2024-25 Men's Basketball - Year In Review
Leonard Hamilton, Head Coach
Stan Jones, Associate Head Coach
Jake Morton, Assistant Coach
Kevin Nickelberry, Assistant Coach
Click here to see individual photos
2024-25 Men's Basketball - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Leonard Hamilton, Head Coach Stan Jones, Associate Head Coach Jake Morton, Assistant Coach Kevin Nickelberry, Assistant Coach Click here to see individual photos |
|
Daquan Davis, 6-1, 176, G, Baltimore, Md.
Jerry Deng, 6-9, 220, F, Rochester, N.Y.
Malique Ewin, 6-11, 230, F, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Bostyn Holt, 6-7, 200, G, Portland, Ore.
Alier Maluk, 7-0, 218, F, Baldwin, Pa.
Christian Nitu, 6-11, 220, F, Whitby, Ontario
Anastasios Rozakeas, 6-7, 225, G-F, Athens, Greece
A.J. Swinton, 6-6, 200, F, Cabin John, Md.
Justin Thomas, 6-7, 184, G, Baton Rouge, La.
2025 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Taylor Bol Bowen F 6-10 195 So * Jerhico, Vt. (Brewster Academy)
15 Jalen Crawford G 6-0 145 Fr Tallahassee (Maclay)
5 Daquan Davis G 6-1 176 Fr Baltimore, Md. (Overtime Elite)
7 Jerry Deng F 6-9 220 So Rochester, N.Y. (Norcross/Hampton)
12 Malique Ewin F 6-11 230 Jr Lawrenceville, Ga. (Berkmar/Mississippi/South Plains College)
3 Bostyn Holt G 6-7 200 Sr Portland, Ore. (Roosevelt/Coffeyville CC/Utah/South Dakota)
0 Chandler Jackson G 6-5 205 Jr ** Memphis, Tenn. (Christian Brothers)
43 Jesse Jones G 6-4 195 Sr-R * Clermont (Montverde Academy/Babson College)
21 Alier Maluk F 7-0 218 Fr Baldwin, Pa. (Long Island Lutheran)
35 Waka Mbatch F 6-10 225 So * Serekunda, Gambia (Kotu Secondary School)
11 Christian Nitu F 6-11 220 Fr Whitby, Ontario (Fort Erie International Acdmy)
9 Anastasios Rozakeas G-F 6-7 225 Fr Athens, Greece (Spyros Papacharalambous)
4 Jason Simpson G 5-10 170 Sr West Palm Beach (Montverde Academy/Saint John's)
19 A.J. Swinton F 6-6 200 Fr Cabin John, Md. (Bishop O'Connell)
25 Justin Thomas G 6-7 184 Sr Baton Rouge, La. (Village Christian Academy/Queens College/Navarro College/Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Texas-San Antonio)
1 Jamir Watkins G 6-7 210 Sr-R * Trenton, N.J. (Trenton Catholic/Virginia Commonwealth)
2025 Roster - By Number
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 Chandler Jackson G 6-5 205 Jr ** Memphis, Tenn. (Christian Brothers)
1 Jamir Watkins G 6-7 210 Sr-R * Trenton, N.J. (Trenton Catholic/Virginia Commonwealth)
3 Bostyn Holt G 6-7 200 Sr Portland, Ore. (Roosevelt/Coffeyville CC/Utah/South Dakota)
4 Jason Simpson G 5-10 170 Sr West Palm Beach (Montverde Academy/Saint John's)
5 Daquan Davis G 6-1 176 Fr Baltimore, Md. (Overtime Elite)
7 Jerry Deng F 6-9 220 So Rochester, N.Y. (Norcross/Hampton)
9 Anastasios Rozakeas G-F 6-7 225 Fr Athens, Greece (Spyros Papacharalambous)
10 Taylor Bol Bowen F 6-10 195 So * Jerhico, Vt. (Brewster Academy)
11 Christian Nitu F 6-11 220 Fr Whitby, Ontario (Fort Erie International Acdmy)
12 Malique Ewin F 6-11 230 Jr Lawrenceville, Ga. (Berkmar/Mississippi/South Plains College)
15 Jalen Crawford G 6-0 145 Fr Tallahassee (Maclay)
19 A.J. Swinton F 6-6 200 Fr Cabin John, Md. (Bishop O'Connell)
21 Alier Maluk F 7-0 218 Fr Baldwin, Pa. (Long Island Lutheran)
25 Justin Thomas G 6-7 184 Sr Baton Rouge, La. (Village Christian Academy/Queens College/Navarro College/Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Texas-San Antonio)
35 Waka Mbatch F 6-10 225 So * Serekunda, Gambia (Kotu Secondary School)
43 Jesse Jones G 6-4 195 Sr-R * Clermont (Montverde Academy/Babson College)
2024-25 Noles in the Pros
Name No Pos Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scottie Barnes 4 SG Toronto Raptors
Malik Beasley 5 SG Detroit Pistons
Jonathan Isaac 1 PF Orlando Magic
Terance Mann 14 SG Los Angeles Clippers
Devin Vassell 24 SG San Antonio Spurs
Patrick Williams 44 PF Chicago Bulls
Noles in the Pros - 6
2025 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
