2013-14 Women's Basketball - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Sue Semrau, Head Coach Melissa Bruner, Director of Operations Ronald Hughey, Assistant Coach Latara King, Graduate Assistant Josh Petersen, Graduate Assistant Dave Plettl, Strength and Conditioning Carly Thibault, Dir of Recruiting Ops Morgan Toles, Student Assistant Lance White, Associate Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff, Assistant Coach  Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Brittany Brown, 5-8, G, Fort Walton Beach
Maegan Conwright, 5-8, G, Arlington, Tex.
Kai James, 6-5, C, Palm Beach Gardens
Shakena Richardson, 5-4, G, Neptune, N.J.
Ivey Slaughter, 6-1, F, Macon, Ga.
2013-14 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 14 Gabi Alfonso G 5-6 Sr Miami (Our Lady of Lourdes Academy)
34 Gabby Bevillard F 6-3 Fr Bishop, Ga. (Oconee County)
* 3 Emiah Bingley G 5-7 So Kansas City, Mo. (Lee's Summit West/Iowa State)
* 12 Brittany Brown G 5-8 Fr Fort Walton Beach (Choctawhatchee)
* 32 Lauren Coleman F 6-0 Jr-R ** Lawrenceville, Ga. (Parkview)
15 Maegan Conwright G 5-8 Sr Arlington, Tex. (Timberview/Kentucky)
* 5 Cheetah Delgado G 5-2 Sr * Kissimmee (West Oaks Academy/Hillsborough CC)
* 22 Sareea Freeman F-C 6-4 Sr-R Fresno, Calif. (Sunnyside)
* 33 Natasha Howard F 6-3 Sr *** Toledo, Ohio (Waite)
* 0 Kai James C 6-5 Fr Palm Beach Gardens (Dwyer)
* 1 Morgan Jones G 6-2 So-R Lake Mary (Lake Mary/Northwestern)
24 Shakena Richardson G 5-4 Jr Neptune, N.J. (Neptune/Rutgers)
* 23 Ivey Slaughter F 6-1 Fr Macon, Ga. (Tattnall Square Academy)
2013-14 Roster - By Number
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 Kai James C 6-5 Fr Palm Beach Gardens (Dwyer)
* 1 Morgan Jones G 6-2 So-R Lake Mary (Lake Mary/Northwestern)
* 3 Emiah Bingley G 5-7 So Kansas City, Mo. (Lee's Summit West/Iowa State)
* 5 Cheetah Delgado G 5-2 Sr * Kissimmee (West Oaks Academy/Hillsborough CC)
* 12 Brittany Brown G 5-8 Fr Fort Walton Beach (Choctawhatchee)
* 14 Gabi Alfonso G 5-6 Sr Miami (Our Lady of Lourdes Academy)
15 Maegan Conwright G 5-8 Sr Arlington, Tex. (Timberview/Kentucky)
* 22 Sareea Freeman F-C 6-4 Sr-R Fresno, Calif. (Sunnyside)
* 23 Ivey Slaughter F 6-1 Fr Macon, Ga. (Tattnall Square Academy)
24 Shakena Richardson G 5-4 Jr Neptune, N.J. (Neptune/Rutgers)
* 32 Lauren Coleman F 6-0 Jr-R ** Lawrenceville, Ga. (Parkview)
* 33 Natasha Howard F 6-3 Sr *** Toledo, Ohio (Waite)
34 Gabby Bevillard F 6-3 Fr Bishop, Ga. (Oconee County)
2013-14 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Natasha Howard Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Defensive Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Tournament Team - 2nd Team
All-Conference - 1
2013-14 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Natasha Howard Associated Press - All-American - Honorable Mention
Women's Basketball Coaches Association - All-American - Honorable Mention
All-Americans - 1
2013-14 Schedules and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC-Greensboro | |||||
| Cincinnati | |||||
| Prairie View A&M | |||||
| Florida | |||||
| Louisville OT |
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| Stetson | |||||
| Miami of Ohio | |||||
| Michigan State ACC-Big 10 Challenge |
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| Jacksonville | |||||
| North Florida | |||||
| Pacific Long Beach Classic, Long Beach, Calif. |
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| Long Beach State Long Beach Classic |
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| Tennessee-Martin | |||||
| Pittsburgh | |||||
| Miami | |||||
| North Carolina | |||||
| North Carolina State | |||||
| Virginia | |||||
| Duke OT |
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| Virginia Tech | |||||
| Wake Forest | |||||
| Notre Dame | |||||
| Boston College | |||||
| Syracuse | |||||
| Miami | |||||
| Maryland | |||||
| Clemson | |||||
| Georgia Tech | |||||
| Virginia | |||||
| Miami OT, ACC, Greensboro, N.C. |
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| Notre Dame ACC, Greensboro, N.C. |
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| Iowa State NCAA |
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| Stanford NCAA, Ames, Iowa |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 21-12 10- 5 9- 5 2- 2 vs ACC 7- 9 3- 5 4- 4 0- 0
2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Notre Dame 16- 0 37- 1 2t Duke 12- 4 28- 7 2t Maryland 12- 4 28- 7 4 North Carolina State 11- 5 25- 8 5t North Carolina 10- 6 27-10 5t Syracuse 10- 6 23-10 7 Georgia Tech 9- 7 20-12 8 Miami 8- 8 16-15 9 Florida State 7- 9 21-12 10 Virginia 6-10 14-17 11 Wake Forest 5-11 15-16 12t Virginia Tech 4-12 14-16 12t Clemson 4-12 13-19 14t Boston College 3-13 12-19 14t Pittsburgh 3-13 11-20
2014 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT, Greensboro, NC Date Score Comments ========== ================================================== ================================== 03/05/2014 (13)Clemson 69, (12)Virginia Tech 56 Round 1 03/05/2014 (10)Virginia 74, (14)Boston College 59 Round 1 03/05/2014 (11)Wake Forest 72, (15)Pittsburgh 58 Round 1 03/06/2014 (5)Syracuse 63, (13)Clemson 53 Round 2 03/06/2014 (9)Florida State 72, (8)Miami 67 Round 2, OT 03/06/2014 (7)Georgia Tech 77, (10)Virginia 76 Round 2 03/06/2014 (6)North Carolina 69, (11)Wake Forest 65 Round 2 03/07/2014 (4)North Carolina State 79, (5)Syracuse 63 Round 3 03/07/2014 (1)Notre Dame 83, (9)Florida State 57 Round 3 03/07/2014 (2)Duke 82, (7)Georgia Tech 52 Round 3 03/07/2014 (6)North Carolina 73, (3)Maryland 70 Round 3 03/08/2014 (1)Notre Dame 83, (4)North Carolina State 48 Round 4 03/08/2014 (2)Duke 66, (6)North Carolina 61 Round 4 03/09/2014 (1)Notre Dame 69, (2)Duke 53 Round 5
2013-14 EOY Stats
--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 =================================================================================================================================== Natasha Howard 33 33 1028 266 448 .594 0 0 .000 143 220 .650 675 20.5 121 185 306 9.3 102 3 18 89 76 68 Morgan Jones 33 28 1021 134 401 .334 58 195 .297 66 89 .742 392 11.9 39 148 187 5.7 71 0 78 132 12 28 Brittany Brown 33 33 1029 120 341 .352 19 89 .213 39 71 .549 298 9.0 56 69 125 3.8 55 1 78 95 1 77 Ivey Slaughter 33 28 829 88 187 .471 0 0 .000 96 129 .744 272 8.2 99 154 253 7.7 110 6 11 61 8 52 Cheetah Delgado 33 33 1239 108 251 .430 7 28 .250 37 62 .597 260 7.9 31 85 116 3.5 46 1 216 150 3 63 Emiah Bingley 24 5 535 40 139 .288 22 77 .286 32 48 .667 134 5.6 26 32 58 2.4 43 0 28 39 0 19 Lauren Coleman 33 5 603 49 128 .383 27 80 .338 8 12 .667 133 4.0 36 47 83 2.5 43 0 33 22 1 18 Kai James 32 0 369 47 108 .435 0 0 .000 29 59 .492 123 3.8 36 63 99 3.1 55 0 2 44 17 9 Gabi Alfonso 5 0 19 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 3 2 5 1.0 5 0 0 4 0 1 Sareea Freeman 3 0 3 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Team 56 75 131 0.0 2 ============================================================================================================== FSU 33 852 2004 .425 133 469 .284 450 690 .652 2287 69.3 503 860 1363 41.3 531 11 464 638 118 335 Opp 33 765 1937 .395 211 634 .333 363 527 .689 2104 63.8 388 759 1147 34.8 622 18 470 648 90 279
Hot Offense Propels `Noles Past UNC Greensboro.
Florida State women's basketball begins the season with a 93-59 win over the Spartans following a 58.6 percent shooting display.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State women's basketball team clicked on the offensive end right from the beginning as it started its season with a 93-59 victory over UNC Greensboro on Friday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
A layup from freshman Brittany Brown three seconds into the game off the opening tip set the tone for a Seminoles (1-0) group that saw five double-figure scorers and hit a scorching 58.6 percent (41-of-70) from the field. It was Florida State's best shooting performance since hitting 62.3 percent of its shots in a victory over Yale on Dec. 28, 2011.
Senior point guard Cheetah Delgado was assertive all night, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Kissimmee, Fla., native established her career high with 10 assists as she was the driving force behind a beautiful offensive showing where Florida State did a lot of sharing of the basketball.
Delgado's 12 points and 10 assists also mark the first double-double of her Florida State career.
"It really starts with not just myself, but the team getting to good spots, setting good screens to create space to get open, me getting off the screen having space so I can see it," Delgado said. "So it really starts with our offense and just getting in the right spots and the right position."
Fellow senior Natasha Howard, a Senior CLASS Award candidate, tied her career high with 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting. The Toledo, Ohio, native was a go-to force in the second half, racking up 18 points as she became a focal point of the offense for a large stretch of time.
With a host of Seminoles running and gunning, Florida State was able to hold a decisive advantage in fast break points at 22-0. The `Noles also generated 33 points off turnovers and turned in 64 points in the paint.
However, FSU's defense also had a good performance after holding UNCG (0-1) to just 29.9 percent from the floor.
"The statistic I am most proud of is that we held them to under 30 percent from the floor and that is something that I think a growing team really needs at this point," head coach Sue Semrau said. "I was not pleased with our rebounding effort. I was not pleased with our free throw percentage and those are things that we'll make sure we shore up before we head up to Cincinnati this week."
Brown enjoyed a strong debut for FSU, tallying 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native made arguably the finest play of the game when she led the fast break down the right side and sent a behind-the-back bounce pass to a cutting Howard for a pretty layup.
Redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones added 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting while registering eight rebounds and six assists. Freshman forward Ivey Slaughter also picked up her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards in 31 minutes of action.
Through the first two media timeouts the `Noles held a 21-10 advantage, as five of the seven FSU players who saw court time were able to record a basket. Florida State got into its fast break early, with six of their first 10 points coming on the run as Delgado spear-headed FSU's quick scores down the floor.
UNCG hung around in the first half, using a layup by Janae' Stevenson with 6:27 in to stay within reach trailing 30-23. The Spartans forced a few turnovers during the stretch as they tried to close the gap and create a manageable distance before halftime.
A big flurry shortly before the end of the first half helped the `Noles take a 48-26 lead at halftime. The 16-0 run was culminated by a layup from Slaughter to punctuate the decisive stretch that saw FSU clinging to a 32-26 lead at the beginning of the run. Florida State shot 21-for-35 at the 20-minute mark, good enough for 60 percent while the Spartans were held to 10-for-32 (31.3 percent) from the field.
Florida State started the second half strong, carrying over its first-half run and creating a 22-0 run to take a 54-26 advantage at the 17:38 mark in the second half. FSU would shoot 57.1 percent in the game's final 20 minutes, outscoring the Spartans 45-33.
"It started because we took better care of the ball, we took better shots and we were able to score more easy baskets," Semrau said of the big run. "Sometimes when you take better shots offensively, it makes you better defensively."
The `Noles have now won 20 consecutive season openers and are 17-0 in season openers under Semrau. FSU entered the night averaging nearly 83 points per game under its current head coach in season openers and raised that average.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 30 6 14 1 4 0 0 13 1 7 8 0 6 3 0 3
5 Cheetah Delgado g 35 6 8 0 0 0 1 12 0 4 4 1 10 5 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 31 8 11 0 0 1 5 17 2 3 5 0 2 3 0 1
23 Ivey Slaughter f 31 4 8 0 0 4 4 12 5 6 11 5 0 3 2 1
33 Natasha Howard f 22 10 14 0 0 4 7 24 4 1 5 3 1 3 2 3
0 Kai James 24 4 11 0 0 0 2 8 1 3 4 2 0 2 4 1
14 Gabi Alfonso 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 21 3 4 1 2 0 0 7 2 5 7 1 3 0 0 1
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 41 70 2 6 9 19 93 18 30 48 13 22 20 8 13
Opp 200 20 67 5 17 14 18 59 19 15 34 17 9 22 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC-Greensboro | |||
| Florida State |
`Noles Hang on At Cincinnati.
Seminole women's basketball uses strong shooting from Morgan Jones and some clutch free throws down the stretch to defeat the Bearcats on the road, 63-58.
CINCINNATI, OH - A fine shooting display by redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones ignited a Seminole surge as the Florida State women's basketball team hung on to defeat Cincinnati, 63-58, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With the Seminoles (2-0) needing a spark midway through the first half, Jones began to take over as she finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting. The Lake Mary, Fla., native used an array of pull jumpers late in the first half and early in the second half to help FSU create a sizeable advantage that it needed badly in order to pull out the five-point win in the end.
The victory gives Florida State a 2-0 record for the seventh consecutive season. The `Noles have now won seven of their last nine road-openers and improve to 13-8 all-time against Cincinnati.
Holding a 22-point lead with 13:13 left in the game, Cincinnati stormed back and cut its deficit to 57-48 on a three-pointer with 3:35 left in the contest. A layup by Jeanise Randolph with 2:34 left cut it to 57-52, as Cincinnati used a 26-11 run over the previous 12-minute span to put the `Noles in danger.
Four consecutive free throws down the stretch helped ice the game for FSU, as Jones nailed two from the charity stripe with 14 seconds left to put the `Noles ahead at 61-55. However, Cincinnati's Dayeesha Hollins hit a three-pointer to create another one-possession game, but senior Cheetah Delgado hit two more free throws with eight seconds remaining after being fouled to create the game's final score.
Freshman Brittany Brown finished in double figures for the `Noles, adding 13 points and four rebounds. Delgado chipped in with 10 points and three assists, as FSU shot 22-for-54 from the field (40.7 percent) while holding Cincinnati to 23-for-63 (36.5 percent). The Bearcats shot much better in the second half, hitting 15 of 29 shots in the game's final 20 minutes.
While FSU's offense picked up later in the first half and early in the second half, its defense contributed to a lot of forced shots by the Bearcats (0-2) as it forced a lot of outside contested shots and defended many possessions that went down to the end of the 30-second shot clock.
The final five minutes of the first half proved worthwhile for the `Noles, as they went on a 15-2 run over the remaining 5:04 to take a 28-21 lead at halftime. Jones led Florida State with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting at halftime, while FSU managed to escape some early offensive struggles to finish 12-of-26 from the field at the half.
Florida State got off to a slow start and trailed 9-2 early following the first media timeout at 15:46. Both teams started off reliant from beyond the three-point arc until Cincinnati began forcing its way inside with some higher-percentage shots to help take an early seven-point lead.
FSU began to force a few more turnovers over the next eight minutes but were getting beat on the boards. Nonetheless, a pull-up jumper by Jones cut the FSU deficit to 16-11 with 7:34 remaining in the contest. During the stretch, senior Natasha Howard collected her second block of the game on an attempted shot in the paint by the Bearcats to give her 114 swats for her career, tying for fourth on the school list with former center Cierra Bravard.
Howard finished with eight points overall, giving her 1,168 for her career to move her into 22nd on the FSU career scoring list.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 35 8 17 2 5 4 4 22 1 5 6 1 3 3 1 2
5 Cheetah Delgado g 36 3 6 0 1 4 4 10 2 1 3 2 3 4 0 5
12 Brittany Brown g 35 4 13 0 2 5 7 13 0 4 4 4 1 2 0 1
23 Ivey Slaughter f 32 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 3 2 0 0 5
33 Natasha Howard f 28 4 9 0 0 0 2 8 3 3 6 3 0 5 3 0
0 Kai James 15 1 3 0 0 4 6 6 2 2 4 1 0 1 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 19 1 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
Team 3 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 54 2 10 17 23 63 9 21 30 15 9 15 4 13
Opp 200 23 63 5 22 7 11 58 21 22 43 17 15 24 4 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Cincinnati |
Six Double-Figure Scorers Highlight Seminole Romp.
Florida State women's basketball defeats Prairie View A&M, 88-37, led by Brittany Brown's 24 points.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State women's basketball team got plenty of scoring production on Sunday evening, highlighted by six double-figure totals as it delivered an 88-37 victory over Prairie View A&M at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
"I was really pleased with the way we came out early," Head Coach Sue Semrau said. "I thought we set the tone early. In the second half we got pretty sloppy, we did some different things and I don't think we moved our feet as well as we needed to and that's something that we'll grow into as we're playing with a lead and without fouling. I'm really proud of these two freshmen sitting next to me (Ivey Slaughter and Brittany Brown). Not the points or the rebounds but just their heart and effort and what they do day in and day out."
Freshman shooting guard Brittany Brown led the Seminoles (3-0) with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native becomes the first freshman at Florida State to produce a 20-point performance since teammate Natasha Howard dropped 21 against Arizona State on Nov. 27, 2010.
Brown's 24-point effort makes her the third `Nole to reach the 20-point plateau in three games played this season, joining redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones (22 vs. Cincinnati) and Howard (24 vs. UNCG). Brown was relentless all evening attacking the lane, and also generated five steals, five rebounds and four assists.
"We've been working on [in practice] executing our plays, working all the way through and trying to work different options and just to get repetition and get ready for those bigger teams," Brown added.
For Florida State, its 37 points allowed were the fewest surrendered since allowing just 35 points to Stetson in a 101-35 win on Nov. 20, 2009. Prairie View A&M found it difficult to get open looks inside the paint, being held to 21.8 percent from the floor. The `Noles suffocating defense included forcing 28 turnovers and getting 17 steals.
Freshman forward Ivey Slaughter picked up her second double-double of the season, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds. She made 13 trips to the free-throw line and attacked the basket all night, while Florida State got 40 chances from the charity stripe and made 27.
Freshman center Kai James earned some big minutes, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and adding four rebounds and two blocks. Senior Cheetah Delgado was very multi-faceted once again, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, picking up four assists and adding three steals. Delgado has hit in double figures in all three games played this season.
Jones chipped in with 11 points and added 10 boards, her first double-double as a `Nole. Howard added 10 points to round out the double-figure scorers, while redshirt junior Lauren Coleman had six.
Florida State was efficient from the floor once again, shooting 29-for-59 for 49.2 percent. Every player who saw court time earned at least two rebounds as FSU held a large edge on the glass against a much smaller Panther (0-3) squad, 51-31.
The `Noles were able to record 20 second-chance points and managed to hold Prairie View A&M to no points off second opportunities. Florida State jumped to a 50-10 lead at halftime and was dominant defensively again in the second half. At one point in the game, Prairie View A&M was held without a field goal for 11:18. FSU outscored the Panthers in the second half, 38-27.
