine points for FSU, which assured itself of at least a .500 record for the 10th straight season.
“We lost to a team today that played extremely well,” Hamilton said, “and really, really was very well prepared.”
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Phil Cofer f 25 3 6 1 2 2 2 9 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0
1 Devon Bookert g 36 2 6 1 4 4 6 9 1 3 4 0 0 1 0 1
11 Kiel Turpin c 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0
22 Xavier Rathan-Mayes g 40 6 18 1 8 0 0 13 0 3 3 4 3 3 0 1
32 Montay Brandon g 33 0 6 0 1 1 2 1 2 6 8 4 2 3 0 1
5 Jarquez Smith 16 2 5 0 1 1 1 5 3 0 3 1 0 2 0
15 Boris Bojanovsky 27 2 3 0 0 2 3 6 1 2 3 0 1 4 2 1
24 Robbie Berwick 9 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
40 Brandon Allen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
50 Michael Ojo 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 15 46 3 17 11 16 44 8 15 23 17 6 13 4 5
Opp 200 19 40 3 7 17 21 58 7 24 31 18 12 14 4 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Virginia |