AP |
USA |
AP |
USA |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Kentucky | |||||||||||||
| Rice Battleground 2K |
|||||||||||||
| Tarleton State | |||||||||||||
| Florida | |||||||||||||
| Hofstra | |||||||||||||
| Temple Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Uncasville, Conn. |
|||||||||||||
| Massachusetts Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Uncasville, Conn. |
|||||||||||||
| Western Carolina Asheville, N.C. |
|||||||||||||
| Louisiana State ACC/SEC Challenge |
|||||||||||||
| North Carolina State | |||||||||||||
| Tulane Orange Bowl Classic, Sunrise |
|||||||||||||
| Winthrop | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | |||||||||||||
| Syracuse | |||||||||||||
| Miami | |||||||||||||
| Clemson | |||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | |||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | |||||||||||||
| California | |||||||||||||
| Stanford | |||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | |||||||||||||
| Boston College | |||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | |||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | |||||||||||||
| Clemson | |||||||||||||
| Miami | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina | |||||||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||||||
| Virginia | |||||||||||||
| Southern Methodist | |||||||||||||
Overall Home Away Neutral
------------------------------------------------
FSU record is 4- 1 3- 1 1- 0 0- 0
Against Top 25 0- 1 0- 1 0- 0 0- 0
2024-25 - 30 Point Club
Name Date Opponent FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jamir Watkins 11/09/2024 Rice 7 14 2 4 14 22 302024-25 - 15 Rebound Club
Name Date Opponent O-REB D-REB TOTAL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ None2024-25 - 10 Assist Club
Name Date Opponent Assists ------------------------------------------------------------------ None
--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
====================================================================================================================================
Jamir Watkins 5 5 135 28 64 .438 5 24 .208 30 48 .625 91 18.2 5 22 27 5.4 15 0 5 13 2 12
Taylor Bol Bowen 5 5 116 14 28 .500 2 9 .222 14 19 .737 44 8.8 5 22 27 5.4 9 0 3 9 7 10
Malique Ewin 5 5 109 16 41 .390 0 0 .000 8 12 .667 40 8.0 13 10 23 4.6 13 0 6 8 2 7
Daquan Davis 5 0 105 11 28 .393 2 13 .154 13 16 .813 37 7.4 1 8 9 1.8 9 0 10 7 4 3
Justin Thomas 5 0 105 12 25 .480 6 14 .429 5 9 .556 35 7.0 2 9 11 2.2 6 0 11 4 1 8
Chandler Jackson 5 5 116 11 29 .379 2 10 .200 10 14 .714 34 6.8 5 9 14 2.8 9 0 7 6 1 10
Jerry Deng 5 0 77 9 28 .321 7 21 .333 3 6 .500 28 5.6 3 8 11 2.2 7 0 6 3 2 5
Bostyn Holt 5 5 84 8 14 .571 3 7 .429 2 2 1.00 21 4.2 1 1 2 0.4 8 0 11 6 0 2
Alier Maluk 5 0 64 7 11 .636 0 1 .000 5 6 .833 19 3.8 7 6 13 2.6 10 0 1 2 5 2
A.J. Swinton 5 0 44 5 13 .385 1 4 .250 1 2 .500 12 2.4 1 6 7 1.4 3 0 2 1 1 0
Christian Nitu 4 0 23 3 7 .429 0 2 .000 0 0 .000 6 1.5 0 1 1 0.3 3 0 0 2 1 0
Jason Simpson 2 0 3 1 3 .333 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 3 1.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Waka Mbatch 2 0 8 1 1 1.00 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 2 1.0 0 1 1 0.5 2 0 0 1 0 0
Jesse Jones 2 0 3 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jalen Crawford 2 0 2 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Anastasios Rozakeas 2 0 6 0 1 .000 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 1
Team 10 9 19
====================================================================================================================================
FSU 5 126 293 .430 29 108 .269 91 134 .679 372 74.4 53 112 165 33.0 98 0 62 62 26 60
Opp 5 108 258 .419 37 120 .308 74 106 .698 327 65.4 44 129 173 34.6 107 4 60 99 14 26
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Watkins, Bol Bowen Lead Seminoles To 74-62 Win Over Northern Kentucky.