Florida State used a 23-0 run to help close out the first half with a 50-10 lead on 54 percent shooting. The last time FSU recorded 50-plus points in a half was the second half at Miami on Feb. 12, 2012, when it recorded 54 points en route to a 93-78 victory. Every FSU student-athlete that saw court time in the first 20 minutes had at least four points recorded.
Florida State started a bit off-key but found its rhythm through forcing turnovers in the early going. The `Noles took an 8-2 lead into the first media timeout with consecutive baskets scored by Delgado, including the final one being a nice one-foot jumper in the lane. Delgado's two early steals helped FSU get some easy buckets early.
The `Noles used a key 17-2 run to fuel a 21-4 lead on Jones' left-handed layup with 11:15 remaining in the first half. Jones made a nice cut in the lane and was fed by Delgado, who penetrated to the hoop and gave a nice dish. Slaughter helped spark the run with a nice and-1 bucket underneath and a few free throws to give the `Noles a strong presence inside.
FSU took a commanding 38-9 lead in the first half on a few buckets by James, who had a soft finish inside and a jumper from the elbow. Delgado took command on the fast break and helped the `Noles deliver 15 points off turnovers while getting good finishes inside, contributing to their 22 points in the paint with 4:11 left in the half.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 29 4 13 1 6 2 2 11 1 9 10 4 1 6 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 31 6 10 0 0 0 1 12 1 2 3 2 4 2 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 32 8 15 1 3 7 10 24 3 2 5 3 4 5 0 5
23 Ivey Slaughter f 28 2 4 0 0 9 13 13 3 8 11 5 1 1 1 4
33 Natasha Howard f 24 2 5 0 0 6 8 10 2 3 5 1 1 3 1 2
0 Kai James 23 5 7 0 0 2 3 12 1 3 4 4 1 2 2 1
14 Gabi Alfonso 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 25 2 5 1 3 1 3 6 3 2 5 1 3 3 0 1
Team 2 4 6
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 29 59 3 12 27 40 88 16 35 51 22 15 22 4 17
Opp 200 12 55 1 12 12 19 37 11 20 31 23 6 28 3 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View A&M | |||
| Florida State |
Jones' 24 Leads `Noles Past Gators.
Florida State women's hoops moves to 4-0 after defeating rival Florida on the road, 76-68, behind Morgan Jones' big game.
GAINESVILLE, FL - Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones netted a season-high 24 points, including five closing free throws in the final minute, to help Florida State women's basketball earn a 76-68 win at Florida on Thursday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
The win for the Seminoles (4-0) marks their fourth win over the Gators (3-2) in the last five seasons dating back to 2009-10. Jones' 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting were a product of spot-up jumpers from beyond the arc and some key drives to the basket. For the remaining 1:34 of the game, the Lake Mary, Fla., native also assumed point-guard duties as UF made a serious effort to get itself back in the game.
Florida State drained a season-best eight 3-pointers in the contest, and used a 55.6 percent shooting effort in the second half (15-of-27) to grab a 16-point lead with 10 minutes and hang on at the end.
"I think our runs were key tonight," head coach Sue Semrau said following her 500th game at Florida State. "I think sustaining the runs was big and Morgan Jones really helped us there when Cheetah fouled out late. Overall, it was a good win for us."
The `Noles were also effective at the free-throw line, hitting 18 of 22 shots (81.8 percent) as it began to attack the lane with greater efficiency in the second half. With both teams employing zone defenses, shots from the inside were hard to come by in the first half until things opened up more in the final 20 minutes.
Jones, who went 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, also had nine boards and hit four three-pointers. It was the seventh 20-point performance of her collegiate career and her 28th double-figure outing.
Delgado tied her career high with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added eight assists. When the offense would break down, Delgado did a great job of making plays by driving to the hoop or finding the open shooter.
Freshman Brittany Brown gave FSU a big boost in the second half, scoring 13 points overall and draining some big shots during an important stretch in the second half where FSU outscored UF 24-13 in the first 10 minutes. Senior Natasha Howard added 11 points and eight boards, and put together some quality post baskets when UF was creeping back into the game with five minutes remaining.
FSU out-rebounded the Gators 42-38 and forced 23 turnovers. The `Noles held UF's leading scorer Jaterra Bonds to just 12 points on 1-of-11 shooting. UF shot just 31.7 percent from the floor (20-for-63) and relied heavily on its nine three-pointers for scoring chances.
Lauren Coleman's three-pointer from the corner gave FSU a 58-42 lead with 10:03 left off a nice drive and dish from Delgado. However, the Gators got a couple turnovers and went on a quick 7-0 run to make it a nine-point game at 58-49. Howard stopped the bleeding by catching the ball in the post and putting it off the glass to make it 60-49. A nice seal by Kai James resulted in an easy basket underneath to then put FSU ahead 64-50 with 7:21 left.
UF made a run and cut the `Noles lead to 69-62 on a layup by January Miller with 3:07 remaining. Ronni Williams then put in a left-handed layup to cut the deficit to 69-64, but Delgado came back to make two clutch free throws 2:28 left. The `Noles then clung to a 71-66 lead with Delgado fouled out, and Jones executed down the stretch with her five three throws to seal the game.
In the second half the `Noles started by countering every Florida basket, as Brown canned two three-pointers from the wing including a long-range one from about 23 feet to put FSU ahead 42-35 with 17:34 left. Delgado then came down the floor and used a few seals from her teammates for a quick drive to the basket for two, making it 44-35 `Noles.
Florida State took a 34-29 lead into the locker room at halftime, holding Florida to just 7-of-27 from the field. Jones was already halfway toward her career high in points as she had 14 which include three treys to help the `Noles to a five-point lead. FSU was able to force 12 turnovers by UF, which helped it to its largest lead of the first half which was a 30-19 advantage on a jump shot inside by Kai James.
Both teams showed their defensive prowess early as the `Noles held just a 5-4 lead going into the first media timeout at the 15:44 mark of the first half. FSU's first two baskets were a result of Delgado's driving in the lane, as she kicked out a three-pointer for Brown and made a nice pass to Jones for an easy basket.
Jones began to heat up as FSU held a 22-14 lead with 7:13 remaining in the first half. In the hot-scoring stretch, she delivered three 3-pointers and Brown capped the lead with a nice dribble and drive to the hoop to force a timeout by the Gators.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 38 6 12 4 6 8 10 24 2 7 9 1 1 6 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 37 5 7 0 1 4 4 14 0 1 1 5 8 6 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 32 5 18 3 9 0 0 13 2 4 6 5 5 4 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 32 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 9 3 0 3 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 23 3 5 0 0 5 6 11 3 5 8 4 0 3 4 0
0 Kai James 17 3 4 0 0 1 2 7 1 2 3 4 0 4 2 2
32 Lauren Coleman 21 2 6 1 5 0 0 5 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 2
Team 4 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 55 8 21 18 22 76 11 31 42 22 15 26 6 11
Opp 200 20 63 9 20 19 27 68 16 22 38 22 12 23 1 16
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Florida |
`Noles Fall to No. 4/3 Louisville in Overtime.
Florida State women's hoops goes toe-to-toe on the road with defending NCAA runner-ups but loses 69-59 in overtime at the KFC Yum! Center.
LOUISVILLE, KY - The Florida State women's basketball team hung with No. 4/3 Louisville all afternoon but ultimately fell to the NCAA national runner-ups in overtime, 69-59, on Sunday afternoon in front of 10,045 fans at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Seminoles (4-1) had a chance to virtually win the game with four seconds left in regulation but missed a shot from beyond the arc to force the extra period. From there, the Cardinals (6-0) outscored the `Noles 15-5 to earn the victory.
"I'm very proud of the way we played," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "We rebounded well and stuck to our game plans, mixed up our defenses. Natasha Howard was a workhorse today and does so many things for us. She's a double-double waiting to happen and really helped us out today."
Howard finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for her 27th career double-double, just four shy of tying the school record held by Sue Galkantas (1981-84) at 31. The Toledo, Ohio, native shot 6-of-10 from the field and gave Florida State a tremendous inside presence defensively with three blocks.
Howard's 13 points now give her 1,202 for her career, moving her past both Christy Derlak (1990-94) and Courtney Ward (2007-11) for 20th on the school list. She also moves into eighth in rebounds with 778 for her career.
Louisville came into the game averaging 95.2 points per game but was stymied many times by a suffocating Florida State defense. The `Noles held UofL to 36.4 percent shooting and outrebounded the Cardinals (6-0) 46-40. In the second half, Louisville was reliant on the shooting of guard Shoni Schimmel, who finished with 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting including 5-of-14 from 3-point range.
Senior Cheetah Delgado had another strong performance, going 6-of-12 for 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Freshman Ivey Slaughter added nine points and nine boards, while freshman Kai James had six rebounds and two blocks.
FSU was hurt by its 26 turnovers, which were converted into 29 points by the Cardinals. However, the `Noles once again had the edge in the paint, winning 36-26.
Louisville tried to break the game open in the second half but FSU held on dearly, with the game knotted at 38-38 at the 11:24 mark. Shoni Schimmel began to catch fire from deep but FSU held tough with its gritty defense. James aided the `Noles by altering shots underneath and hit a turnaround hook shot to help FSU tie the game at the third media timeout of the second half.
The Cardinals looked to seize the momentum when Jude Schimmel took a steal down the center of the court for a fastbreak layup to put Louisville ahead 46-40 with 6:49 remaining in the game. However, FSU countered with an 8-0 run which was capped by a layup by Slaughter with the foul to put the `Noles ahead 48-46 with 3:11 remaining.
The `Noles clung to a 29-25 lead at halftime, as Louisville's Shoni Schimmel drained a 3-pointer from the wing to close out the half. Florida State forced 13 turnovers but also committed the same amount on offense, and held a good-shooting team to just eight field goals and 28.6 percent shooting in the first half.
Howard put in nine points and pulled down seven boards in what was a good showing through the first 20 minutes for the senior leader. She shot 4-of-6 from the field and used a few moves in the paint to get good looks. FSU did its best to work the ball around and shot 12-of-30 (40 percent) through the game's first 20 minutes.
Florida State got off to a good defensive start and capitalized on opportunities from the offensive end. Howard and Slaughter was very active inside, generating four points apiece early, and a pull-up jumper by Morgan Jones in transition gave FSU a 10-4 lead at the 14:55 mark of the first half.
The `Noles went on a 15-0 run early in the game, highlighted by a couple 3-pointers from Lauren Coleman and Brittany Brown to extend the lead to 19-4 with 12:45 remaining. Louisville had a few quick baskets to get back in the game, but FSU's defense held tough and forced tough contest shots from outside the paint.
A 9-0 run by the Cardinals, trailing 24-12, allowed them to get right back in the game as Antonita Slaughter provided eight of those points during the run. However, a straightaway jumper by Delgado with 1:13 remaining helped stop the momentum a little until Schimmel's 3-ball to end the first half.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 40 3 12 1 4 0 1 7 0 7 7 3 0 5 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 43 6 12 0 1 0 0 12 1 4 5 0 4 6 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 43 2 9 1 3 2 4 7 0 4 4 2 1 4 0 4
23 Ivey Slaughter f 25 4 7 0 0 1 4 9 1 8 9 4 0 2 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 28 6 10 0 0 1 1 13 9 5 14 5 2 3 3 1
0 Kai James 17 2 4 0 0 1 2 5 1 5 6 2 0 4 2 0
32 Lauren Coleman 29 2 8 2 6 0 0 6 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 225 25 62 4 14 5 12 59 12 34 46 17 9 26 5 8
Opp 225 24 66 8 25 13 19 69 10 30 40 16 18 16 1 11
| 1 | 2 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | ||||
| Louisville |
Howard Nets Career-High 26 in Win over Stetson.
Senior forward for Florida State women's hoops has one of her best performances in 30-point rout over the Hatters.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Senior forward Natasha Howard posted a dominant 26-point, 10-rebound performance as the Florida State women's basketball team cruised past in-state foe Stetson, 79-49, on Friday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Howard, who was recently named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, poured in a career high in points mainly from getting touches deep in the low post. The Toledo, Ohio, native shot 11-of-14 from the field, with her 11 field goals tying for the most this season by an ACC player. Howard's shots made also were her career high, marking a special performance in what was her 100th career start.
The 6-foot-3 versatile performer recorded her second double-double of the season and the 28th of her career, leaving her three shy of tying the school record of 31 by Sue Galkantas (1981-84). Howard also added four blocks and four steals in the contest, and moved up the career list for points (19th), rebounds (eighth) and steals (20th).
"We did a good job of sharing the ball tonight," Florida State head coach Sue Semrau said following the game. "It was a game of runs again for us and we were able to take advantage of some opportunities. I thought Natasha played very well for us and finished well inside and gave us a strong presence in the low post."
The Seminoles (5-1) have dominated all season long with points in the paint and Friday's matchup was no different. Thanks to Howard's plentiful amount of buckets on the inside, the `Noles outscored the Hatters (3-3) in the paint, 32-14. For the season, FSU has outscored its opponent on the inside, 188-112.
Redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones added 16 points and nine rebounds for FSU, which out-rebounded Stetson 47-25. Jones drained four 3-pointers, one shy of her career high set a few seasons ago, and added seven assists. Redshirt junior Lauren Coleman chipped in with a career-best 12 points, going 5-of-11 from the field.
Florida State shot 46.9 percent overall (30-of-64) while holding Stetson to just 32.1 percent. The `Noles were aided by six 3-pointers and shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc, a season-best percentage. A season-best nine blocks were part of FSU's staunch defensive effort, led by four apiece from Howard and freshman Kai James.
The win for FSU was significant in a few ways - the `Noles have won seven consecutive games against teams from the state of Florida. During that time span, FSU has defeated Miami three times, Florida twice and Stetson twice.
The `Noles also extended their non-conference win streak at home to 12 games. FSU has not lost to a non-ACC foe at home since losing to Nebraska, 66-63, on Nov. 27, 2011.
Holding a single-digit lead at halftime, FSU chipped away in the second half and was able to generate 15 points off turnovers. Florida State would go on small runs in the latter period, using a 9-0 run to end the game and build its largest lead at 30 points on a couple free throws by Jones.
Stetson cut its deficit to 39-33 at the start of the second half when Jama Sharp drilled a long-range shot from the wing, but FSU responded with a quick 5-0 spurt on a 3-ball from Jones and a score inside from Howard. Stetson shot better from long range than short range, while FSU made the most of its high-percentage shots in the lane.
FSU took a 39-30 lead into the locker room, trying to break free until Stetson had a late run to cut the game to single digits. Brittany Brown helped Florida State with 10 points as she looked to drive the lane often and convert on a few transition buckets. Howard was also efficient, shooting 4-of-6 and stuffing the stat sheet with eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 17 minutes.
The `Noles started off hot from the field nearly midway through the first half. Florida State held a 25-11 advantage at the 12-under media timeout after shooting 9-of-11 from the floor, highlighted by Brown's eight points. FSU was able to convert several forced turnovers into quick points on the other end of the floor, as Cheetah Delgado already totaled four assists at the 11:54 mark.
FSU looked as if it would break away late in the first half, but Stetson held tough and trailed 37-27 with 1:40 remaining in the first half. Leading scorer Sasha Sims kept the Hatters in the game with 10 points, and finished with 16 overall.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 34 5 7 4 6 2 2 16 0 9 9 3 7 4 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 35 3 5 0 1 0 0 6 1 0 1 1 8 5 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 33 5 10 0 2 0 0 10 0 4 4 1 3 4 0 1
23 Ivey Slaughter f 22 1 6 0 0 7 8 9 2 2 4 5 1 1 1 3
33 Natasha Howard f 32 11 14 0 0 4 7 26 3 7 10 2 1 2 4 4
0 Kai James 16 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 9 0 0 1 4 0
14 Gabi Alfonso 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 25 5 11 2 4 0 0 12 2 2 4 1 3 0 0 2
Team 3 2 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 30 64 6 13 13 17 79 15 32 47 13 23 17 9 14
Opp 200 17 53 7 19 8 8 49 4 21 25 16 11 22 5 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson | |||
| Florida State |
Florida State Escapes With Win Over Miami-Ohio.
Seminole women's basketball ramps up the pressure in the second half to get past the RedHawks on the road, 71-62.
OXFORD, OH - A key closing stretch spear-headed by the Seminole defense allowed the Florida State women's basketball team to escape with a 71-62 victory over Miami-Ohio on Sunday afternoon at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio.
The Seminoles (6-1) outscored the RedHawks (1-5) 42-27 in the second half and ramped up the pressure on defense while dominating the boards on the inside. Florida State trailed by 10 with 14:17 remaining in the game, but used a big 12-0 run over the next four minutes to build momentum with a 48-46 lead.
Miami-Ohio held tough and used a couple free throws to cut its deficit to 62-61 later in the game, but the key stretch came when redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones recorded back-to-back baskets to give the `Noles some cushion at 66-61 with 2:24 left. From there, a couple free throws by senior Cheetah Delgado sealed the game with a 68-61 lead and just over a minute left.
"They put us in position where we were on the free-throw line a lot in the second half," head coach Sue Semrau said following the game. "We stepped it up compared to the first half and was able to come out with a lot of energy and get another road win. We talk about bringing your own energy and I thought our increased trips to the free-throw line in the second half helped create more energy."
Florida State's aggressiveness in the second half on offense and defense was a key factor to Sunday's win. The `Noles shot 15-of-19 from the charity stripe in the second half by getting to the basket and not settling for contested jumpers. Overall, Florida State out-rebounded the RedHawks 44-27, the sixth opponent it has out-rebounded this season.
Freshman forward Ivey Slaughter seemed to come up with every big rebound on defensive stops, totaling a career-high 15 boards to go along with 12 points. It was Slaughter's third double-double of the season. Toledo, Ohio native Natasha Howard recorded her 29th career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, coming up big in the game's final 20 minutes. Howard is now two double-doubles shy of the school record of 31 held by Sue Galkantas (1981-84).
Freshman Brittany Brown led the `Noles with 16 points, burying a few big 3-pointers in the second half to aid FSU's comeback. Florida State shot 37.3 percent for the game and allowed a season-high 10 3-pointers to the RedHawks, but used its big edge on the glass to help get 23 second-chance points.
The RedHawks tried to pull away leading 46-36 early into the second half, but FSU went on a quick 7-0 run led by Howard and the defense of Slaughter to make it 46-43 with 12:26 remaining. An intense couple of minutes followed as both teams traded 3's, but Brown got hot with a few of her own to help FSU take a 56-52 advantage with just over 7 ½ minutes to play.
FSU tried to break away with four minutes to play leading 62-56, but Miami-Ohio came back with a 3 and a few free throws on their next possession to cut the FSU lead to 62-61. However, the `Noles got a couple key possessions from Jones as she hit a straightaway 15-footer then converted on a layup underneath to make it 66-61 with 2:17 left.
Miami-Ohio led Florida State 35-29 at halftime as it used six 3-pointers to its advantage. Florida State shot 10-of-31 while Miami-Ohio was 12-of-30 as half of its scores came from beyond the arc. Lauren Coleman's career-high three treys aided FSU's offense as it committed 13 turnovers that turned into 10 Miami points. The six-point deficit marked the first time FSU trailed at halftime this season.
FSU tried to find its rhythm offensively and held a 7-5 lead through the first media timeout with 15:43 left in the first half. Five of FSU's points came by Jones as she drilled an open 3-pointer from the wing and finished a left-handed layup inside.
The `Noles struggled for quality looks inside against the RedHawks' 2-3 zone and trailed 15-11 with 11:35 left in the first half. Miami-Ohio stayed patient on offense and nailed five of its first 10 shots, led by Nicole Anderson's five points.