By Brooke Spreitzer
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Senior Jamir Watkins and sophomore Taylor Bol Bowen scored 17 points each to lead 10 Seminoles in the scoring column as Florida State posted a 74-62 season-opening win over Northern Kentucky at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The victory was Seminole head coach Leonard Hamilton's 20th opening game victory as he began his 23rd season as Florida State's head coach.
The scoring effort for Watkins marked his 20th consecutive double figure scoring game - a streak that began on January 6, 2024, against Wake Forest. Watkins surpassed 1,050 career points against the Norse. He has now scored 1,053 career points. Watkins tied his career high of four steals.
The 17 points for Bol Bowen ranks as his career-high as he nearly doubled his previous career-best of nine points against North Florida and at Boston College during his freshman season.
Bol Bowen had his best game in his first career start. He led the Seminoles in scoring in the first half with 15 points. He made five of nine shots from the field and was a perfect seven of seven from the free throw line. In addition to scoring a career-high 17 points, he made his career-high of seven free throws and tied his career high with two blocked shots.
Florida State's starting line-up tonight consisted of Chandler Jackson, Bol Bowen, Watkins, Bostyn Holt, and Malique Ewin. Bol Bowen, Holt, and Ewin made their first career Florida State starts. The Seminoles' lineup created an instant energy for the home team, contributing 42 of the Seminoles' 74 points. A total of 10 Florida State players scored which contributed to the victory.
"I thought we were able to get a lot of guys in the game during critical parts and have input in the game," said Hamilton. "At one time we had three or four freshmen on the floor gaining some experience."
Jackson earned a career-high four steals, helping the team capitalize and turnovers and turn into points on the board. Florida State totaled 14 steals and scored 22 points off of 22 Northern Kentucky turnovers.
Sophomore Jerry Deng led the team in three-pointers - with nine points on three made 3-point shots. He also earned a career-high tying three steals.
In the first meeting between Florida State and Northern Kentucky, the Norse were led by guard Josh Dilling, who scored 18 points.
"We were aggressive tonight, that's an area of the game that we are trying to improve on," said Hamilton.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Chandler Jackson g 24 2 5 0 1 2 2 6 0 0 0 1 3 3 0 4
1 Jamir Watkins g 26 8 17 1 5 0 0 17 1 3 4 4 1 2 0 4
3 Bostyn Holt g 19 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 2 4 2 0 0
10 Taylor Bol Bowen f 25 5 9 0 2 7 7 17 1 5 6 0 0 1 2 3
12 Malique Ewin f 19 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 3 2 0 1 0 0
5 Daquan Davis 21 3 8 0 5 2 2 8 0 3 3 4 3 2 2 0
7 Jerry Deng 15 3 7 3 6 0 0 9 0 4 4 0 0 0 1 2
11 Christian Nitu 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 A.J. Swinton 10 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
21 Alier Maluk 15 2 2 0 0 1 1 5 1 2 3 2 0 1 1 0
25 Justin Thomas 20 2 5 0 3 1 2 5 0 3 3 2 3 0 0 1
Team 1 3 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 28 63 4 22 14 18 74 7 25 32 18 14 12 6 14
Opp 200 19 49 7 28 17 23 62 5 30 35 17 14 22 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Kentucky | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Watkins' 30 Points Leads Seminoles Over Rice, 73-65.
By Jessi Wynn, Public Relations Intern
HOUSTON, Texas - Florida State's Jamir Watkins scored 30 points - including 17 in the second half - to lead the Seminoles to a 73-65 win over Rice in the first game of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2K24 Tournament at the Toyota Center. Watkins (30) and junior Malique Ewin (11) scored 41 of the Seminoles' 73 points including 28 of Florida State's 40 second half points.
The Seminoles never trailed in opening their 2024-25 season with two consecutive wins. Florida State defeated Northern Kentucky in its season opener on Monday night.
Watkins hit a 3-point shot to open the open, after a layup by Rice's Kellen Amons, made it 4-4, Taylor Bol Bowen dunk gave the Seminoles the lead for good with 16:39 left in the first half.
While the Seminoles led for the remainder of the game, Amos hit a 3-point shot that pulled Rice to within 49-46 with 10 minutes remaining but Watkins scored 16 points of his 17 second half points from there including a thunderous right-hand dunk that capped a 13-2 run and gave Florida State a 68-53 lead with 2:30 to go.
Watkins made seven of 14 field goals and a career-high 14 free throw as he surpassed the 30 point mark for the second time in his career. He scored his career-high of 34 points against Virginia Tech in the second round of the 2024 ACC Tournament on March 13, 2024.
Florida State will play their third game of the season as it plays host to Tarleton State on Tuesday at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee.
Ewin scored 11 points as he and Watkins ranked as the only two Seminoles who scored in double figures. For Florida State, nine of the 12 players who earned playing time entered their names into the scoring column. Senior Justin Thomas totaled eight points.
Ewin and Bol Bowen led the Seminoles with seven rebounds each - career-high statistics for both players. Ewin led the Seminoles with five offensive rebounds while Bol Bowen led Florida State with a career-high seven offensive rebounds Thomas, junior Chandler Jackson, and freshman Alier Maluk totaled three rebounds each.
Freshman Daquan Davis and sophomore Jerry Deng scored five points each, as both newcomers provided valuable support to the Seminoles' offensive effort.
Rice was led by Alem Huseinovic, who scored 14 points, while Kellen Amos followed with 12 points to pace the Owls' offense.
Watkins totaled three of Florida State's six steals; the Seminoles have 20 steals in the first two games of the season. With seven steals, the Seminoles scores 23 points off of 17 Rice turnovers. Bol Bowen blocked two of Florida State's seven shots.
Florida State's defense limited Rice to 19 field goals made and a .358 shooting percentage for the game.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Chandler Jackson g 24 0 2 0 2 2 3 2 1 2 3 3 0 0 0 1
1 Jamir Watkins f 35 7 14 2 4 14 22 30 1 5 6 1 1 3 1 3
3 Bostyn Holt g 14 1 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 1
10 Taylor Bol Bowen f 30 2 6 0 3 2 2 6 0 7 7 2 2 1 2 2
12 Malique Ewin f 27 4 11 0 0 3 4 11 5 2 7 3 2 2 1 1
5 Daquan Davis 20 2 4 0 1 1 2 5 1 1 2 3 0 2 1 0
7 Jerry Deng 7 2 3 1 2 0 0 5 0 1 1 4 0 1 0 0
9 Anastasios Rozakeas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
11 Christian Nitu 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
19 A.J. Swinton 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
21 Alier Maluk 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 1 0
25 Justin Thomas 22 3 7 2 5 0 1 8 1 2 3 1 2 2 1 1
Team 2 2 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 54 5 19 22 34 73 11 25 36 25 10 13 7 9
Opp 200 19 53 8 25 19 31 65 14 25 39 27 10 17 2 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Rice |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Team Effort Leads Seminoles To 72-52 Win Over Tarleton State.