For the game, Hannah Robertson led four double-figure scorers for the RedHawks with 13 points.
Freshman Kai James stepped in and gave the `Noles a spark but they still trailed 20-17 with 7:39 remaining in the first half. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native came in and got a few buckets inside while altering a couple shots on defense. The `Noles were hurt by Miami-Ohio's ability to keep offensive possessions and get second-chance points.
Needing a few big shots from the outside, Coleman came in and hit an open trey from the wing and later followed with a straightaway shot off the glass to tie the game at 24-24. Miami-Ohio was content with settling for shots from beyond the arc, with 13 of its first 25 field goals attempted coming from 3-point range.
The `Noles improve to 9-1 all-time against the current Mid-American Conference opponents, including 3-0 vs. Miami-Ohio.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 32 5 15 1 7 3 4 14 2 4 6 2 5 7 0 4
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 1 5 0 0 2 2 4 2 1 3 1 5 4 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 35 6 18 3 7 1 1 16 1 1 2 0 2 3 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter f 36 2 5 0 0 8 10 12 7 8 15 4 1 3 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 33 3 10 0 0 6 10 12 6 4 10 4 1 2 0 2
0 Kai James 9 2 3 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 1 2 1 2 1 0
32 Lauren Coleman 16 3 4 3 4 0 0 9 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1
Team 1 4 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 60 7 18 20 28 71 21 23 44 13 16 21 1 12
Opp 200 20 50 10 28 12 13 62 7 20 27 24 16 24 1 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Miami of Ohio |
Howard Helps `Noles Edge No. 25 Michigan State.
Senior forward pours in 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Florida State to Top 25 win over the Spartans, 60-58.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A second-half spark led by senior All-America candidate Natasha Howard allowed the Florida State women's basketball team to earn a hard-fought 60-58 win over No. 25 Michigan State on Wednesday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Led by Howard's 30th career double-double with 23 points and 12 boards, the Seminoles (7-1) picked up their 26th USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 win under head coach Sue Semrau. It was also FSU's 16th USA Today Top 25 victory since the 2008-09 season.
"The challenge in the second half was that our team needed to have more mental toughness and I thought Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado really led the charge in that way and weren't going to be denied," Semrau said following the game.
"Michigan State is a great basketball team. They've got a lot of different weapons. They can shoot it deep as you saw all the way to the final buzzer. They have a really nice inside game. They were hard to defend. I thought our kids did a great job of understanding personnel - who we need to pay attention to in certain situations."
Howard's third 20-point performance of the season wasn't her only highlight on the night. On the opposite end, she added three blocks and two steals and forced several contested jump shots. With FSU clinging to a 58-55 lead with 15 seconds left following a made free-throw by Delgado, Michigan State sharp-shooter Annalise Pickrel missed a tying attempt from long range that Howard got out in front of and contested. Two free throws with four seconds remaining by freshman Ivey Slaughter sealed the game.
Pickrel wound up shooting 8-of-14 for the Spartans (5-3), scoring 20 points to become the first opposing player to score 20 or more points in regulation play against the Seminoles this season.
One of the biggest plays down the stretch of the game came when Florida State led 56-55 late. With 32 seconds remaining, Pickrel attempted a long-range jumper and missed, but corralled her own rebound and tried calling a timeout when she was scrambling on the floor. However, with Michigan State having no timeouts remaining, a technical foul was issued, allowing FSU to split two separate trips to the line and take a 58-55 advantage with 15 seconds remaining. Florida State shot just 32.8 percent for the game, but came through by shooting 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) in the second half while showcasing a much smoother offense. FSU continued to pound the ball inside to Howard, but redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones also aided the offense with 15 points including three 3-pointers.
By getting the ball to Howard and getting other slashers to the hoop, FSU held a wide edge in the free throw department. The `Noles shot 19-of-30 while Michigan State was held to 5-of-7 overall, choosing to shoot more from beyond the arc with 27 3-point attempts compared to FSU's 10.
Wednesday's matchup was tight throughout, with FSU holding its widest lead at seven points with a 56-49 advantage on Brittany Brown's layup with 2:49 left. That's when back-to-back 3's by Pickrel tightened the game to 56-55 before the technical foul occurred.
FSU forced 25 turnovers and used 15 points off the miscues in the second half to get easier looks. The taller Spartans did outrebound the `Noles, 46-36, to mark just the second time this season FSU has lost the battle on the glass.
Michigan State and Florida State waged a rough first half with the Spartans holding a 25-21 advantage. Howard led the `Noles with eight points but both teams struggled to find a rhythm with the game being very physical in the paint.
Defenses reigned in the early going as the first basket of the game came on a layup from FSU's Jones more than three minutes into the game. FSU held Michigan State to 1-of-6 through the 15:05 mark and used a reverse layup by Howard to go ahead early 4-3.
Florida State went cold midway through the second half, shooting just 2-of-16 from the floor as Michigan State held an 11-8 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first half. The `Noles' best option was forcing the ball inside to Howard, whose physicality down low allowed her to get to the line for some free points. The Spartans also had a rough shooting start, shooting 27 percent (5-of-18).
The `Noles fought hard to stay in the game, trailing 21-17 with 3:48 left in the first half. FSU continued to look for Howard in the line and the pace of play began to tighten up to where more fouls were called underneath for FSU. Through the final media timeout of the first half, the 'Noles were 8-of-12 from the free-throw line while the Spartans were 3-of-4.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 37 5 14 3 5 2 4 15 0 4 4 4 1 5 1 2
5 Cheetah Delgado g 37 1 7 0 0 4 6 6 0 2 2 1 4 2 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 35 4 13 0 4 0 0 8 0 2 2 0 3 4 0 4
23 Ivey Slaughter f 34 1 7 0 0 4 6 6 5 6 11 3 1 2 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 38 7 14 0 0 9 14 23 3 9 12 1 0 2 3 2
0 Kai James 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 13 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
Team 1 2 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 58 3 10 19 30 60 10 26 36 9 9 17 4 12
Opp 200 22 62 9 27 5 7 58 12 34 46 22 9 25 2 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | |||
| Florida State |
Florida State Stifles Jacksonville.
Top-notch defensive effort by Seminole women's hoops leads to a 71-33 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State women's hoops team used a fine defensive effort that included allowing a season-low in points as it cruised past Jacksonville, 71-33, on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles (8-1) held the Dolphins (3-3) to just 25.4 percent from the field (15-for-59) as their zone defense forced tough, contested jump shots and made it difficult for JU to penetrate the lane and get quality looks. Jacksonville's 33 points scored was lower than FSU's previous season-best performance against Prairie View A&M, which included allowing 37 points.
"I was pleased with a lot of things that we saw today," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "I thought we were a little bit more patient than we have been in the past, but still not patient enough for a coach. We will have some opportunities for some things to work on during finals week, but it is always nice to beat an in-state opponent."
The `Noles have now defeated eight consecutive opponents from the state of Florida, a streak that began when FSU defeated rival Florida last season by a 98-67 score on Nov. 15, 2012. Their win over Jacksonville included a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds from senior All-America candidate Natasha Howard, who fell one rebound shy of tying the school record for double-doubles.
Howard made more history at Florida State as her 18 points elevated her career scoring total to 1,281 points, jumping to 15th all-time at FSU.
Freshman forward Ivey Slaughter aided the `Noles in the scoring column with a career-high 14 points while adding seven boards. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones was comfortable shooting the ball and helping run the offense, finishing with 15 on 5-of-9 shooting and adding eight rebounds and four assists.
FSU created havoc once again on the defensive end by forcing 26 turnovers and rushing the JU offense by putting pressure on its ball-handlers in the paint. Howard added four blocks for the `Noles in addition to her 71st career double-figure scoring game, and the `Noles also limited the Dolphins from beyond the arc by forcing them to go 0-for-11.
"They always say that offense comes later and the defense comes first, and I've been really pleased how we've been playing defensively," Semrau added. "Offensively, I think we've turned the ball over too many times. We don't really understand all that we're doing yet, and that's to be expected with a young team - not just young players, but a young collection of players. Learning each other is something we will spend a lot of time on now that we have an opportunity to practice without opponent preparation."
Florida State's win improves its home win streak vs. nonconference competition to 15 games.
Other FSU players started to get more involved in the offense in the second half, as the `Noles held a 52-23 lead with 11:58 remaining. Freshman Brittany Brown and Slaughter were beneficiaries of point guard Cheetah Delgado's attack-mode style where she drove the lane and dished, giving FSU some easy buckets.
Howard's 10 points helped Florida State to a 35-13 halftime lead, the second-lowest halftime point total by an opponent this season. Jacksonville managed to hit just 5-of-33 shots in the first half thanks to a suffocating FSU defense that also amassed five blocks. While FSU dominated early, it used a 13-0 run to turn a 19-9 lead into a 32-9 advantage highlighted by a patented rainbow 3-pointer from Jones.
FSU shot well in the game's first 20 minutes, going 15-of-30 from the floor.
Florida State started off hot from the field, storming to a 12-0 lead through the first media timeout at 15:55. Howard fittingly started the game with an inside turnaround bucket to move into a tie for 16th on the FSU career scoring list.
The `Noles kept the pressure on and held the Dolphins scoreless through the first 4:10 until Sherrand Reddick hit a mid-range jumper to put JU on the scoreboard. Jones helped run the offense and dished out three assists in the first eight minutes while Howard led FSU with six points early. Freshman James also got into the act early with a turnaround shot off the glass and another shot from 15 feet to help FSU to an 18-5 advantage. James would finish with seven points.
Queen Alford led Jacksonville with eight points and four field goals made. FSU's win ends the Dolphins' three-game win streak.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 29 5 9 3 5 2 4 15 0 9 9 1 4 3 1 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 33 1 7 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 0 6 3 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 33 4 11 0 4 3 4 11 1 3 4 0 3 6 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 29 5 7 0 0 4 4 14 3 4 7 1 0 2 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 33 8 12 0 0 2 7 18 2 7 9 0 1 3 4 4
0 Kai James 17 3 5 0 0 1 5 7 2 2 4 4 0 2 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 26 2 5 0 3 0 0 4 2 2 4 0 2 0 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 28 56 3 12 12 24 71 13 30 43 6 16 19 5 11
Opp 200 15 61 0 11 3 5 33 16 20 36 20 5 26 0 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | |||
| Florida State |
Physical `Noles Get Past UNF.
The combination of senior Natasha Howard and freshman Ivey Slaughter down low was the big difference in No. 24/25 FSU's 61-42 win on Monday evening.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A commanding presence in the low post by senior forward Natasha Howard and freshman Ivey Slaughter was the big difference as No. 24/25 Florida State women's basketball got past North Florida, 61-42, on Monday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
In a game that featured plenty of physical play from both teams, the Seminoles (9-1) earned their fifth consecutive win by getting easier chances to score down in the low post. Slaughter established a career high with 19 points and added 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. The Macon, Ga., native earned 11 of her points from the free-throw line by showing her aggressiveness in the paint.
Howard recorded her 72nd career double-figure scoring effort with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes of action. It was the ninth time in 10 games the Toledo, Ohio, native notched double digits in the scoring column, as she moved into 14th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,299 career points.
"I can tell that it's been eight days since we've played," head coach Sue Semrau said of Florida State's performance. "I thought we were extremely rusty in some areas. I did like the effort that I saw. Even though things weren't going our way I thought we had great effort from a lot of individuals and that's always really important. Now we've got to really go back and work because we have three great teams - we'll face two of the three when we go out to California."
A major highlight of Monday's game was the season debut of sophomore guard Emiah Bingley, an Iowa State transfer who enrolled at Florida State last January and had to miss virtually all of the fall semester due to NCAA transfer rules. In 28 minutes of action, Bingley provided plenty of energy as she chipped in with six points and four rebounds in the win.
"You know, it wasn't as nerve wracking as I thought it would be," Bingley said of playing her first game as a Seminole. "I felt calm. I felt like I hadn't sat out a whole year. It was really good to get out there and be a part of the team."
The `Noles held the Ospreys (2-7) right around its season average in terms of field goal percentage defense to 32.6 percent (15-of-46). UNF was led by Amber Robinson's 10 points. Robinson is the sister of heralded Florida State athletic trainer Amanda Robinson.
As has been the case all season, FSU's driving attack and forcing the ball in the post allowed for many chances at the free throw line. The `Noles shot 22-of-33 from the charity stripe, while UNF shot 5-of-12. FSU was the beneficiary of 24 fouls called on the Ospreys, and dominated the points in the paint battle, 30-10.
In the second half, Bingley's 3-ball from the corner put FSU ahead 38-21 with 16:06 left in the game. The shot was more significant in that it was the `Noles' first made field goal from outside the paint. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones then followed with a long-range shot, and a nice transition basket by Slaughter off a beautiful cross-court pass from Jones put FSU ahead 43-22 with just under 13 minutes left in the game.
Jones would finish with nine points in the contest, including two three-pointers. She has garnered multiple 3's in six of her 10 games played this season.
For the second straight game, FSU did not allow points for the first six minutes until UNF's Robinson hit a jumper at the 14:36 mark to make it 11-2 `Noles in the first half. Just over a minute later Destinee Smith hit a triple to cut the Osprey deficit to 11-5. FSU looked to get the ball inside and utilize its season-long edge in points in the paint, as Howard had six points and Slaughter added five at the 12-minute mark of the first half.
The Ospreys tried hanging around, getting another 3-pointer by Flo Ward to cut FSU's lead to 17-8 at the 7:58 mark of the first half. FSU struggled from the field early, shooting of 6-of-18 and just 5-of-10 from the free throw line. UNF's shooting woes continued as it was 3-of-14 through the third media timeout.
More suffocating defense led to a 23-11 lead for FSU, as UNF was held without a field goal for nearly four minutes going into the final media timeout. UNF's best opportunity for early buckets came from the outside, with four of its first five field goals made coming from beyond the arc.
The `Noles ended the first half on a mini-flurry from the field, as Delgado took a missed field goal by UNF down the floor and hit a pull-up jumper inside the paint from around 12 feet to beat the buzzer and give FSU a 28-17 halftime advantage. Howard led FSU with 12 points at the half.
FSU now holds a 10-game win streak against opponents from the state of Florida. The `Noles have also won 16 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 26 3 11 2 7 1 1 9 0 4 4 2 4 2 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 34 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 4 5 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 24 0 6 0 3 3 4 3 3 0 3 1 2 1 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 27 4 8 0 0 11 13 19 5 6 11 2 0 3 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 25 7 8 0 0 4 10 18 1 3 4 3 0 0 1 4
0 Kai James 18 1 4 0 0 2 3 4 2 3 5 3 0 3 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 28 2 7 1 4 1 2 6 3 1 4 3 1 3 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 18 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 2
Team 2 2 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 18 49 3 15 22 33 61 17 21 38 16 12 19 1 15
Opp 200 15 46 7 23 5 12 42 10 17 27 24 10 25 3 8
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Florida | |||
| Florida State |
Howard's Big Second Half Leads `Noles over Pacific.
Senior All-America candidate scores 17 of her 20 points in the second half as No. 24/23 Florida State wins 73-66 at the Long Beach Classic.
LONG BEACH, CA - Led by the strong play of senior Natasha Howard in the second half, the No. 24/23 Florida State women's basketball team was able to close out a hard-charging Pacific squad, winning 73-66 on Friday evening in the Long Beach Classic at the Walter Pyramid.
After getting in early foul trouble in the first half, which forced her to stay on the bench, Howard dominated the second half to finish with 20 points and made several big buckets down the stretch in a tight game. Perhaps more importantly, Howard's defense at the bottom of the 2-3 zone forced more difficult looks from Pacific's Kenyon Kendall, who had 24 points but shot just 3-of-9 in the second half when Howard could make her presence felt.
Howard's 20 points marked her 11th career 20-point performance and the 73rd double-figure scoring effort of her career. She added eight boards and finished 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, and also tied her career high with five blocks for the third time. Florida State used the free throw line to its advantage, shooting 26-of-36 (72.2 percent) as four players made a least five freebies.
"We made some critical plays down the stretch today," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "Natasha was big for us once again and had a real strong second half. We hadn't played since Monday and we traveled however many thousands of miles, and tonight we shot poorly. But we got a win and that's the most important thing. Tomorrow we face a very good Long Beach State team that continues to improve as the years go by. It's going to be a tough test for us tomorrow."
Overall, FSU was more crisp in the second half after the game's first 20 minutes was a grind-it-out affair. The Seminoles (10-1) shot 11-of-22 in the second half and finished shooting 39 percent from the field, while the Tigers (4-5) shot 26-of-64 (40.6 percent) from the floor.
Three other Seminoles finished in double figures on Saturday night. Senior Cheetah Delgado added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting while adding five steals, her sixth double-figure game of the season. Freshman Brittany Brown chipped in with 10 points and redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones added 11, including a few game-clinching free throws down the stretch.
Pacific's Kendall, who had 18 points at halftime, registered 24 points to mark an opponent game high this season vs. FSU. It is just the third 20-point scorer the `Noles have allowed this year.
The `Noles were able to open their five-point halftime lead to a 42-34 advantage through the 14:44 mark in the second half. FSU came out of its first media timeout of the second half with a pull-up jumper by Delgado and two free-throw conversions by Emiah Bingley to create a 46-34 lead, its largest of the game. However, Pacific responded with consecutive 3's to put itself back in the game at 46-40 with 12:15 left.
Howard's presence in the second half gave FSU a major boost, as she had 13 points and FSU held a 56-52 lead over the Tigers with 6:56 remaining. Following the media timeout, Howard came back and produced a beautiful spin move inside for a big bucket, and Delgado added a free throw. However, Pacific responded with a 3-ball from Madison Parrish with 6:09 left to cut the FSU lead to 59-55.
An important stretch came on consecutive possessions for FSU, as Delgado fed Jones the ball in the post and she put up a left-handed shot off the glass in traffic to make it 62-57. Howard then came back for a big three-point play down low as the `Noles held 65-57 with 3:32 remaining.
Howard added a couple free throws to put FSU on top 69-63, but KiKi Moore hit a floater with 57 seconds left to cut the deficit to 69-65. Jones then showed her savviness when she drove the baseline and drew a foul on Pacific's Kendall, causing her to foul out while Jones knocked down her free throws to lead the Tigers 71-65. A few more free throws were canned to seal the game for FSU.
It was a rough-and-tumble first half as the `Noles led 30-25. Pacific gained some momentum toward the end of a half on a few buckets by Kendall. Delgado led Florida State with eight points and redshirt junior Lauren Coleman provided a spark off the bench by corralling a team-best five rebounds to help keep possessions alive on the offensive front.
Florida State began the game shooting the ball well from the floor and holding an early 9-6 advantage through the first media timeout at 15:50. Howard scored an early bucket inside to become the 14th Seminole in school history to amass 1,300 career points, and a straightaway 3-pointer by Brown helped FSU drain four of its first seven shots from the field.
The `Noles began working the ball more inside and led 14-8 with 11:58 left in the first half. Kai James got into the scoring column for FSU by getting an easy put-back inside, as FSU was shooting 40 percent while Pacific started 3-of-8.
Overall play was very physical with little blowing of the whistles as FSU led 17-10 with 7:55 remaining in the first half. Delgado helped the `Noles with a floater from close to 15 feet and led FSU with four points early. In the end, both teams combined for 46 fouls and 48 turnovers.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones f 35 3 14 0 5 5 6 11 1 2 3 2 2 4 1 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 5 7 0 1 1 4 11 0 3 3 1 4 4 0 5
12 Brittany Brown g 29 4 10 1 3 1 2 10 2 3 5 4 0 6 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 17 2 3 0 0 5 5 9 2 2 4 5 1 0 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 30 6 9 0 0 8 9 20 3 5 8 3 1 3 5 0
0 Kai James 7 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 3 3 0 0 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 25 1 7 0 1 5 8 7 2 2 4 1 0 1 0 2
32 Lauren Coleman 18 0 6 0 1 1 2 1 3 2 5 2 0 4 1 0
Team 3 3 6
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 59 1 11 26 36 73 18 23 41 21 8 22 7 10
Opp 200 26 64 5 19 9 16 66 17 23 40 25 11 26 3 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Pacific |
No. 24/23 'Noles Win Long Beach Classic.
Balanced effort by the Seminole women's basketball team leads it to a 72-57 win over Long Beach State.
LONG BEACH, CA - A balanced effort by the No. 24/23 Florida State women's basketball team resulted in a 72-57 win at Long Beach State to claim the Long Beach Classic championship on Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Senior Natasha Howard recorded her 31st career double-double to tie former player Sue Galkantas (1981-84) for the school record. Howard scored 16 points, added 15 boards and poured in two blocks and two steals. Howard was named the Long Beach Classic MVP, while senior guard Cheetah Delgado was also named to the all-tournament team.
Howard's 15 rebounds tied a team high for the season, which was established by Ivey Slaughter when she had the same amount against Miami-Ohio.
"We are happy to get this win tonight and come away with a tournament championship," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "I thought we shot a lot better than our first game here and defensively we got after it and pressured well. We're happy to be 11-1 heading into the holiday break but we know we have more work to do."
The win for the Seminoles (11-1) extends their win streak to seven games, and Florida State improves to 10-2 in regular-season tournament games since the 2009-10 season. The `Noles look to get through their "pre-season" non-conference portion of the schedule with just one loss, which would be just the third time in school history they've done that since joining the ACC in the 1991-92 campaign.
Delgado was an excellent distributor and reached double-digits for the seventh time this season, tying her career high with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. She also picked up eight assists and ran the offense well when the 49ers (7-5) looked to pressure and trap at different points in the game.
Florida State shot 48.2 percent from the field and held the 49ers to just 26.7 percent from the floor. Once again, FSU took advantage of its physicality inside by producing 30 points in the paint compared to Long Beach State's 16. The `Noles held a wide rebounding edge, 48-31.
Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones added 14 points for the `Noles, her 10th double-digit game of the season. For LBSU, guard Alex Sanchez notched a game-high 21 points.
Howard made some history in the second half when she got the ball in the lane and hit a turnaround shot to give FSU a 39-22 lead at the 17:57 mark. The bucket gave Howard her 31st career double-double, tying former player Sue Galkantas for the school record.
Just as it appeared FSU was trying to break away with a 45-25 lead on a layup by Slaughter in the second half, the 49ers hit three consecutive long range shots to cut the FSU lead to 46-36. Delgado helped stop the run by hitting a few free throws to make it 48-36 FSU, and she followed with a runner in the lane to add to the Seminole lead.
The 49ers' valiant comeback attempt was stalled by a scoreless drought of 5+ minutes, and a big 3-pointer by Lauren Coleman from the wing at the 8:21 mark put FSU ahead comfortably at 55-39. Later, some beautiful passing by the `Noles ended with a layup by Delgado to give Florida State a 66-48 lead with 2:41 remaining in the game.
Jones was helping get everyone involved early in the ballgame, feeding Howard on a nice post entry pass and using a rainbow 3-pointer of her own to give FSU an early 9-5 lead with 15:02 left in the first half. Delgado scored the game's first bucket on a pull-up mid-range jumper.
Emiah Bingley came in and made an immediate impact for FSU, hitting a pull-up baseline jumper and getting out in transition to give an assist to Ivey Slaughter and put FSU ahead 13-5. However, Long Beach State's Sanchez drained her second 3-pointer from the corner to keep the 49ers in it early trailing just 13-10 at the 11:59 mark.
FSU used an 8-0 run to help itself to a 23-14 lead at the 7:41 mark of the first half. Delgado added a pair of jumpers to help FSU try and take command of the game, and the `Noles got after it defensively to help turn in some points off turnovers against a 49ers team content on looking for the open 3-pointer. Another Jones 3-ball in transition just under four minutes remaining in the first half gave FSU a sizeable 31-16 lead.
Long Beach State went on a 6:59 scoreless draught that nearly ended the first half until Hallie Meneses drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 21 seconds left. The `Noles used a pressure-packed half-court defense to create more turnovers, and Kai James' layup on the left side allowed Florida State to take its largest lead of the half at 33-16. The `Noles shot 14-of-28 through halftime, the seventh time they have shot 50 percent in a half this season. FSU also dominated the paint, outscoring the 49ers 18-6 in the lane.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones f 32 4 11 2 7 4 6 14 2 5 7 3 0 5 0 3
5 Cheetah Delgado g 36 6 11 0 0 2 5 14 0 1 1 1 8 5 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 25 3 7 0 2 0 0 6 0 4 4 1 6 2 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 30 3 5 0 0 2 4 8 2 6 8 2 0 0 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 30 7 14 0 0 2 2 16 8 7 15 4 2 7 2 2
0 Kai James 10 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 0 3 3 1 0 2 0 2
3 Emiah Bingley 22 1 4 0 1 3 4 5 0 2 2 2 2 1 0 2
32 Lauren Coleman 15 2 2 2 2 0 0 6 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 0
Team 2 3 5 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 27 56 4 12 14 23 72 14 34 48 16 18 23 2 12
Opp 200 16 60 7 31 18 22 57 11 20 31 19 11 19 4 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Long Beach State |
Florida State Cruises Past UT Martin.
No. 22/20 Seminole women's hoops enjoys one of its most efficient performances of the season in a 76-53 win over the Skyhawks.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - An efficient overall performance by the No. 22/20 Florida State women's basketball team resulted in a 76-53 victory over UT Martin on Saturday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles (12-1) had plenty of hot hands in the win as they shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) from the floor, including 14-of-24 in the second half. In the fine shooting display, Florida State shared the ball extremely well by assisting on 19 of its 30 field goals made. FSU's fine passing created a lot of easy chances inside, as the `Noles held a 50-16 margin in points in the paint over the Skyhawks (7-6).
Florida State is now enjoying its first eight-game win streak since the historic 2009-10 season where it made program history by reaching the NCAA Elite Eight. FSU's last eight-game win streak occurred from Dec. 30, 2009 to Feb. 28, 2010.
The `Noles finish the non-conference portion of their schedule with an impressive 12-1 record. Since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1991-92 season, it is just the third time FSU has gotten through the non-conference portion of the regular-season schedule with just one loss before entering ACC play.
"I'm really proud of this team and the way that they finished out the non-conference (schedule)," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "I thought it was a most complete game. They were very focused, shot the ball extremely well and took great shots and held a very, very good basketball team to a low shooting percentage."
Leading the way once again was senior All-America candidate Natasha Howard, who tied her career high with 26 points in just 20 minutes of action. UT Martin had no answers for Howard on the low post, as she hit 12 of her 14 shots from the floor and added six rebounds. It was Howard's 12th 20-point performance of her career and her fifth this season.
Having one of her most complete games of the season was redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones. The Lake Mary, Fla., native poured in 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, which included three long-range shots. Jones added three rebounds and three assists and was vital toward FSU's offensive movement that featured the ball being worked around the floor in an efficient manner.
Freshman Ivey Slaughter picked up her fifth double-double of the season, recording 11 points and 13 rebounds to help give FSU a gigantic 41-20 edge on the glass. Distributing the ball with great success was freshman Brittany Brown, who had a career-high seven assists, and senior point guard Cheetah Delgado, who also had seven helpers.
Florida State's 54.5 shooting percentage is the third time this season it has shot above the 50 percent threshold in a game. The win was not only highlighted by a smooth offensive display, but FSU's ability to force a lot of issues on the defensive side was also a great catalyst to the victory.
UT Martin senior guard Heather Butler came into the game averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game, but FSU held the sharp-shooter to just 4-of-10 from the floor and 16 points. Fellow senior guard Jasmine Newsome, who was averaging 18.6 points, finished with nine on 3-of-11 shooting.
"Those two guards that they have have been scoring 40 points between them and to hold them beyond the 20's is a big accomplishment for this group," Semrau added.
UT Martin was held 22 points below its scoring average of 75.3, and also shot 17-of-48 (35.4 percent) in the game. Florida State continues to be the only ACC team to not allow an opponent to score 70 points or more in a game this season. FSU also earned its 17th consecutive non-conference win at home.
FSU took an impressive 43-20 halftime lead, shooting 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the floor. It marked the fifth time the `Noles had shot above the 50 percent mark in the first half, and the third time they reached 40 points in the first 20 minutes. Jones led all players with 15 points, including a jumper from the wing with just seven seconds left before halftime.
Florida State set the tone early with some hot shooting from the floor, drilling six of their first seven shot attempts to take an early 13-6 lead with 15:51 left in the first half. Howard was commanding inside, scoring six early points with a few put-backs and a nice spin move in the post. Brown moved the ball well for the `Noles, generating three early assists.
FSU expanded its lead to 23-10 in the game's second media timeout with 11:41 left. Howard notched her 75th career double-digit scoring performance when she finished a beautiful press-breaking set on offense that was highlighted by Brown's fourth dish of the game. On the next possession just before the media timeout, Brown entered the land of the post players on an offensive rebound and out-jumped two UT Martin players for an offensive put-back, making it 23-10.
Jones was catching fire for the `Noles, hitting another rainbow 3-pointer from the corner to expand the FSU lead to 31-15 with 6:58 remaining in the first half. Brown then was the recipient of a nice full-court pass from Jones for a fastbreak layup to add to the Seminole advantage. Freshman Kai James put FSU at the 40-point mark in the first half for the third time this season on a nice finish inside. James would add seven points in the contest.
The game was out of reach when the `Noles soared to a 31-point lead with 6:01 remaining in the game on a converted layup by Brown.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 29 6 11 3 6 2 2 17 1 2 3 1 3 3 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 37 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 2 7 7 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 31 4 7 0 1 0 1 8 3 2 5 3 7 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 26 4 8 0 0 3 5 11 4 9 13 3 0 3 0 3
33 Natasha Howard f 20 12 14 0 0 2 3 26 4 2 6 4 0 1 0 1
0 Kai James 14 2 3 0 0 3 6 7 0 3 3 4 0 2 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 23 1 7 1 5 2 2 5 0 4 4 1 1 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 20 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 2
Team 2 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 30 55 4 12 12 19 76 12 29 41 20 19 19 0 11
Opp 200 17 48 7 23 12 19 53 5 15 20 21 11 19 1 9
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee-Martin | |||
| Florida State |
Howard's Career-High 27 Leads FSU Past Pitt.
No. 21/20 Seminole women's hoops win seventh ACC opener in the last eight years behind the senior leader.
PITTSBURGH, PA - When big plays needed to be made, senior forward Natasha Howard answered when her number was called as No. 21/20 Florida State women's basketball escaped with a 78-69 win on the road at Pitt in its ACC opener on Thursday evening at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Howard recorded a career-high 27 points in a dominant effort by the Toledo, Ohio, native, owning the post with a 12-of-15 shooting effort while adding six rebounds and three blocks. It was the most points by a Seminole in a conference game since former player Alexa Deluzio delivered 28 points at Boston College on Jan. 19, 2012.
Over her past six games, Howard has shot 52-of-72 (72.2 percent) from the field, including 24-of-29 over her last two games.
"We're a young team that did a great job and was able to get a win in the ACC. Any win in the ACC is big," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "We came out strong in the second half, but Pitt continued to fight. I was impressed with Natasha Howard, Ivey Slaughter and Brittany Brown. When you have three players step up like that it's great. We're very happy to come out with a win."
The Seminoles (13-1, 1-0) improved their win streak to nine games and won their seventh ACC opener in the last eight seasons. Florida State had four double-figure scorers including Howard, with freshman Ivey Slaughter, redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones and freshman Brittany Brown contributing 11 points apiece.
The `Noles came up big with 20 offensive rebounds, helping them gain a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points. Slaughter registered her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Senior point guard Cheetah Delgado ran the offense well with eight assists, and FSU topped the 70-point plateau for the fourth straight game.
The Panthers (8-7, 0-1) were led by junior Brianna Kiesel's 20 points in the loss. FSU held Pitt to 40.9 percent shooting and remains the only ACC team to not allow 70 points or more in a game this season. The `Noles shot a respectable 45.2 percent from the field, and their aggressiveness in getting to the rim led to 36 free-throw attempts.
FSU was forced to hold off Pitt as it crept into the ballgame in the second half. As the Panthers pressured with a late 10-4 run in the second half, FSU got a big layup from Slaughter at the 4:24 mark before Kiesel made a fastbreak layup to force an FSU timeout with the `Noles leading 66-58. Howard responded with a layup down low to extend the lead back to 10 points. An offensive rebound from Pitt's Loliya Briggs and an inside basket cut the FSU lead to 68-62 with 1:28 left.
Howard's number was called again and she made arguably the game's most important game in crunch time, getting a three-point play inside with 1:12 remaining in the game to give FSU a little more cushion at 71-62. The basket and free throw gave Howard her career high of 27 points.
The `Noles were forced to call a timeout with 6:47 left in the game as Pitt went on a quick 5-0 run to trail just 62-50. Prior to the small run, FSU led by as many as 17 on a few occasions as Howard continued to finish consistently in the post and an active defense kept forcing turnovers. However, Asia Logan hit a few free throws and Kiesel got a steal and finish in the FSU backcourt to cut the FSU lead to 62-54 with just over six minutes left.
Thursday's game was just the second time FSU finished with under double-digit steals, but the `Noles used eight steals in the second half to get transition baskets.
FSU continued to execute in the second half, forcing more turnovers on defense to lead to easier buckets as it held a 55-39 advantage with 11:31 remaining in the game. To that point, Howard was shooting 8-of-10 from the field with 18 points and Delgado got everyone involved with seven assists. Right before the second media timeout, Delgado assisted on a fastbreak layup that was finished nicely by Jones down the middle of the lane.
The `Noles led 39-28 at halftime thanks to a late scoring flurry where they went on an 11-4 run to end the half. The first half was punctuated by a three-point play from Emiah Bingley as she grabbed an offensive board in traffic and made the put-back with a foul. Howard led FSU with 11 points at the half, marking her 76th career double-figure game, and FSU held Pitt to 36.4 percent from the field.
Florida State jumped out to an early 9-6 lead with 15:42 in the first half, once again trying to utilize its advantage in the post with Howard. Jones drained an early 3-pointer from the `Noles to help set the tone and a few offensive rebounds kept some possessions alive and give FSU an early edge.
Howard put the `Noles ahead 17-13 at the 11:44 mark of the first half on her longest shot of the season, a straightaway make from about 18 feet that put her in 12th on the FSU career scoring list with 1,366 points. FSU canned 7 of its first 15 shots from the field but allowed Pitt to make 6 of its first 15, albeit many being contested jumpers.
A pair of back-to-back makes inside from Kai James and Lauren Coleman gave FSU some productive points and put it ahead 21-15. However, the Panthers responded when Frederique Potvin hit a 3-pointer from the wing off the glass with 8:58 remaining in the first half. For the game, FSU and Pitt tied with 14 bench points apiece.
Brown started to catch fire for the `Noles, hitting a long-range jumper from the corner and following with a nice basket inside to give FSU a 29-20 lead. However, Pitt recorded back-to-back baskets to force an FSU timeout at the 4:11 mark as the `Noles led 29-24.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 32 3 11 1 7 4 6 11 0 5 5 4 3 5 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 1 8 0 0 2 4 4 1 2 3 3 8 4 1 1
12 Brittany Brown g 31 4 11 1 2 2 6 11 4 2 6 2 3 4 0 5
23 Ivey Slaughter f 31 3 7 0 0 5 8 11 5 9 14 2 0 3 1 0
33 Natasha Howard f 25 12 15 0 0 3 7 27 5 1 6 5 1 2 3 1
0 Kai James 11 2 4 0 0 1 2 5 1 3 4 2 0 1 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 15 2 5 0 1 3 3 7 1 0 1 2 1 2 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 4 2 2 1 0 0
Team 3 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 28 62 2 10 20 36 78 20 26 46 22 18 22 5 8
Opp 200 27 67 5 23 10 15 69 17 23 40 24 18 24 1 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Pittsburgh |
Seminoles Earn Road Win at Miami.
No. 18/17 Florida State women's hoops gets 27 points and 18 rebounds from senior Natasha Howard in a 68-63 win over the Hurricanes.
CORAL GABLES, FL - It was senior forward Natasha Howard who stole the show once again for Florida State, but fellow senior guard Cheetah Delgado made the big plays at the end to help lift No. 18/17 FSU women's basketball over Miami, 68-63, on Thursday night at the BankUnited Center.
Delgado made arguably the biggest basket of the night when the ball was in her hands with one minute left and the Seminoles (14-1, 2-0) leading 62-59 in a one-possession game. Delgado drove baseline and put up a floater that sank through to give FSU the two-possession edge. The Kissimmee, Fla., native would later make a pair of free throws to help ice the game for the `Noles.
Howard put together another monster effort, finishing with a career-high tying 27 points for the second consecutive game as well as a career-high tying 18 boards. The double-double marked the 32nd of her career, breaking the school record formerly held by FSU legend Sue Galkantas (1981-84). Howard finished 11-of-17 from the field and is now shooting 63-of-89 over her last seven games.
"Natasha has been used to being Robin and now she has taken on the role of Batman for our team," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "It was a gutsy team effort tonight because every time Miami found a way to get back into it, we dug deep and did what we had to do defensively. We're happy to be 2-0 in the ACC right now and we've got a big game on Sunday at home against a good North Carolina team."
Delgado tied her career high with 10 assists and recorded her second career double-double by adding 10 points. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones came up big in the second half, hitting four 3-pointers to tie her season high for the third time. Jones finished with 17 points.
Florida State's 14-1 start is its best start thru 15 games since also having the same record in the 1982-83 season. It is also the sixth time the `Noles have started 2-0 in the ACC. FSU has won 10 consecutive games against Florida schools, and its current 10-game win streak is tied for the second longest in school history.
The Seminoles finished the game shooting 26-of-68 (38.2 percent) from the field while the Hurricanes (9-6, 1-1) shot 35.3 percent. FSU held a slight rebounding edge, 49-47, and held a decisive edge in second-chance points, 15-7.
Both teams picked up their offensive play early in the second half. FSU went on an early 6-0 run to take a 37-33 lead highlighted by a 3-ball from Jones, but Miami tied it right back up with a long-range shot from Krystal Saunders at 39-39. A pair of jumpers from Delgado helped the `Noles to a 44-43 lead at the first media timeout of the second half at the 15:25 mark.
Jones did her best to break the game open, nailing her fourth 3-pointer from straightaway with 8:35 left in the game to give FSU its largest lead at 55-48. Following a made jumper by Caprice Dennis, Howard came back with a couple of free throws to put FSU ahead 57-50 with 8:07 left on the clock.
FSU tried to take control from there, but Miami came back with a quick 5-0 run as Keyona Hayes hit a layup inside and Saunders hit her fourth 3-ball of the game with 6:27 left to cut the lead to 57-55.
Jones would hit a big 3-pointer from around 23 feet to put FSU up 47-43 earlier in the second half. The play was significant in that it was assisted by Delgado, marking her 240th career assist to crack the Top 20 list at FSU in just her 48th game played.