By Brooke Spreitzer
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Freshman Daquan Davis scored nine points, and 12 of the 16 Seminoles who earned playing time found their way into the scoring column to lead Florida State to a 72-52 win over Tarleton State at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles' victory over the Texans upped their record to 3-0 ahead of their first game of the season against a ranked team - No. 21 Florida - on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at home.
The Seminoles are now 3-0 for the 14th time under head coach Leonard Hamilton.
Davis was one of five Seminoles who scored eight points or more as the Seminoles totaled 72 points with no player reaching doubles figure scoring for the first time this season. In addition to nine point by Davis, seniors Jamir Watkins and Bostyn Holt and juniors Chandler Jackson and Justin Thomas all scored eight points each. Sophomore Jerry Deng and freshman Alier Maluk chipped in six points each.
The rebounding totals were as spread out among the Seminoles' players as Florida State outrebounded Tarleton State by a 37-25 margin. Sophomore Taylor Bol Bowen and Jackson led the Seminoles with five rebounds each, while Watkins and freshman AJ Swinton totaled four, and junior Malique Ewin earned three rebounds.
Florida State's defense was on point against the Texans with 13 steals and six blocked shots. The Seminoles came within one steal of tying their season-high for steals (14 in their victory over Northern Kentucky) and came within one block of tying their season high for blocked shots (seven in their most recent win over Rice).
The Seminoles forced 21 turnovers which they turned into 18 points, limited the Texans to .311 percent shooting from the field and held the visitors to a season-defensive low 52 points. The Seminoles' defense held Tarleton under 50 points for the first 39 minutes of the game.
In scoring his nine points (his highest total in the first three games of his career), Davis was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line. He finished tied for the team lead in assists with three and added one steal. Davis, who has played at least 20 minutes in each of his three games, played his season-high of 23 minutes.
"You have just seen the tip of the iceberg as it relates to Daquan," said Hamilton. "He is going to get better as we understand how to play within ourselves."
Florida State, which trailed for only 45 seconds in the entire game, took control of the contest in the second half as it held Tarleton State to 24 points, only five made field goals, and a .333 shooting percentage.
The Seminole scored 39 second-half points on 13 made field goals, 12 made free throws, and a .433 overall shooting percentage.
"I thought in the second half that we did show some consistent ball movement," said Hamilton. "We got better looks, even the shots we missed from the perimeter I thought were wide open shots that you like to take. We are still showing we are a work in progress, but we want to keep winning, while we're still developing.
Jackson matched his career-high with five rebounds, three offensive and two defensive. In addition to his eight points, and five rebounds, he totaled two steals and one blocked shot.
"We all have the same goal and want the same thing," said Jackson. "We all want to go to the ACC championship, win that game and go to the (NCAA) tournament. We talk about it all the time. We have this saying now and that's how we take it every game -- 16 guys, one goal."
With eight points, Watkins was held under double figure scoring for the first time in 22 games. His double-figure scoring began on January 9, 2024 against Wake Forest and ran through Saturday's victory over Rice during which he scored 30 points. Watkins played only seven second-half minutes.
"The older guys, we set the tone," said Jackson. "That's our role. We lead and they (the younger guys) follow. So me, Jamir, and Taylor that's what we try to do. I told Coach Ham today I have been trying to lead on the defensive end, so the guys can pick it up. Once they see one of us do it, they know to do it too."
Tarleton State rotated through eight payers during the entirety of the game. Chris Mpaka finished with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. He was one of four Texans in double figure scoring.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Chandler Jackson g 18 3 4 1 2 1 2 8 2 3 5 2 0 3 1 2
1 Jamir Watkins f 18 1 5 0 4 6 10 8 0 4 4 2 0 4 0 2
3 Bostyn Holt g 15 3 4 0 1 2 2 8 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
10 Taylor Bol Bowen f 19 1 2 0 0 2 6 4 2 3 5 2 0 2 2 1
12 Malique Ewin f 12 2 3 0 0 2 2 6 0 3 3 3 1 0 0 1
4 Jason Simpson 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Daquan Davis 23 2 7 1 3 4 4 9 0 1 1 1 3 1 0 1
7 Jerry Deng 20 2 6 1 5 1 4 6 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 1
9 Anastasios Rozakeas 6 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1
11 Christian Nitu 8 2 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 0
15 Jalen Crawford 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 A.J. Swinton 14 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 1 0 1 0 0
21 Alier Maluk 13 2 2 0 0 2 2 6 1 1 2 4 0 1 1 2
25 Justin Thomas 22 2 4 0 1 4 6 8 0 1 1 0 3 1 0 2
35 Waka Mbatch 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0
43 Jesse Jones 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 5 2 7
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 49 4 21 24 38 72 11 26 37 25 11 17 6 13
Opp 200 14 45 4 15 20 28 52 7 18 25 23 10 21 7 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarleton State | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Fall To Gators.
By Jessi Wynn, Public Relations Intern
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's Sam Alexis banked home a 3-point basket as the shot clock expired with 1:35 remaining in the second half to push the No 20 Gators' late -game lead to 82-73 as they defeated the Seminoles by an 87-74 margin at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The visiting Gators closed the game on a 10-1 in the final 2:21 of the game after a Florida State flurry closed the game to a four-point deficit.
All-American candidate Jamir Watkins led the Seminoles with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles who lost for the first time in four games. It was Watkins who made a driving layup to close the Seminoles' deficit to six points at 77-71 with 2:41 left in the game.
Freshman Daquan Davis scored on a fast break lay-up at the 2:23 mark to draw the Seminoles within four at 77-73.
The Gators then scored the next 10 points to gain the road victory.
Davis played his best game as a Seminole as he scored in double figures for the first time in his career with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
"I don't have any problems instilling aggressiveness into Daquan; that's his nature," said Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton. "He was ready for the Florida game."
Watkins (19 points) and Davis (10) led four Seminoles in double figures with senior Justin Thomas scoring 11 and junior Malique Ewin adding 10.
Ewin's 10 points came as he continued to adjust to Florida State's system according to Hamilton.
"It's more challenging for Malique because he came from a system where he initiated the offense, and that's not how we play," said Hamilton. "He has good skills. It's a big leap from junior college to this level. I love his attitude, and he's eager to be on the court. He's getting constant encouragement from his teammates."
Thomas, also a first-year player for the Seminoles, was on fire from beyond the arc, sinking three 3-point shots and finishing with 11 points. He finished as the Seminoles' second-leading scorer. He was perfect from the 3-point line making all three of his long range shots.
Watkins and Taylor Bol Bowen led the team in rebounds, each grabbing seven boards.
"We are making progress," said Hamilton. "I thought we had better focus in the second half. We need to get more consistent stops, but I believe we can learn from this game. We're better prepared and more mature. We need to enhance the things we did well and work on the areas we need to improve."
Florida State totaled 12 assists with four players earning two each (Watkins, Davis, Chandler Jackson, and Bostyn Holt). The Seminoles handled the basketball well and were forced into a season-low eight turnovers.
Bol Bowen totaled three of Florida State's 10 steals. Bol Bowen, Ewin, and Jackson earned multiple steals. The Seminoles entered the game tied for the ACC lead in steals and totaled 10 or more steals for the third time in four games this season.
For the Gators, Walter Clayton Jr. was the leading scorer with 25 points. Alijah Martin scored 17 and Alex Condon led the Florida in rebounds with 12.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Chandler Jackson g 25 3 11 1 3 2 2 9 1 2 3 2 2 0 0 2
1 Jamir Watkins g 29 7 15 0 3 5 11 19 3 4 7 4 2 2 1 1
3 Bostyn Holt g 19 1 3 1 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0
10 Taylor Bol Bowen f 24 3 6 1 2 0 0 7 2 5 7 2 1 1 1 3
12 Malique Ewin f 31 4 13 0 0 2 2 10 4 0 4 2 1 4 0 2
5 Daquan Davis 24 3 6 0 2 4 6 10 0 2 2 1 2 0 1 1
7 Jerry Deng 16 1 7 1 4 0 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1
19 A.J. Swinton 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
21 Alier Maluk 9 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 0 2 0
25 Justin Thomas 19 4 6 3 3 0 0 11 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 27 70 7 20 13 21 74 14 15 29 16 12 8 5 10
Opp 200 32 61 10 28 13 17 87 13 34 47 21 12 19 4 2
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | |||
| Florida State |
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Watkins, Ewin, And Bol Bowen Lead Florida State Past Hofstra, 79-61.