Howard picked up the slack early for the `Noles with Slaughter picking up two quick fouls, scoring six points as FSU to an 8-5 lead with 15:46 remaining in the first half. Howard's teammates looked for her in the post and she delivered, using a few nice moves to get better looks at the basket. Jones started the scoring with a pull-up jumper from 15 feet to put the `Noles on the board on their first possession.
Miami's Caprice Dennis and Krystal Saunders nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to put Miami ahead 15-12 with 10:51 remaining in the first half. However, FSU responded with a jumper in the paint from Howard, then a reverse layup by Jones to take a 16-15 lead. Slaughter then got an easy put-back to add to the lead at 18:15 with 8:28 left in the first half.
A 3-ball by Miami's Saunders capped a small flurry of points by the Hurricanes as they led 27-24 at the last media timeout of the first half. A 7-0 run was highlighted in the Miami surge as a turnaround jumper by Jassany Williams gave the `Canes a 31-24 lead. However, FSU responded when Jones hit a long 3-pointer from the wing and Brittany Brown finished a layup in transition to cut the deficit to 31-29 with 1:28 left in the half.
Despite an ensuing layup by Miami's Adrienne Motley, Howard buried a mid-range jumper from the wing as the half expired to leave the `Noles trailing 33-31. The `Canes were just the third opponent to reach the 30-point mark at the half, and it marked FSU's first time trailing at the half since facing Michigan State on Dec. 4.
Howard led FSU with 16 points at halftime on 8-of-10 shooting, adding nine rebounds through the game's first 20 minutes. Delgado helped the `Noles with six assists, while Jones added seven points.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 37 6 21 4 9 1 2 17 1 3 4 2 2 4 1 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 35 4 9 0 0 2 4 10 0 5 5 4 10 7 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 33 2 12 0 3 0 1 4 4 1 5 1 2 1 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 21 2 4 0 0 3 5 7 1 2 3 4 0 1 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 38 11 17 0 0 5 8 27 7 11 18 3 0 4 3 2
0 Kai James 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 1 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 21 0 3 0 0 1 2 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 12 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1
Team 4 4 8
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 68 4 13 12 22 68 19 30 49 17 14 20 4 12
Opp 200 24 68 5 21 10 17 63 18 29 47 22 12 20 4 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Miami |
No. 13/12 UNC Comes Back to Nip No. 18/17 `Noles.
Tar Heel freshman Diamond DeShields' 25 points helps North Carolina snap FSU's 10-game win streak with a strong second-half surge.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - With two of their prominent frontcourt players in foul trouble, the No. 18/17 Florida State women's basketball team tried to hang onto its lead but ultimately fell to No. 13/12 North Carolina, 65-61, on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Playing with a lead for most of the ballgame, the Seminoles (14-2, 2-1) were in trouble when senior All-America candidate Natasha Howard was whistled for her fourth foul just 2:04 into the second half with a 40-34 lead. The `Noles hung tough for a while, but an inside bucket by UNC's Xylina McDaniel with 8:33 left tied the game at 50-50, and the Tar Heels (14-3, 2-1) would close out the game from there.
"It was disappointing," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "I felt like we had opportunities, but at the same time I am proud of my team. I wouldn't trade one of them for the world. For them to come out and play as hard as they did without the senior leadership of Natasha Howard for as long as they did, I'm just very impressed with who they are. Now I think they know that they can play regardless of who's off the floor."
A couple free throws by McDaniel with 7:49 left gave UNC a 52-50 lead that it would not relinquish. Despite Florida State leading for roughly 25 minutes of the game, the Tar Heels seized their opportunity to exploit Florida State with two of their top rebounders in Howard and Ivey Slaughter each playing with four fouls late. Howard's foul trouble gave her just 13 minutes of playing time.
The game's biggest shot came following a timeout from the Tar Heels. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones of FSU hit an important 3-pointer with 3:34 left to cut FSU's deficit to 60-56. However, UNC junior guard Brittany Rountree's dagger 3-pointer from the wing with 2:15 left extended the Tar Heel lead to 63-56 and proved too much to overcome.
Jones did her best to be the focal point of the offense on Sunday, dropping 18 points including three buckets from long range. The Lake Mary, Fla., native added five rebounds and was 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Jones now has 35 3-pointers this season and is just six away from ranking in FSU's top 20 for single-season 3's.
Florida State continued its streak of not allowing teams to reach 70 points or more, with UNC tying its season-low with 65 points. The Tar Heels entered the game averaging 86.7 points and beating their opponents by a scoring margin of +24.7 per game.
Freshman guard Diamond DeShields' had the best performance by an FSU opponent this season, registering a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range. The Norcross, Ga., native carried UNC in the second half as it outscored Florida State, 36-25, in the latter period and cut its turnovers down.
"That's I think maybe the best thing that happened," Semrau added. "Credit Diamond DeShields for having a really good second half. She turned it on and made it really tough on us in the second half."
For the first time since facing Michigan State on Dec. 4, the `Noles lost the rebounding edge, 43-42. Slaughter nearly had another double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
FSU was dealt a blow in the second half when Howard was whistled for two more fouls in the first three minutes, totaling four to send her to the bench. But the `Noles used strong efforts from Cheetah Delgado and Jones to pick up the slack, using a layup by Slaughter in transition off a slick pass from Delgado to go ahead 42-34.
Playing without Howard, who was out early with two fouls, did not hurt the `Noles too much as it led UNC 36-29 at halftime. Jones led FSU with 10 points while Emiah Bingley stepped up her game off the bench with eight points. The `Noles forced 12 UNC turnovers and scored 17 points off those miscues in the first half.
Howard started off the game with an offensive out-back to give FSU an early 2-0 advantage, and Jones swished her first 3-pointer from straightaway give put the `Noles ahead 5-2. UNC's Stephanie Mavunga gave the Tar Heels a good presence inside as she scored four points prior to the first media timeout as UNC led 8-7 with 15:25 left in the first half.
The style of play became quite physical as FSU held a 14-11 advantage with 11:35 left. Freshman Brittany Brown was on a breakaway layup slicing down the right-hand side when UNC's Danielle Butts gave her a clean and hard foul to send her to the floor, highlighting the aggressive nature. Brown would make one of two to create the three-point lead for the `Noles.
FSU had a 9-0 run that helped it take a 25-16 with 7:11 remaining. The Tar Heels committed nine turnovers in the game's first 13 minutes, and Bingley's 3-pointer from the corner punctuated a dominant period for FSU. However, UNC would fight right back with an 8-0 run to the 4:06 mark to trail just 28-24, getting a few buckets in transition as freshman Stephanie Mavunga finished one on the fast break to cut the FSU lead.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 35 5 13 3 11 5 5 18 0 5 5 3 2 5 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 38 3 10 1 2 1 2 8 2 3 5 1 6 3 0 0
12 Brittany Brown g 35 4 16 0 2 1 3 9 2 1 3 2 2 5 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter f 28 3 6 0 0 3 4 9 2 8 10 4 0 1 1 2
33 Natasha Howard f 13 3 7 0 0 1 2 7 1 2 3 4 0 3 1 0
0 Kai James 11 1 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 4 4 2 0 2 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 26 3 6 2 3 0 0 8 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 14 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 4 0 0 1 0 1
Team 2 5 7
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 62 6 20 11 18 61 12 30 42 18 10 21 2 5
Opp 200 24 61 7 16 10 16 65 12 31 43 18 12 21 5 12
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | |||
| Florida State |
No. 20/21 NC State Pulls Away from No. 17/18 `Noles.
Florida State women's hoops falls to the Wolfpack 80-57 and lets up 70 points for the first time this season.
RALEIGH, NC - The No. 17/18 Florida State women's basketball team could not contain the offensive execution of No. 20/21 NC State in the second half as it lost on Thursday evening, 80-57, at the Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.
For the first time this season, the Seminoles (14-3, 2-2) allowed 70 points against a Pack (16-2, 3-1) squad that entered the night as one of the ACC's top long-range shooting teams. NC State connected on nine 3-point field goals and shot 46.7 percent from the field, a season-high allowed by FSU. NC State's nine 3's were tied for the second-most allowed by FSU this season.
Florida State's streak of starting its first 16 games of the season without allowing 70 points or more ties a program record, as the 1972-73 team did not allow 70 points in all 16 games it played that year. NC State was consistent from the field in the second half, hitting 15-of-30 shots including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
"I thought NC State really executed their stuff tonight, especially in the second half," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "They shot really well from 3-point range tonight and their experience really helped them in this game with (Markeisha) Gatling and (Kody) Burke. We will have to learn from this and improve because we've got another big game on Sunday at Virginia. This is what the ACC is all about sometimes."
NC State's crisp ball movement around the perimeter freed up open looks on the inside and some high-percentage shots in the paint. The loss for FSU breaks its four-game win streak at Reynolds Coliseum. Four double-figure scorers for the Pack did damage in the lane and beyond the arc, led by center Markeisha Gatling (20 points), forward Kody Burke (16 points), guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman (12 points) and center Lakeesa Daniel (13 points).
Thursday's game between both squads was also the first time in the last eight meetings to be decided by double digits. On a positive note for FSU, it committed a season-low 10 turnovers.
FSU lost for the first time this season when having three double-figure scorers. Senior Natasha Howard finished with 14 points and moved into ninth on the FSU all-time scoring list. It was her 33rd double-double effort of her career to extend her school record as she added 10 rebounds.
Freshman Ivey Slaughter had a good night from the field, recording 12 points and 11 boards for her seventh double-double.
Freshman Brittany Brown's effort helped FSU early in the second half as it cut the game back to single digits at 42-34 when she drove in for a breakaway layup following a steal on the left side. The Pack seemed to always have a response, as Gatling scored on the inside and Coleman-Goodwin hit another 3 from the wing to put them back up 47-34. Another long-range jumper by Burke put the Pack up 52-37 at the 14:04 mark and prompted an FSU timeout.
Slaughter continued to work the glass and give FSU extra chances, finishing a layup with 12:59 left to leave FSU trailing 52-39. Krystal Barrett then buried a 3-pointer for the Pack 15 seconds left for another response shot, and a few more free throws by Daniel extended the Pack lead to 56-41 with 12 minutes remaining.
FSU outscored the Pack inside, 34-30, but were hurt by shooting 2-of-12 from beyond the arc while NC State was 9-of-22. NC State's second-half run was punctuated by an old-fashion three-point play from Miah Spencer to break the game open at 67-47 with just under eight minutes left.
FSU faced just its fourth halftime deficit of the season as well as its largest, trailing 37-26. Slaughter and Howard led FSU with eight points apiece, while Slaughter was aggressive on the glass with a team-high seven rebounds. NC State shot 43 percent in the first half and canned seven of its eight free throws. The Pack got good ball movement to create open looks outside and in the post, using 11 assists to its advantage. For the game, NC State finished with 23 assists.
Florida State did not allow the Pack to get much inside early. Two contested 3-pointers by NC State's Len'Nique Brown that were beyond 21 feet gave them an early 6-4 lead at the 15:29 mark. Howard started the game with a basket inside a nice entry pass from Morgan Jones, who threaded the assist between two NC State defenders.
Freshman Kai James gave the `Noles a spark in her first action in the game, hitting an elbow jumper immediately then sealing in the post and getting an inside bucket to cut FSU's deficit to 14-10. At the 11:43 mark of the first half both teams combined to shoot 10-of-29 in what was a physical game.
NC State went on a 7-0 run toward the latter part of the first half, capped by a 3-pointer from Goodwin-Coleman from the wing to give the Pack a 29-19 lead. Redshirt senior Lakeesha Daniel exploited some opportunities in the post and hurt FSU with 12 points in the first half, just one away from her career high.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 34 5 18 1 7 0 1 11 2 3 5 4 2 3 1 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 38 2 9 0 1 0 0 4 1 2 3 1 7 3 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 24 2 7 0 1 2 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 34 5 9 0 0 2 2 12 7 4 11 3 0 1 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 32 6 12 0 0 2 4 14 2 8 10 4 0 1 1 0
0 Kai James 11 2 5 0 0 1 2 5 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 17 1 3 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 2 2 1 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 10 1 2 1 2 0 0 3 2 3 5 1 1 0 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 65 2 12 7 12 57 17 21 38 18 12 10 2 6
Opp 200 28 60 9 22 15 20 80 14 28 42 13 23 8 2 2
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| North Carolina State |
Virginia's Long-Range Shooting Beats FSU.
Cavaliers connect on 10 3-point field goals to break away from No. 17/18 Florida State women's hoops, 85-68.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - A season-best 3-point shooting barrage from Virginia allowed it to break past No. 17/18 Florida State women's basketball, defeating FSU 85-68, on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (9-9, 2-3) connected on 10 3-pointers to create a 16-point halftime lead that the Seminoles (14-4, 2-3) could never recover from. When the `Noles tried to claw back in the second half, cutting their deficit to just above single-digits, UVA found ways to get big offensive rebounds and second-chance points to doom any chance of a comeback.
The loss for the `Noles puts them at a three-game losing streak and a four-game losing streak against Virginia. The Cavaliers were led by the first-half shooting of guard Faith Randolph, who scored 20 of her 26 points in the first half. For Florida State, sophomore Emiah Bingley gave FSU a major spark off the bench with a career-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers that is the most by a `Nole this season.
Randolph's 26 points scored was the most scored against FSU this season. UVA's 85 points scored were also the most scored against FSU this year. The Cavaliers took advantage of 26 points off what were a season-high 27 turnovers committed by Florida State, using its pressure defense and some trapping to defeat FSU.
FSU was outscored in the paint for just the fourth time this season, but senior Natasha Howard did her best with 15 points and eight rebounds. It was Howard's 14th game hitting 50 percent or better from the field as she shot 6-of-9. Freshman Kai James added 11 points off the bench, helping FSU outscore UVA 35-33.
The `Noles drained six second-half 3-pointers and had seven for the game, their second-most this season and their most since also having seven at Miami-Ohio on Dec. 1. Hurting FSU was generating just six steals and forcing only 10 turnovers, way below its season averages.
UVA's ninth 3-pointer of the game, this one from Breyana Mason, extended the Cavaliers' lead to 57-38 with 15:19 left, their largest lead at the time. FSU started off the second half cutting its deficit to 11 points with five consecutive points on a 3-pointer from Brittney Brown and a finish from Howard, but UVA countered with some hustle plays that led to second-chance points to help it to a 19-point lead.
Bingley had a couple good sequences where she buried some 3's, including her third that had FSU trailing 60-45 with 11:47 left. Bingley's second triple of the day gave her a career-high 10 points at the time, as her presence on the offensive end allowed Florida State to stay in the ballgame.
Bingley hit her fourth trey to help the `Noles cut the deficit to 69-55 with 7:57 remaining, with her fourth 3-ball tying Morgan Jones for a season-high by a Seminole this season. Jones helped FSU to a quick 8-2 run with a few free throws to keep the `Noles in the game.
UVA punctuated its day with another big hustle play, getting to a loose ball scrum on the ground and finishing with an old-fashioned three-point play by Tiffany Suarez to put the Hoos ahead 74-55 with 7:17 left in the game.
The first half was a rough one for the `Noles, trailing 47-31. It was FSU's most points allowed in the first half this season as well as their largest halftime deficit. The Cavaliers were consistent from beyond the arc and like NC State, worked the ball around fast enough to free up open shots. UVA shot a blistering 8-of-11 from 3-point range, led by Randolph's 20 points off the bench.
Howard led Florida State with 10 points at halftime on 4-of-4 shooting, and FSU shot 39 percent (11-of-28) while UVA was 18-of-38 overall. The Wahoos' pressure defense also forced FSU into 13 turnovers in the first half, including 10 halfway through, and they capitalized with 14 points off those turnovers. The `Noles outrebounded the Cavaliers, 22-15, in the first half, but the Wahoos got second chances in key moments including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner by Randolph to give FSU the 16-point deficit.
The Cavaliers were hot early from long range, going 4-of-6 through the first nine minutes of the game to take a 25-11 lead with 10:40 left in the first half. Florida State's Emiah Bingley tried to give the `Noles some quickness off the bench and get to the rim, aiding FSU with four early points. FSU hurt itself by committing nine quick turnovers that UVA converted into 12 points to start the game with a big lead.
Ivey Slaughter and Howard started to get after it defensively, drawing a few charges to leave Virginia with empty possessions. An offensive rebound and bucket by Brown cut the FSU deficit to 28-15 with 7:45 left in the first half, helping get past UVA's early 9-0 run to start the game.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 25 0 8 0 6 6 8 6 4 6 10 1 3 6 1 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 1 2 0 0 0 2 2 1 2 3 3 7 6 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 20 2 9 1 4 1 2 6 2 1 3 1 2 4 0 1
23 Ivey Slaughter f 24 2 5 0 0 0 1 4 2 2 4 4 2 2 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 34 6 9 0 0 3 5 15 2 8 10 3 0 2 5 1
0 Kai James 14 5 8 0 0 1 3 11 2 4 6 1 0 2 0 1
3 Emiah Bingley 27 6 14 5 9 4 4 21 1 1 2 3 1 4 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 17 1 3 1 3 0 0 3 1 2 3 4 2 0 0 0
Team 5 3 8
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 58 7 22 15 25 68 20 29 49 20 17 26 6 6
Opp 200 31 73 10 19 13 20 85 16 23 39 21 22 10 4 13
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Virginia |
No. 3 Duke Outlasts Florida State in Overtime.
No. 24/25 Seminole women's hoops gets 28 points and 22 rebounds from senior Natasha Howard but falls in extra time to the Blue Devils, 85-77.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - An epic 28-point, 22-rebound performance from Florida State senior Natasha Howard was not enough for No. 24/25 FSU as it fell to third-ranked Duke in an overtime thriller, 85-77, on Thursday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Howard's biggest performance in what has been an All-American season highlighted a bevy of good efforts from the Seminoles (14-5, 2-4). The Toledo, Ohio, native's career high in points and rebounds make her the first FSU player to have a 20-20 performance since WNBA draft pick Jacinta Monroe scored 23 points and had 21 boards in her freshman debut vs. UAB on Nov. 12, 2006. It was the third 20-20 performance on record at FSU, as former player Levys Torres also joins the list with 24 points and a school-record 24 rebounds vs. Coppin State on Dec. 28, 2000.
Howard's 22 rebounds, which came against one of the country's best inside players is Duke's Elizabeth Williams, are the third-most in a single game in FSU history. Howard had 18 of her points in the second half as she teamed with several FSU players to make big buckets down the stretch in what was a hard-fought loss.
"She was incredible," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said of Howard. "She wouldn't be denied. I thought her character was absolutely amazing and we talk about Jacinta (Monroe), who has been an amazing player here, she did that in her first game as a Seminole. Nobody knew who she was and so she went up against a team that was not Duke and she was able to battle that way. Tasha (Howard), they know what Tasha can do and she did it anyway. I haven't seen a performance like that in a long time."
The `Noles led for much of the second half, with freshman Ivey Slaughter's bucket giving FSU a 51-49 lead with 13:36 remaining. Its lead swelled to eight points on a layup from Howard to make it 59-51 with 10:55 left, but the Blue Devils (19-1, 6-0) found ways to get back in the game. With 2:26 left, Duke's Tricia Liston hit a jumper that knotted the game at 69-69 to set up a dynamic finish.
It only took FSU 15 seconds following Liston's basket to retake the lead at 71-69 on another bucket from Howard. Senior Cheetah Delgado took a pass from Brittany Brown in transition and finished a fastbreak layup on the left side to put FSU ahead 73-69 with 1:33 left. However, Duke used a few free throws from Liston and a game-tying jumper from Alexis Jones with 30 seconds left to knot it at 73-73.