By Brooke Spreitzer
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State scored the first eight points of the game, never trailed, and upped its record to 4-1 with a 79-61 victory over previously undefeated Hofstra at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Jamir Watkins led three Seminoles in double figure scoring with 17 points and tied for the team lead with junior Malique Ewin with six rebounds each. The Seminoles led for all but 22 seconds of the game in the first half (when the game was tied), and led by as many as 21 points late in the second half.
In addition to Watkins' 17 points, Ewin scored his career-high of 13 points and sophomore Taylor Bol Bowen totaled 10. Seminole head coach Leonard Hamilton utilized his available roster of 15 players with 10 scoring at least three points and nine pulling down at least one rebound.
"You didn't get a chance to see their (Hofstra's) skills and their real strength because I thought our players did a real good job tonight," said Hamilton. "Especially with Justin Thomas; his defense is excellent. He can really defend."
Defensively, the Seminoles outrebounded the Pride by a 31-27 margin, earned 14 steals, forced Hofstra into 20 turnovers (and scored 23 points off of those turnovers), and limited the visitors to just four second chance points. Florida State limited Hofstra to just five offensive rebounds.
The Seminoles never trailed and held Hofstra scoreless for the first 4:07 of the game. Florida State scored the first eight points of the game on two field goals by junior Chandler Jackson, one by Bol Bowen, and one by Ewin. Hofstra's first field goal by Michael Graham came at the 15:53 mark.
Watkins scored his game-high 17 points in a variety of ways. He made five field goals, two 3-point field goals, and was a perfect five of five from the free throw line. He also added six rebounds, two steals, and one assist in 27 minutes of playing time.
Ewin had a standout game as he reached a career high in points, scoring double-figures with 13 points as he finished the game as Florida State's second-leading scorer. He also earned a career-high three steals, surpassing his previous high of two which came in the Seminoles' victory over Rice on November 9 at the Toyota Center in Houston.
"Malique settled down a little bit, showing you a little bit more what he's capable of doing," said Hamilton.
Teamwork and sharing the ball were contributors to Florida State's success as the Seminoles made a season-high nine 3-point shots.
"We shot the ball a lot better from the free throw line tonight, which I think has been missing," said Hamilton.
Hofstra was led by sophomore guard Jean Aranguren with 14 points. Jaquan Sanders and KiJan Robinson scored 13 points each.
"I've known Coach Ham for quite a bit now," said Pride head coach Speedy Claxton. "When I played with the 76ers and started my rookie year, he was actually at training camp, so I got to meet him and built a friendship from there. I saw him earlier today, after our shoot around, and I got to talk to him for a little bit."
The Seminoles were joined courtside by alumni Robert Gilchrist and Okaro White.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Chandler Jackson g 25 3 7 0 2 3 5 9 1 2 3 1 2 0 0 1
1 Jamir Watkins g 27 5 13 2 8 5 5 17 0 6 6 4 1 2 0 2
3 Bostyn Holt g 17 2 3 2 3 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 1
10 Taylor Bol Bowen f 18 3 5 1 2 3 4 10 0 2 2 3 0 4 0 1
12 Malique Ewin f 20 6 8 0 0 1 2 13 2 4 6 3 2 1 1 3
4 Jason Simpson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Daquan Davis 17 1 3 1 2 2 2 5 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1
7 Jerry Deng 19 1 5 1 4 2 2 5 1 2 3 1 2 0 0 1
11 Christian Nitu 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
15 Jalen Crawford 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 A.J. Swinton 11 2 5 1 2 0 0 5 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
21 Alier Maluk 14 2 4 0 1 2 3 6 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
25 Justin Thomas 22 1 3 1 2 0 0 3 1 2 3 0 3 1 0 4
35 Waka Mbatch 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
43 Jesse Jones 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 57 9 26 18 23 79 10 21 31 14 15 12 2 14
Opp 200 24 50 8 24 5 7 61 5 22 27 19 14 20 0 2
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hofstra | |||
| Florida State |