With the final shot in their possession and the shot clock turned off, the Seminoles opted to try and exploit what looked like an open lane to the rim from redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones. However, Williams came over from help defense and recorded one of her six blocks with 16 ticks remaining. With the final shot, Duke's Jones was forced into a long contested jumper that fell short, sending the contest to overtime.
The Blue Devils seized momentum in the extra period, outscoring FSU 12-4 to get the win. The dagger play came on a 3-ball from Liston at the right wing to put Duke ahead 80-73 with 2:48 left in overtime. It was Florida State's second OT performance against the third-ranked team in the nation, as FSU also took Louisville to extra time in a 69-59 loss on Nov. 24.
One of the most glaring statistics was the free throw discrepancy in Thursday night's thriller - Florida State shot a school-record low two free throws against Duke. The previous low was three against South Carolina in 1982 and vs. Florida in 1996. Duke struggled from the charity stripe, hitting 12 of its 22 free-throw attempts.
Proof of Howard's dominance was shown by FSU's 50 points in the paint, tied for its second highest this season. The `Noles won every specialty category, outscoring Duke in points off turnovers (20-15), second-chance points (18-8), fast-break points (12-4) and bench points (5-3).
Florida State lost for the first time this season with four players in double figures. Jones added her second double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Delgado had 11 points and six assists. Brown added 12 points and two 3-pointers while picking up four steals.
Liston led Duke with 25 points, while Williams added 20. The Blue Devils were out-rebounded by the Seminoles, 52-42, but out-shot FSU from the field, 49.3 percent to 41.9 percent. Duke's Jones had 15 assists, the most by an opponent this season. The previous high was eight from Virginia's Lexie Gerson.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 41 7 21 1 9 0 0 15 4 6 10 4 5 5 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 43 5 10 1 1 0 0 11 2 3 5 2 6 6 0 0
12 Brittany Brown g 36 5 19 2 7 0 0 12 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 20 3 4 0 0 0 1 6 1 0 1 5 0 1 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 39 14 21 0 0 0 1 28 8 14 22 2 0 3 5 0
0 Kai James 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 21 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 2 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 17 2 5 1 3 0 0 5 3 1 4 1 0 0 0 0
Team 3 3 6
=========================================================================
FSU 5 225 36 86 5 22 0 2 77 21 30 51 19 14 18 5 6
Opp 225 34 69 5 12 12 22 85 12 30 42 12 22 17 8 7
| 1 | 2 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | ||||
| Florida State |
Supporting Cast Helps `Noles Down Virginia Tech.
No. 24/25 Florida State women's hoops gets strong performances from role players to help defeat the Hokies, 70-54, at home.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The help of a strong supporting cast gave the No. 24/25 Florida State women’s basketball team a big lift on Sunday afternoon as it defeated Virginia Tech, 70-54, in an ACC tilt at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Freshman forward Ivey Slaughter contributed 12 points and 12 boards in what was her eighth double-double of the season, while sophomore guard Emiah Bingley came off the bench to deliver 13 points – all in the first half – to help build a sizeable lead early that the Hokies (10-9, 0-6) were never able to overcome.
The Seminoles (15-5, 3-4) snapped their four-game losing streak by allowing their defense to help create their offense, forcing 25 Virginia Tech turnovers that helped lead to 22 points. It was Florida State’s largest amount of turnovers forced in conference play and its fourth-most forced this season.
“I thought our communication was much better on the defensive end today and it allowed us to get out in passing lanes, “FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. “For both ‘Tasha and Brittany (Brown) to come up with five steals each was big in helping us get our transition going. We felt like our back was against the wall and they practiced that way, and that helped make a difference in today’s game.”
FSU senior forward Natasha Howard erupted for 15 points in the second half and finished with 17 points and a career-high tying five steals. Throughout the game, Virginia Tech pinched two defenders on Howard and allowed players like Slaughter to get wider lanes to the hoop as well as take advantage of the offensive glass.
Slaughter gave the ‘Noles a giant spark early with her aggression to the cup. The fearless freshman is averaging 8.5 rebounds this season and is on pace to average the highest amount of rebounds by a freshman at FSU since former player Lorraine Rimson averaged 8.7 boards in her first year in 1983-84.
Bingley did not attempt a shot in the second half, but her 13 points in the first half was a shot in the arm for FSU. She is shooting 12-of-31 from long range this season (38.7 percent), and is only two games removed from nailing a team-best five 3-pointers at Virginia.
Senior point guard Cheetah Delgado assisted the ‘Noles tremendously with a strong all-around game. The floor leader recorded nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, dished out nine assists and only committed two turnovers with the ball in her hands for much of the 39 minutes she played. The Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List candidate tied her season low for turnovers, committing just two against Michigan State and Prairie View A&M earlier this season.
Redshirt junior Lauren Coleman provided a lift off the bench, recording her fourth game in which she made multiple 3-point field goals. The resident of Lawrenceville, Ga., hit two from long range and gave good energy in her 13 minutes of action. Freshman Brittany Brown made her presence felt defensively, tying her career high with five steals.
Virginia Tech made 20-of-46 (43.5 percent) from the field but was just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range. FSU shot 40.6 percent from the floor but used six 3-pointers to its advantage, its second-most in conference play behind seven three’s at Virginia. While both teams finished even on the glass with 35 rebounds apiece, FSU held Virginia Tech senior forward Uju Ugoka to just one offensive rebound, tying her season low.
Ugoka would finish with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, but committed eight turnovers. Guard Monet Tellier added 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Virginia Tech began to creep back into the game trailing 49-33 with 14:14 remaining. Ugoka was aggressive in taking the ball to the hole, scoring 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to help the Hokies fight back. However, FSU did not allow the Hokies to cut into the deficit much over the next few minutes, using a three-point play by Howard underneath to put the ‘Noles on top 57-39 with 11:20 remaining.
Howard would play a huge role in the second half, using three “and-1’s” to quell any chances of a Virginia Tech comeback. Howard sparked a late 7-0 run that allowed FSU to stretch its lead to 70-52 with 1:13 remaining, highlighted by five points from her during the run.
The ‘Noles took a 42-20 halftime lead into the locker room on a buzzer-beating half-court shot from Delgado, who also had a half-court buzzer-beater in last year’s ACC Tournament semifinals against Duke. It was FSU’s largest halftime lead in ACC play, as it was bolstered by the play of Slaughter and Bingley while generating 15 Virginia Tech turnovers.
Bingley was hot from the outside in the first half, hitting her first three-point attempts and finishing the first 20 minutes with 13 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting. Slaughter contributed to FSU’s big edge in points off turnovers (14-6) and second-chance points (10-4), garnering 12 points and nine rebounds at the half.
The ‘Noles out-shot Virginia Tech in the first half, shooting 46 percent compared to 40 percent by the Hokies. FSU forced 15 turnovers, halfway toward its season high of 28 turnovers forced against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 17.
Florida State forced Virginia Tech into six turnovers on its first seven possessions, generating seven points off turnovers to take an early 15-7 lead with 14:17 left. Morgan Jones helped FSU with four points early on a couple pull-up jumpers, and Slaughter contributed on the glass and in the scoring column with five early points and five boards.
Slaughter continued to dominate the boards, garnering 12 points and nine rebounds as FSU took a 24-13 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. She had nine of FSU’s first 11 rebounds in the game and continued to give the ‘Noles second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass, as FSU held an early 8-0 advantage in the specialty category.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 30 3 11 0 3 0 0 6 1 6 7 0 1 4 0 2
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 4 6 1 2 0 2 9 0 2 2 1 9 2 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 28 3 9 0 2 1 2 7 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 5
23 Ivey Slaughter f 29 3 9 0 0 6 9 12 9 3 12 3 0 1 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 35 6 17 0 0 5 8 17 0 2 2 3 0 2 2 5
0 Kai James 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 21 5 6 3 4 0 1 13 2 0 2 1 2 2 0 1
22 Sareea Freeman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 13 2 6 2 5 0 0 6 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 0
Team 3 4 7
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 64 6 16 12 22 70 17 18 35 15 12 14 2 16
Opp 200 20 46 3 14 11 14 54 9 26 35 20 8 25 2 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | |||
| Florida State |
Florida State Falls at Wake Forest.
Demon Deacons become first team to shoot 50 percent vs. FSU this season as the No. 23/25 ‘Noles fall 78-54 on the road.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – A hot start by Wake Forest could not be overcome on Sunday afternoon as No. 23/25 Florida State women’s basketball fell to the Demon Deacons, 78-54, at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Seminoles (15-6, 3-5) faced their largest halftime deficit trailing 49-27 and could not climb out of the early hole. The Demon Deacons (12-10, 3-6) exploited the gaps in Florida State’s zone defense and were able to work the ball inside. Wake Forest guard Chelsea Douglas scored 32 points against the ‘Noles, a season high by an opposing player.
ACC leading scorer Dearica Hamby of Wake Forest added 22 points and 10 boards, while the Demon Deacons shot 28-of-56 from the field in being the first opponent to make half their shots vs. FSU. Florida State senior forward Natasha Howard recorded her 16th career 20-point effort, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds. Howard moved into fifth-place on the FSU career points list with 1,518, tying Jacinta Monroe and passing three other Seminoles.
Howard also tied her career high with five blocks, the sixth time in her career she has reached that number.
Florida State was beaten on the glass on Sunday, as Wake Forest finished with a 46-37 edge. Offensively, the ‘Noles couldn’t get their long range shooting going, hitting just 1-of-16 from beyond the arc.
FSU has now lost three straight against Wake Forest but owns a 23-17 all-time record vs. the Demon Deacons.
Trying to find some energy in the second half, Howard made a beautiful coast-to-coast drive to the hoop to give the ‘Noles some life as they trailed 53-34 early in the second half. However, Wake Forest responded with a few buckets that kept the second-half lead at 20 points or above for the most part.
FSU experienced its largest halftime deficit of the season and its most points allowed, trailing 49-27 at the break. Douglas had the hot hand for the Demon Deacons, shooting 7-of-11 for 19 points in the first half. Wake Forest also benefited from 11 fast-break points, as FSU was allowing just 4.5 points on the break entering the game.
Wake finished the game with 17 points in transition, while FSU added 16 on the break. FSU’s 16 transition points were tied for its most this season.
Howard posted her 82nd career double-figure game in the first half, leading FSU with 10 points while Morgan Jones added eight. The ‘Noles did a good job forcing 10 first-half turnovers by Wake Forest, but FSU committed 14 of its own that the Demon Deacons capitalized on with 12 points of their own. The ‘Noles made just four turnovers in the second half.
The ‘Noles were hurt early by a few turnovers and some long-range shooting from the Demon Deacons, trailing 14-4 with 15:46 left in the first half. Wake Forest canned four of its first seven field-goal attempts, led by a couple 3-pointers from Douglas to highlight their strong start.
Florida State had its transition opportunities but were not able to convert its chances as it trailed 23-8 with 11:31 remaining in the first half. Wake Forest enjoyed a 12-0 run and capitalized on FSU getting to its spots late in its 2-3 zone. Douglas drained her first four shots to lead the Demon Deacons with 11 points. FSU got a steal and breakaway score from Howard for what was her 1,500th career point, the ninth Seminole to score that many.
FSU trailed 35-14 with 7:23 remaining in the first half, as Wake Forest continued to exploit high-low action against the Noles’ zone defense. The Demon Deacons held a 15-9 advantage in total rebounds and generated a 16-8 edge in points in the paint, getting manageable looks inside.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 27 4 15 0 5 0 1 8 3 0 3 4 2 6 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 36 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 0 4 5 0 5
12 Brittany Brown g 35 4 8 1 4 0 2 9 2 1 3 3 4 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 16 3 8 0 0 1 1 7 3 5 8 5 0 0 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 35 8 18 0 0 6 10 22 2 4 6 4 0 1 6 3
0 Kai James 16 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 6 1 0 1 1 0
3 Emiah Bingley 24 0 6 0 5 2 6 2 2 1 3 3 0 2 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 11 1 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Team 2 3 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 66 1 16 9 20 54 17 20 37 20 10 18 7 13
Opp 200 28 57 6 18 16 21 78 14 34 48 19 15 22 2 6
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Wake Forest |
Irish Second-Half Surge Stymies Florida State.
Seminole women's hoops loses early second-half momentum to No. 2 Notre Dame, falls 81-60 despite career-high night from Cheetah Delgado.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - After building momentum early in the second half of a close game, the Florida State women's basketball team was unable to hang on as No. 2 Notre Dame defeated FSU, 81-60, on Thursday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
With the crowd energized as the Seminoles (15-7, 3-6) trailed just 34-33 with 18:30 left in the game, a missed layup on a fast-break opportunity that would have given FSU the lead spiraled into a quick 8-0 run for the Fighting Irish (22-0, 9-0). The surge by Notre Dame created a 10-point swing, and the Irish cruised from there to highlight a dagger 22-3 run that sealed the game.
"I thought in the first half we did a good job of covering," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "If we can hold the score below 70 then that gives us a chance. We came out and we had too many mental errors in the second half. We had breakdowns."
Despite the loss, FSU was led by the offensive assertiveness of senior point guard and Lieberman Watch List candidate Cheetah Delgado. The native of Kissimmee, Fla., recorded a career-high 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added six rebounds and four assists. Delgado, who leads the ACC in overall assists and assists in conference play, now has 285 dishes for her career which is 15th in school history.
"She is capable of doing all of that," Semrau added of Delgado's offensive ability. "I think she did a lot of things for us and she is going to do more."
Notre Dame outscored Florida State in the second half, 49-31, which included a 62.5 percent shooting effort in the game's final 20 minutes. The Irish were 31-of-58 (53.4 percent) to mark a season-high shooting percentage by an FSU opponent this year.
Forward Natalie Achonwa led Notre Dame with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while guard Jewell Loyd added 18. Guard Kayla McBride posted 14 points on the evening.
FSU senior forward Natasha Howard worked hard in the post all evening, adding 11 points and eight rebounds. Howard's third field goal make of the game gave her 600 for her career, joining FSU legends Sue Galkantas (919) and Tia Paschal (683) as the only players to reach the 600 plateau.
Howard also started her 116th career game on Thursday night, breaking a school record formerly held by guard Courtney Ward. She added three blocks as well, giving her 170 for her career which ties her for 25th on the all-time ACC list.
The `Noles hurt themselves offensively with a tough night from beyond the arc, hitting 2-of-17 while Notre Dame efficiently hit 6-of-13. The second half included easier chances for Notre Dame to score down low, finishing with 42 points in the paint.
Florida State fought valiantly in the first half, using a late 12-3 run to trail just 32-29 to the Irish. Delgado and Howard led FSU with eight points apiece, while Notre Dame's Achonwa poured in 15 points. The `Noles were able to hold Notre Dame to just 2-of-7 from three-point range and out-rebounded the Irish 20-15.
Things got off to fast start as Notre Dame held a 16-11 lead at the first media timeout of the game at the 13:12 mark. Achonwa got some easy baskets inside and had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting to lead the Irish. Delgado was being assertive for FSU on offense, nailing a few mid-range jumpers to keep it in the game early.
The Irish were effective in attacking inside, catching lob passes behind FSU's zone. Notre Dame used an 11-0 run to take a 23-11 lead until Delgado scored on a fastbreak layup to stop the run. FSU struggled from the floor, shooting 6-of-24 early while Notre Dame hit 11 of its first 20 field-goal attempts.
Howard started to get into the mix for the `Noles as she had a couple field goals on the inside to leave FSU trailing 29-21. FSU started to be more effective in its rebounding and limited Notre Dame to one-shot opportunities, trailing just by eight after the final media timeout in the first half. Howard's put-back with 3:25 left in the first half marked her 600th career field goal made, just the third `Nole to reach that mark.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 28 3 16 0 6 2 2 8 4 6 10 2 1 3 0 2
5 Cheetah Delgado g 38 9 14 0 1 0 0 18 3 3 6 0 4 3 1 2
12 Brittany Brown g 31 4 11 2 5 0 0 10 1 2 3 3 0 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 28 2 6 0 0 3 4 7 3 1 4 3 1 2 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 33 5 13 0 0 1 2 11 2 6 8 3 0 5 3 1
0 Kai James 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1
3 Emiah Bingley 17 1 6 0 3 2 2 4 2 1 3 2 1 0 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 12 1 5 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 71 2 17 8 10 60 17 21 38 15 8 17 4 10
Opp 200 31 58 6 13 13 16 81 8 26 34 13 19 16 1 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | |||
| Florida State |
Delgado's Inspiring Performance Lifts FSU over BC.
Senior point guard Cheetah Delgado delivers a school-record 15 assists on `Paint it Pink' Day as she honors her late mother with a dynamite performance vs. the Eagles.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida State senior point guard Cheetah Delgado set a school-record with 15 assists as she guided the FSU women's basketball team to a 72-55 victory over Boston College on `Paint it Pink' day Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Delgado's performance was inspiring because of how much the annual breast cancer awareness game means to her. Delgado's mother, the late Mary Ann Montes, passed away from breast cancer on March 12, 2009, after a long and courageous fight. For Delgado, it was fitting that she had a record-setting outcome in what was more than just a regular-season game for her.
"I think of my mom for every game," Delgado said following today's win. "She really pushed me to be here and play basketball, but today was a special day and I dedicate it to her."
The Kissimmee, Fla., native broke a near 38-year old assists record at Florida State formerly held by Shirley Silsby on Feb. 6, 1976, against Flagler College. Delgado picked up 10 of her 15 assists in the second half, dribbling and weaving past Boston College defenders to find the easy baskets inside. Her record-setting 15th assist came in the game's final minute when she got in the lane and found freshman Kai James on the right block with 36 seconds left.
Delgado's 15 assists tie Duke's Alexis Jones for the most by an ACC player this season. Jones' performance actually came against Florida State in what was an overtime loss for the `Noles on Jan. 23. The Lieberman Watch List member added a career-high nine rebounds in the win, nearly amassing a double-double in unconventional fashion for FSU.
Delgado's ability to penetrate and dish efficiently on Sunday afternoon helped the Seminoles (16-7, 4-6) pick up 56 points in the paint, their second-highest total of the season and their highest in conference play. It was their most points inside against an ACC opponent since registering 58 points in the paint in an 85-78 win at Georgia Tech on Jan. 3, 2013.
"I'm just so proud of the way the entire team locked in after a lot of disappointment," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "We have had a lot of adversity. As a coach, you welcome that as a young team because they need to grow. Cheetah [Delgado] and Natasha [Howard] played their hearts out today. I thought that the young players all stepped up and played significant roles. I'm just really proud of them. We definitely needed this win."
Joining Delgado with another superb performance on Sunday afternoon was senior Natasha Howard, who posted her 10th 20-point game of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds. She extended her school record to 36 career double-doubles, and moved into fourth all-time at FSU in scoring (1,555 points) and third all-time in rebounding (948 boards).
Playing a big role early was freshman Ivey Slaughter, who set career highs with six field goals made en route to a 13-point performance as well as four steals. Slaughter gave FSU a spark in the first half and helped break away from the Eagles.
Freshman center Kai James had her third double-figure game, chipping in with 11 points and three rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting.
The `Noles held a sizeable advantage in several areas on Sunday - FSU won in second-chance points, 18-5, and also generated 12 fast-break points while Boston College had zero. The biggest edge came in FSU's season-best effort on the offensive glass, recording 24 offensive rebounds which were more than Boston College's 22 total rebounds.
BC was led by the hot shooting of freshman guard Kelly Hughes, who finished 5-for-5 from long range and had 23 points for the Eagles.
FSU's edge in the low post helped it to a 35-20 halftime lead over BC. Howard and Slaughter led FSU with 12 points apiece, while the `Noles shot 50 percent (17-of-34). FSU forced 13 turnovers by the Eagles and outscored them in the paint, 32-8. For the game, BC committed 19 turnovers.
FSU made a point to get the ball inside to Howard early in the game, as she delivered six points through the second media timeout with FSU leading 14-12. Boston College jumped ahead 12-6 on a 3-ball from Lauren Englen, but FSU went on an 8-0 run with two inside buckets apiece from Howard and Slaughter to regain the lead.
The `Noles big run continued, extending it to a 14-0 run which included holding BC scoreless on 11 straight possessions. Slaughter notched her 10th double-figure game of the season when she made good on another inside basket, her third straight, to extend FSU's lead to 20-12. The Eagles stopped the FSU run on a three-point play in the paint from Englen, as FSU led 20-15 with 7:27 left.
Lauren Coleman gave the `Noles a nice spark when she hit the team's first and only 3-pointer from the left wing, extending the FSU lead to 25-17 with 3:51 left. Her long-range make was FSU's first basket outside the paint, as the `Noles held an early 22-8 lead in the category.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 29 2 10 0 4 0 0 4 1 2 3 1 5 2 2 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 38 1 7 0 1 4 4 6 3 6 9 0 15 4 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 31 3 6 0 1 0 0 6 3 2 5 0 0 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 27 6 9 0 0 1 2 13 4 2 6 2 0 2 0 4
33 Natasha Howard f 31 12 20 0 0 2 3 26 6 5 11 3 0 1 1 3
0 Kai James 13 4 6 0 0 3 3 11 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 16 1 6 0 3 1 2 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 15 1 3 1 3 0 0 3 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 0
Team 2 3 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 30 67 1 12 11 14 72 24 22 46 8 21 13 3 10
Opp 200 20 48 9 21 6 8 55 8 14 22 14 12 19 4 3
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | |||
| Florida State |
Natasha Howard Nets School-Record 40 in Win.
Senior forward from Toledo, Ohio, has one of the most dominant performances in school history to lift Florida State past Syracuse on the road, 83-59.
SYRACUSE, NY - A school-record 40 points by Florida State senior Natasha Howard resulted in a convincing 83-59 road win at Syracuse on Thursday evening at the Carrier Dome.
Howard registered her school-record 40 points on 14-of-19 shooting from the floor, as well as 12-of-15 from the charity stripe. Her 40th point to break the former record of 39 by Roneeka Hodges vs. Maryland in 2005 came on a free throw with 56 seconds left.
Howard's 40 points are the most by an ACC player this season in conference games. She only trails Wake Forest guard Chelsea Douglas' 48 points in non-conference play vs. FIU this past December.
"Natasha was incredible tonight," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "The individual honors are nice for her, but she would tell you first-hand that it's an even greater win for our team. I'm really proud of the way our players played tonight. They did an excellent job against a very good Syracuse basketball team and Natasha led the way for us."
Howard helped the Seminoles (17-7, 5-6) shoot 54 percent from the field. It was FSU's first 50-percent shooting performance in ACC play this season and its fourth time this year. FSU's 83 points were also its highest in ACC play this year.
Helping Howard was senior point guard Cheetah Delgado, who registered her fourth double-digit assists performance with 12 on the night. Freshman Ivey Slaughter recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards, as the `Noles outrebounded the Orange (17-8, 6-6), 43-24.
Thursday's win was big for FSU in many ways, including getting its first Top-25 RPI victory of the year. The Orange entered Thursday's game with the No. 17 RPI in the nation. FSU also moves to 13-0 against New York-based colleges with its win over the Orange. Its 24-point win in conference play was its most lop-sided on the road over an ACC opponent since winning 75-40 at Virginia Tech on Jan. 8, 2012.
FSU aided itself once again shooting 21-of-26 from the free-throw line (80.8 percent), its third straight game shooting 75 percent or better. From long range, the `Noles nailed a season-high tying eight 3-point field goals. Sophomore Emiah Bingley contributed with four of those as she picked up 11 points.
FSU started to force the ball a bit in the beginning of the second half, but was able to convert its shots as Howard had six quick points to put the `Noles ahead 50-31 with 15:56 left in the game. FSU converted 12 of its first 13 free-throw attempts to aid its 19-point margin.
FSU continued to pour it on, as Howard totaled her career high of 28 points at the 11:31 mark and Delgado had 11 assists to form a dynamic duo in the contest. Howard converted a fastbreak layup from the left side later to secure her 30th point and make her the first `Nole since Courtney Ward vs. Vanderbilt in 2010 to reach the 30-point mark.
The `Noles played one of their best first halves of the season, hitting the 40-point mark for the first time on the road as they led 42-26. Howard led all scorers with 16 points and FSU shot a remarkable 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Bingley provided a big spark off the bench for the `Noles with 11 points that included three 3-pointers.
Delgado distributed the ball with great efficiency as she handled Syracuse's pressure and traps well, recording eight assists just in the first half. Morgan Jones added two 3-point field goals to boost the `Noles, who held Syracuse to 37.5 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes. Another key was FSU outrebounding the Orange by nearly twice as much in the first half, holding a 25-13 edge.
After falling behind early 9-2 thanks to a Syracuse 9-0 run, FSU began to show a crisp offense that focused on good ball movement. Jones drained her first trey of the game to tie the game at 9-9, and Howard continued to put in work down low as she notched 10 points in the early going to give FSU an 18-11 lead with 11:24 left in the first half. It was Howard's 85th career double-figure game.
FSU nailed two of its first three 3-pointers, as Bingley drained a three from the right wing to get the `Noles clicking early from long range. Bingley's efficiency from beyond the arc set the tone for FSU the rest of the way.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 30 3 8 2 5 1 2 9 1 6 7 1 5 3 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 35 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 0 12 5 0 0
12 Brittany Brown g 27 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 1 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter f 24 3 8 0 0 6 7 12 4 7 11 4 0 1 0 3
33 Natasha Howard f 33 14 19 0 0 12 15 40 2 4 6 4 0 5 1 2
0 Kai James 8 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 1
3 Emiah Bingley 22 4 5 3 4 0 0 11 1 2 3 0 0 1 0 2
14 Gabi Alfonso 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
22 Sareea Freeman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 19 3 3 3 3 0 0 9 1 3 4 2 2 1 0 1
Team 3 3 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 27 50 8 12 21 26 83 13 30 43 14 23 21 1 9
Opp 200 22 61 7 25 8 13 59 11 13 24 21 15 12 4 11
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Syracuse |
`Noles Drop Tough Loss to Miami.
Florida State women's hoops suffers home loss to the Hurricanes after being plagued by foul trouble and lack of rebounding.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Riding a two-game win streak going into Sunday, the Florida State women's basketball team could not continue its late-season momentum as it lost to rival Miami, 76-73, on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Foul issues throughout the game and a giant edge by Miami in the rebounding department were two areas that plagued the Seminoles (17-8, 5-7). Six Florida State players in Ivey Slaughter (4), Natasha Howard (4), Morgan Jones (4), Cheetah Delgado (3), Kai James (3) and Lauren Coleman (3) were whistled for three or more fouls, with many of them having to be careful early in the second half when five FSU fouls were whistled on Miami's first three possessions.
The Hurricanes (13-12, 5-7), who committed 25 fouls with many coming toward the end of the game, took advantage of FSU's lack of size in the post. Miami generated 51 total rebounds, the most allowed by FSU this season, and grabbed 17 offensive boards to help keep possessions alive. The `Noles entered Sunday's contest as the top ACC team in offensive rebounding in conference games, but many long rebounds were corralled by an athletic Hurricane squad and resulted in better possessions for Miami.
"Just a great effort by Miami on the boards and just a poor effort on our part," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "That's what we really pride ourselves on and I thought that was the difference in the basketball game."
Sophomore forward Keyona Hayes, who was averaging 9.3 points, led Miami with 22 points. The Hurricanes took advantage of slip screens and high-low action on the lower block to generate 26 points in the paint, slightly above FSU's average.
"She really was effective in their offense and we didn't do a good of effectively shutting her down," Semrau added of Hayes.
Miami ended with four double-figure scorers, including Necole Sterling (14), Krystal Saunders (12) and Adrienne Motley (10) along with Hayes. Florida State got a good shooting performance from redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones, who generated 19 points for her most in ACC play. Jones tied her season high as well as the team's high with five 3-point field goals, shooting 7-of-14 while adding eight rebounds.
Jones' five treys give her 44 this season, tying her for 16th on the FSU single-season 3-point field goals list.
Senior Natasha Howard finished with a hard-earned 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Toledo, Ohio, native was double-teamed every time she touched the ball, but managed to get to the free-throw line 11 times and convert nine points from the stripe.
Florida State hurt itself by missing several baskets underneath. It shot 32.8 percent (22-of-67) to tie for its worst shooting performance of the year. Its other season-low performance actually came in a Top 25 win over Michigan State on Dec. 4.
A bright area for the `Noles was once again free-throw shooting. FSU shot 23-of-30 from the free-throw line, hitting 75 percent of its free throws for the fourth consecutive game. FSU also forced just 10 turnovers to tie for its lowest this season.
Sunday's loss puts an end to a four-game win streak against Miami. FSU was also riding a 10-game win streak against Florida-based opponents that was snapped.
With Miami leading 30-29 in what was a rough first half for both teams, the `Noles were mostly trading baskets with the Hurricanes early in the second half. A long 3-ball from Jones with 14:12 left gave FSU a 43-42 lead, but the Hurricanes responded with a key 10-0 run to establish a 52-43 lead with 9:12 left. A big play in the run was a three-point play from Sterling that resulted in Howard's fourth foul with 11:58 remaining.
FSU refused to give up, as an inside basket from Ivey Slaughter cut their deficit to 59-55 with 5:48 left. However, Saunders responded with a 3-pointer and a jumper to put Miami on top by a nine-point margin with five minutes left in the game. Later, a basket by Motley with 3:38 remaining put Miami ahead 68-57.
Jones tried to keep the `Noles in it with her fifth 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 74-69 with 25 seconds left, but a few free-throw conversions by `Canes ended FSU's two-game win streak.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 38 7 14 5 10 0 0 19 0 8 8 4 0 1 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 38 4 17 0 5 0 2 8 2 1 3 3 6 1 0 1
12 Brittany Brown g 32 1 8 1 5 4 4 7 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 3
23 Ivey Slaughter f 22 3 4 0 0 0 0 6 3 3 6 4 0 3 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 28 4 12 0 0 9 11 17 2 5 7 4 0 2 1 0
0 Kai James 11 1 2 0 0 2 2 4 1 1 2 3 0 2 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 17 1 6 0 2 6 9 8 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 14 1 4 0 2 2 2 4 3 0 3 3 2 1 0 0
Team 1 3 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 22 67 6 24 23 30 73 13 23 36 24 10 10 1 5
Opp 200 28 65 3 10 17 28 76 17 34 51 25 15 12 2 5
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | |||
| Florida State |
`Noles Hang Tough in Loss at No. 8/9 Maryland.
Senior Natasha Howard and redshirt sophomore Morgan Jones put on sensational performances in relentless effort against the Terrapins, falling 87-77.
COLLEGE PARK, MD - Despite superb performances by senior Natasha Howard and redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones, the Florida State women's basketball team was unable to cool No. 8/9 Maryland's long-range shooters as it fell 87-77 on Thursday evening at the Comcast Center.
Howard and Jones were sensational for the Seminoles (17-9, 5-8) on the offensive end. Howard became the eighth `Nole to post multiple 30-point games in her career, racking up 35 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. The Toledo, Ohio, native shot 13-of-17 from the floor in what was another dominant effort for the All-America candidate.
Jones nailed a career-best six 3-pointers en route to 18 points, falling one long-range bucket shy of the school record of seven held by Courtney Ward (2010) and Christy Derlak (1993). The Lake Mary, Fla., native also added three assists and did not turn the ball over.
"I was encouraged by what I saw out of our team, especially at the end when we really cut into their lead," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "It's up to us to carry how we played in the second half over to our next game at Clemson and gain that confidence to finish the regular season strong. I'm proud once again of the way `Tasha played and Morgan really stepped up today as well."
Florida State shot well from the field, hitting 50.9 percent (29-of-57) for its fifth game above the 50 percent line. However, the Terrapins (21-5, 9-4) were hot all evening, shooting 56.5 percent including 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from three-point range. Senior Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, while Katie Rutan nailed eight 3's. Maryland made 10 3-pointers, tied for the most allowed by FSU this season.
The 87 points were also the most allowed by FSU this season. However, Florida State closed the game on a 17-8 run and reached a single-digit deficit with 1:37 remaining, trailing 85-76. A jumper by Thomas with 42 seconds left sealed the game for the Terrapins, creating the final 87-77 score. FSU outscored Maryland in the second half, 42-34.
Senior Cheetah Delgado had another strong passing game for FSU, registering nine assists to expand her lead in the ACC. She also added nine points.
Florida State was hurt by its rebounding, losing the battle on the glass 35-26 and 10-7 on the offensive glass. Maryland also recorded 18 second-chance points to FSU's six. Throughout the game, however, the `Noles were relentless by diving after loose balls and not surrendering early, laying it out all over the floor.
Jones began the second half much like in the first, nailing a trey from the corner to tie her career high and the FSU season high with five 3-pointers. She also drilled five 3-pointers earlier this season at Florida and posted five 3's against NC State as a freshman at Northwestern.
Emiah Bingley's corner trey cut the FSU deficit to 61-47 with 14 minutes remaining in the game, as the `Noles used a quick 5-0 run to cut further into the Maryland lead. Jones then nailed her career-high six 3-pointer with 13:24 remaining to cut the deficit to 63-50. However, the Terps used a quick 9-3 run to extend it to a 19-point advantage with 10:42 left courtesy of a few buckets from Thomas.
Florida State trailed the hot-shooting Terrapins 53-35 at the half, as Maryland was led by Rutan's 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The Terps shot 20-of-35 (57.1 percent) while FSU was efficient from the field, shooting 15-of-30 (50 percent).
Jones buried four 3-pointers for FSU in the first half, leading the `Noles with 12 points while Howard added 12 on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. It was Howard's 87th career double-figure scoring game. Delgado handled the ball well for FSU, dishing out seven first-half assists.
Maryland's Thomas had a strong all-around first half, posting 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Rutan's 18 points all came from beyond the arc, as she was freed up by skip passes and getting open on the wing when FSU was forced to collapse on the inside.
Maryland took a 9-8 lead through the first media timeout with 15:52 remaining. Jones found her stroke from long range early when she knocked down a pair of triples from the left and right wing, tying her for 15th on the FSU single-season list with 46 3-pointers at the time.
The Terrapins used a 9-0 run over a 1:08 span to take a 26-13 lead with 11:47 left in the first half. Maryland started 4-of-4 from 3-point range, while Jones helped FSU to a 3-of-3 start from beyond the arc, but Maryland's 71 percent shooting helped it race out to a big lead.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 33 6 13 6 10 0 0 18 0 1 1 2 3 1 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 4 10 0 0 1 2 9 1 1 2 1 10 8 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 27 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 1
23 Ivey Slaughter f 17 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 0 5 0 1
33 Natasha Howard f 38 13 17 0 0 9 13 35 3 8 11 2 1 2 2 5
0 Kai James 10 2 3 0 0 0 1 4 1 3 4 2 0 1 1 0
3 Emiah Bingley 21 2 5 2 4 0 0 6 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 15 2 2 1 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 29 57 9 17 10 16 77 7 19 26 12 17 17 3 10
Opp 200 35 62 10 16 7 10 87 10 25 35 13 29 17 1 11
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Maryland |
`Noles Grind Out Win at Clemson.
Florida State women's hoops produces the most offensive rebounds ever given up by Clemson with 30 in a 59-43 win.
CLEMSON, SC - A hard-nosed rebounding effort by the Florida State women's basketball team elevated it to a 59-43 victory at Clemson on Sunday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.
The Seminoles (18-9, 6-8) recorded a season-high 56 total rebounds, including a season-best 30 on the offensive glass. The 30 offensive rebounds were the most Clemson has ever given up, as FSU used a lot of long rebounds to help maintain possession for the majority of the game.
Senior forward Natasha Howard became Florida State's second all-time leading scorer on Sunday, producing her 38th double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. It was also Howard's 12th double-double of the year, tying the single-season record held by former player Laine Lasseter, who totaled 12 when she was a freshman in 1978-79.
"Our rebounding was great today," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "We didn't shoot the ball particularly well but the rebounds allowed us to have more possessions and get second-chance opportunities. It was a good win for us and now we have to focus on a very good team coming to Tallahassee on Thursday in Georgia Tech."
Howard passed FSU great Tia Paschal for second on the single-season scoring list, now showing 1,666 career points. The FSU leader in career scoring is Sue Galkantas (1980-84), who scored 2,323 points.
Clemson was held to 32.6 percent shooting (15-of-46), and made just eight second-half buckets. FSU capitalized on second-chance points all afternoon, winning the battle 25-14. Freshman Ivey Slaughter helped the `Noles with points and rebounding in the paint, scoring seven points and nine rebounds.
Fellow freshman Brittany Brown was all over the court on Sunday, hustling after loose balls and making the little plays that mattered. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native garnered a career-high 11 rebounds and added six points. Overall, FSU shot 23-of-67 (34.3 percent) from the field.
The victory today puts Florida State in a three-way tie for eighth-place in the ACC with Miami and Virginia with two games left to play in the regular season.
FSU charged out to an 8-0 run to begin the second half and held a 38-23 lead with 15:50 remaining in the game. Five of those eight points were scored by Morgan Jones on an offensive put-back and a 3-pointer from the left wing, marking her 51st trey of the year to tie her with former players Wendy Hampton and Mara Freshour for ninth on the single-season list.
The Tigers responded with a quick 6-0 run to cut the FSU lead to 38-29 with 13:41 remaining. However, the `Noles used a key corner 3-pointer by Emiah Bingley and an inside bucket by Howard to get back to a 43-29 advantage. Both teams were turning the ball over quite a bit over the next media stretch, but FSU maintained a double-digit lead at 47-35 with 7:06 left.
After Nikki Dixon's free throw cut the Clemson deficit to 47-38 with 4:22 left in the game, Jones made a big 3-pointer from the corner to put FSU back to a double-digit lead at 50-38 and helped stop some of the Tiger momentum. A few possessions earlier, Howard grabbed an offensive rebound to mark her 38th career double-double and her 12th this season, tying the school single-season record.
An offensive rebound and turnaround jumper off the glass by Cheetah Delgado beat the halftime buzzer to help Florida State to a 30-23 lead at halftime. The `Noles generated 23 offensive rebounds in the first half, just one shy of their former season high of 24 against Boston College. FSU shot 28.6 percent in the first half while Clemson hit 35 percent of its shots.
Slaughter led FSU with seven points at the half, while Brown totaled six and a career-best eight rebounds. Slaughter also had seven boards, three short of her 10th double-double with 20 minutes left in the game.
Slaughter powered the `Noles early with five points and four offensive rebounds at the 15:30 mark as FSU held a 10-8 lead. Clemson jumped out to a 5-0 lead but the `Noles managed to scrap back on a few buckets from Jones and Slaughter. Brown knifed through the lane on a nice dribble drive and finished through traffic on the right side to put the `Noles on top 10-8 at the 15:52 mark.
FSU scored four of the next six buckets in the game, getting a spark from Bingley off the bench as she hit a mid-range shot from the baseline to give FSU an 18-12 lead with 10:43 left in the first half. The `Noles were all over the glass early, leading the rebounding battle 12-5 in the early going.
A key 6-0 run for FSU aided by the hustle plays of Brown helped the `Noles to a 24-16 lead with 3:26 left. Brown was fed on the break by a nice pass from Bingley for a left-handed scoop, and also had an offensive put-back with 5:05 left to put the `Noles ahead by eight.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 37 5 17 2 8 0 0 12 3 4 7 1 0 6 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 2 7 0 1 0 1 4 3 4 7 0 5 5 0 0
12 Brittany Brown g 36 3 10 0 0 0 0 6 7 4 11 1 4 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 15 2 8 0 0 3 3 7 7 2 9 4 0 3 0 2
33 Natasha Howard f 29 7 13 0 0 5 7 19 5 9 14 3 1 0 0 2
0 Kai James 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0
3 Emiah Bingley 18 2 6 1 4 2 2 7 1 2 3 2 3 2 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman 21 2 4 0 1 0 1 4 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 23 67 3 14 10 14 59 30 26 56 15 13 21 0 7
Opp 200 15 46 3 9 10 17 43 8 17 25 18 11 18 6 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Clemson |
Seminoles Stung by Georgia Tech.
Florida State women's hoops' 21-point halftime deficit too much to overcome despite big games from Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A scorching first half by Georgia Tech was too much for the Florida State women's basketball team to overcome on Thursday evening as it fell to the Ramblin' Wreck, 86-78, at the Donald L. Tucker Center in its second-to-last game of the regular season.
The tough loss by the Seminoles (18-10, 6-9) paints somewhat of a clearer picture for the ACC Tournament seedings. Florida State enters Sunday's regular-season finale tied with opponent Virginia for ninth-place in the conference standings.
If FSU can win Sunday's 12:30 p.m. ESPNU tip-off against UVA in Tallahassee, it is slated to earn the ninth seed at the ACC Tournament. A loss could put the `Noles in either the 10th or 11th seed, depending on the outcome of Wake Forest's matchup with Syracuse.
Against the Yellow Jackets (18-10, 8-7), Florida State got another extraordinary game from senior Natasha Howard. The senior All-America candidate reached her third 30-point game this season with 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. The Toledo, Ohio, native is just the second Seminole to record three 30-point games in a single season, joining FSU all-time leading scorer Sue Galkantas.
Teaming with Howard was her point guard Cheetah Delgado, who tied her season high with 18 points on a superb 8-of-9 shooting. Delgado added six assists, giving her 190 for the season and leaving her just nine short of breaking Courtney Ward's single-season school record of 198 in the 2009-10 season.
Florida State was doomed by its first-half defense and inability to close out on Georgia Tech's shooters. The Yellow Jackets knocked down 19-of-34 shots in the first half, including 7-of-10 from 3-point range. Junior guard Sydney Wallace drilled FSU for 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, helping Georgia Tech reach a 23-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Wallace would leave the game with 19:33 left in the game following a neck injury she sustained while trying to block a layup by Brittany Brown.
"You have to credit Georgia Tech with the way they came out shooting the ball," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "Both (Kaela) Davis and (Sydney) Wallace were hot early. I don't know why we were so tentative on the defensive end. We talked about it and talked about it. I think when you look at the game these two had [Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado], they needed more help than they got today. Both of them I thought played like seniors. We needed something else to go with them and we didn't have it today."
In ACC play this season, Florida State's halftime deficit of 21 points (52-31) was the fifth time the `Noles allowed themselves to get behind by double digits going into the locker room. The Seminoles made a valiant comeback bid in the second half, outscoring Georgia Tech 47-34. It was the most points scored in any half by FSU this season since putting up 50 against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 17.
Florida State made the game very interesting in the final 20 minutes. It was hard for FSU to hold a dominant run against a good-shooting team like the Yellow Jackets, but a 7-0 run with 12:23 remaining was capped by a straightaway 3-pointer from Delgado that cut FSU's deficit to 62-51.
About 3 ½ minutes later, Delgado hit another jumper to cut the Georgia Tech lead to 69-59. A fastbreak layup by freshman Brittany Brown moved FSU closer to 70-63 with 7:37 remaining. A couple big 3's by Georgia Tech helped give it a 10-point lead at 79-69 with 3:10 left, but the `Noles responded with a 6-0 run that made the game competitive at 79-75 with 2:16 left.
Three crucial turnovers by FSU in the final two minutes erased any chance of a comeback, as Georgia Tech hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Howard and Delgado combined to score 33 of FSU's 47 second-half points.
The Yellow Jackets finished the game shooting 10-of-14 from long range, as freshman Kaela Davis added three treys and recorded 18 points. FSU held the rebounding edge at 43-32, but trailed after the first half 20-19.
Thursday's contest featured a combined 20 fast-break points, including 10 from both teams. Georgia Tech forced FSU to play quicker in its trapping, full-court press, generating 23 points off FSU's turnovers.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
1 Morgan Jones g 36 5 18 2 9 0 1 12 2 7 9 1 1 7 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 40 8 9 2 2 0 0 18 2 2 4 0 6 5 0 0
12 Brittany Brown g 31 3 11 1 2 3 5 10 2 3 5 4 3 3 0 2
23 Ivey Slaughter f 20 0 4 0 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 3 1 1 1 0
33 Natasha Howard f 32 11 16 0 0 12 14 34 5 3 8 5 0 4 0 2
3 Emiah Bingley 24 1 6 0 2 0 0 2 5 2 7 3 2 2 0 0
32 Lauren Coleman 17 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 28 65 5 16 17 22 78 20 23 43 18 13 22 1 5
Opp 200 30 58 10 14 16 25 86 12 20 32 24 11 20 2 11
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | |||
| Florida State |
Howard, Delgado Shine in Senior Day Win.
Seniors Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado lead Florida State women's hoops to a big win over Virginia, 82-70; FSU clinches No. 9 seed in ACC Tournament.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A 33-point performance by forward Natasha Howard and an 11-assist game by Cheetah Delgado ignited the Florida State women's basketball team to an 82-70 win over Virginia on Senior Day this Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Sunday was just another brilliant performance by Florida State's two seniors. Fittingly, both set records in the Senior Day win. Delgado recorded an assist to freshman Ivey Slaughter with 8:33 left to set the FSU single-season school record for assists with 199. Delgado broke former FSU star Courtney Ward's198-assist season in 2009-10, and finishes the regular season with 201 dimes.
Howard was brilliant once again, equaling her career high with 14 made field goals. The Toledo, Ohio, native has produced three games with 14 field goals in conference play this season, the most of anyone in the ACC. Howard's 33-point game makes her the only Seminole to ever have four 30-point games in one season. The All-America candidate recorded 40 at Syracuse, 35 at Maryland, 34 vs. Georgia Tech last game and 33 on Sunday.
"Virginia is a tough team for us to play against," FSU head coach Sue Semrausaid. "They really pack things in and that usually makes it really tough for Natasha [Howard] to find her points. I was a little worried in the first half that we weren't contesting their shots. They were getting wide open looks. They were shooting 60 percent. Just holding them in the second half to 28 percent was the difference in the basketball game. It all starts with these two (Cheetah and Natasha). It has all year and it will continue. I felt like in the second half that a light switch maybe went on for the younger kids and that was exciting."
The record-breaking did not stop there for Howard. She also finished with 11 rebounds to mark her 13th double-double of the season and 39th of her career. Howard's 13 double-doubles break the single-season record of 12 held by Laine Lasseter (1978-79).
For Howard and Delgado, it was their effort that sparked the play of their teammates and ignited the crowd. Both players displayed true senior leadership by diving for loose balls and making all the hustle plays that mattered most. It was their effort on the defensive end that limited Virginia to shooting just 28.9 percent (11-of-38) in the second half after firing away with 60 percent shooting (15-of-25) in the first half.
"Sometimes you have to sacrifice for your teammates and that's what I did," Howard said. "I sacrificed for my team. This was my last game here so I had to do any and everything to come out with this win."
In addition to the two seniors, freshman Brittany Brownhad one of her most complete games of the season. Brown set a career high with 10 made field goals and delivered 21 points, only missing one shot from the floor. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native shot with confidence all afternoon, recording the second 20-point game of her career.
Fellow freshman Ivey Slaughter had a good game off the bench, going 5-of-6 from the field for 13 points along with five boards. Slaughter helped FSU out-rebound the Cavaliers (13-16, 6-10), 33-27.
Offensively, Florida State was as crisp as it had been all season. Oftentimes, the Seminoles were put up against another trapping defense in Virginia that tried to force bad plays with ball-handlers in the corner. Despite FSU's 23 turnovers, it utilized Delgado's to help split traps and work the ball around, and wound up shooting a season-best 61.1 percent. It was FSU's highest shooting percentage since shooting 62.3 percent against Yale on Dec. 28, 2011.
A well-played offensive first half by both teams resulted in a 38-36 lead for Virginia. However, the `Noles outscored the Cavaliers, 46-32, in the second half and were aided by an important 12-0 run later in the frame that stretched a 62-54 lead to 74-54 with 4:46 left. Over the big run, Brown came up with three buckets, including two on the fast break, to put the game out of reach.
Florida State capitalized well on the fast break Sunday, registering 14 points on the run to tie for the third most this season and its second highest in ACC play.
FSU also recorded 12 steals in Sunday's game to reach 300 for the season. The `Noles have now reached 300 steals in back-to-back seasons, the first time they have accomplished that feat since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 years.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
3 Emiah Bingley g 22 2 4 1 3 0 0 5 0 3 3 1 4 2 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 36 0 1 0 0 2 2 2 0 6 6 1 11 3 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 28 10 11 1 2 0 1 21 2 0 2 1 1 6 0 3
32 Lauren Coleman f 22 1 4 1 3 2 2 5 2 2 4 2 1 1 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 36 14 23 0 0 5 9 33 5 6 11 3 3 1 2 4
0 Kai James 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 Morgan Jones 22 1 4 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 3 1 0
14 Gabi Alfonso 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0
22 Sareea Freeman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter 27 5 6 0 0 3 4 13 2 3 5 2 0 5 1 2
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 33 54 4 11 12 18 82 11 22 33 14 21 23 4 12
Opp 200 26 63 6 18 12 14 70 15 12 27 17 12 19 0 11
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | |||
| Florida State |
Senior Leaders Lead Florida State to Overtime Win.
Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado combine for 50 points as Seminole women's hoops gets a big 72-67 overtime win over Miami at the ACC Tournament.
GREENSBORO, NC - Seniors Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado willed the No. 9 seeded Florida State women's basketball team to a crucial 72-67 overtime victory on Thursday afternoon over rival Miami in the second round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Howard recorded her fifth 30-point game of the season as well as her 40th career double-double, registering 30 points and 16 rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting. Delgado, the ACC's leader in assists, went into scoring mode on Thursday afternoon. The Kissimmee, Fla., native recorded a career-high 20 points. She provided the shot of the game in overtime, nailing a 3-pointer from the wing with one second on the shot clock to give FSU a 68-64 lead with 32 seconds left.
"We had drawn a play up to run," Delgado said. "And it didn't go through. The clock was running down and the ball ended up in my hands. I just shot it. I didn't think about it. We were trying to tell our team, `We've got to get back, there was too much time left to give them a chance.'"
The overtime win for the Seminoles (20-10), which was the 15th overtime game in ACC Tournament history, gives them their eighth 20-win season under head coach Sue Semrau. Florida State also improves to 2-0 against the eighth-seeded Hurricanes (16-14) at the ACC Tournament.
"That's always a great rivalry," Semrau said following Thursday's hard-fought game. "It's always a great game when we play Miami. And credit Miami, I thought they did a great job of controlling a lot of things early. The main thing that we talked about was Miami had a 51 to 36 advantage over us on the boards in our last game. And we hammered home how important rebounding was going to be, and we held them to 31 rebounds. And I think that was the difference in the basketball game."
Florida State's focus on the boards paid big dividends, out-rebounding the Hurricanes 39-31. The `Noles put much of their attention on the inside game, winning the points in the paint battle, 34-18, to combat Miami's eight 3-pointers made.
FSU advances to the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon to face top-seeded and undefeated Notre Dame (29-0) at 2 p.m. on the ACC's regional sports networks.
Thursday's battle between the two rivals was tightly contested, with neither team gaining a double-digit advantage. Following two made free throws by Howard to make it 58-55 with 39 seconds left, Miami's Necole Sterling drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game with 30.2 seconds left. Looking for the last possession, Delgado tried a floater that missed with 1.2 ticks remaining on the clock. A subsequent Miami heave was no good to send the game into overtime, the second in the rivalry.
In overtime, FSU shot 4-of-5 from the field and was boosted by a big 3-pointer from sophomore Emiah Bingley to give the Seminoles a 61-60 lead with 4:26 left. Howard then came through with a turnaround jumper on the baseline to create a three-point advantage, and a basket by Ivey Slaughter made it 65-60 with 1:59 left.
A fastbreak layup by Miami's Suriya McGuire cut FSU's lead to 65-64 with 1:06 remaining. A long possession for the `Noles resulted in Delgado's game-changing 3-pointer against the shot clock. With three seconds remaining, Morgan Jones iced the game with two free throws.
FSU held Miami to 43.9 percent shooting, but clamped down in the second half by holding the Hurricanes to 33.3 percent. The Seminoles also capitalized on second-chance points, winning 11-4.
FSU came out in the second half on a 6-0 run, using baskets by Howard, Delgado and Brown to cut its deficit to 33-32 with 17:37 remaining. Miami's Krystal Saunders responded with a trey from the wing to give the Canes a 36-32 advantage going into the first media timeout of the second half.
Over the final 4 ½ minutes of the first half, Miami went on a 10-4 run to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room. Howard led FSU with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Delgado added nine points, but FSU committed 12 turnovers through the first 20 minutes that helped Miami to eight points.
The Seminoles were staunch in the early going on the defensive end, allowing Miami's first bucket just over three minutes into the game. Howard corralled three early rebounds, including an offensive put-back to start the game, as FSU and Miami battled to a 4-4 tie with 15:44 left in the first half. Howard's first rebound moved her into sole possession of second place in school history.
Delgado began to show some assertiveness on the offensive end, making a few pull-up jumpers and a runner in the lane to help FSU to a 10-8 lead with 11:04 remaining in the first half. Adrienne Motley led the way for the Hurricanes early with four points as they started off 4-of-10 from the floor.
Howard and Delgado provided all the field goals made until Brittany Brown hit a jumper from the wing to cut the FSU deficit to 21-20 with 5:01 left in the first half. Following a left-handed drive and finish by Miami's Keyona Hayes, Lauren Coleman drained a mid-range jumper beyond the elbow to make it 23-22 Miami with 3:50 left.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
3 Emiah Bingley g 28 1 3 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 43 7 17 2 2 4 5 20 0 2 2 2 1 6 1 1
12 Brittany Brown g 37 4 14 0 1 1 3 9 2 2 4 3 3 2 1 4
32 Lauren Coleman f 19 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 44 11 17 0 0 8 10 30 5 11 16 3 1 3 4 6
0 Kai James 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 Morgan Jones 27 0 5 0 1 4 4 4 2 3 5 2 1 4 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter 26 2 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 6 6 3 0 2 0 0
Team 3 1 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 225 26 62 3 6 17 22 72 13 26 39 15 10 19 6 12
Opp 225 25 57 8 15 9 14 67 7 24 31 20 16 23 5 8
| 1 | 2 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | ||||
| Miami |
`Noles Bow Out of ACC Tournament.
Florida State women's basketball falls to No. 1 seed Notre Dame, 83-57, in Friday's quarterfinals at the Greensboro Coliseum.
GREENSBORO, NC - The Florida State women's basketball team was on the wrong end of an efficient offensive display by No. 1 seed Notre Dame as it fell in Friday's ACC Tournament quarterfinals, 83-57, at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Guided by four double-figure scorers, Notre Dame shot 32-of-53 (60.4 percent) against the Seminoles (20-11), a season high by an opponent. Leading the undefeated Fighting Irish (30-0) was guard Jewell Loyd, who posted 17 points, and Notre Dame also nailed 7-of-14 shots from long range.
Florida State senior forward Natasha Howard ended her last ACC Tournament in grand style, notching 29 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the floor along with five rebounds. The Toledo, Ohio, native recorded her fourth game of the season with 14 field goals, all against ACC teams. Howard now owns the top four single-game performances in ACC play in terms of field goals made.
"They're undefeated for a reason. And they know what they want to do and they do it," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said of Notre Dame. "And they expose you when you're not as confident in who you are. We've had some ups and downs this year, and part of that is habits.
"The one on my left here (Natasha Howard) has habits, and you can see what four years in our program does to a kid that goes to work every single day. Everybody keys in on her and she still has 29. I know she's three rebounds away from being our all-time rebounder. That's an amazing feat. I'm extremely proud of her and excited to play in the NCAA Tournament."
The hard-working senior was once again FSU's primary option, going to her several times in the post as she fought off double teams and still managed to finish around the rim with consistency. Howard is now just three rebounds away from becoming FSU's all-time leading rebounder, owning 1,027 boards for her career. She will have an opportunity to pass FSU legend Cherry Rivers (1976-1980), who has 1,029.
The `Noles shot well for the most part, going 24-of-52 (46.2 percent). However, 20 turnovers committed by FSU turned into 23 points for the opportunistic Fighting Irish, who also had 10 second-chance points.
FSU tried to gain some momentum in the second half, getting off to a good start as freshman Ivey Slaughter entered the game and scored three baskets with some nice inside moves. Morgan Jones then hit a free throw following a Notre Dame technical to cut Notre Dame's lead to 53-38 with 12:58 remaining, and both teams went back and forth as another jumper from Jones with 7:53 left made it 62-47 Irish.
The Seminoles were unable to sustain their second-half fury as Notre Dame found open spots in the zone and continued its solid shooting, going 15-of-27 in the final 20 minutes.
A big 21-0 run by the Fighting Irish created a 45-23 lead over Florida State at halftime. A free throw by Kai James gave FSU a 12-11 lead, but Notre Dame turned it into a 32-12 deficit as FSU was held without a field goal for 7:34. Howard paced Florida State with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
The Irish shot a blistering 65.4 percent in the first half (17-of-26), while FSU was 10-of-26 from the field. Besides the play of Howard, the `Noles weren't able to find much else inside as Notre Dame outscored FSU, 22-8, in the paint. Jewel Loyd led all scorers with 15 points heading into halftime. For the game, FSU was outscored in the paint, 44-32. It was only the eighth time this season an opponent has had more points inside than FSU.
Florida State displayed some hard-nose defense early, forcing the Fighting Irish to miss on six of their first eight shots as FSU took a 6-5 lead into the first media timeout. Howard had two buckets inside to give the `Noles a big boost.
Notre Dame got some scoring from the outside as Loyd drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Irish a 9-6 lead. However, Morgan Jones responded with a 3-ball of her own to knot the game at 9-9. Another basket by Howard inside on a post-up move tied the game at 11-11 through the second media timeout.
The Irish went on a 13-0 run over 2:44 to lead 24-12 with 7:54 remaining in the first half. Consecutive 3-pointers by Michaela Mabrey started the run and the old-fashioned three-point play by Natalie Achonwa underneath helped Notre Dame to a 12-point advantage.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
3 Emiah Bingley g 25 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 0 0
5 Cheetah Delgado g 40 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 5 6 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 34 2 8 0 1 0 0 4 1 3 4 2 2 4 0 1
32 Lauren Coleman f 21 2 3 1 1 2 2 7 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 36 14 22 0 0 1 2 29 1 4 5 1 0 3 2 3
0 Kai James 16 1 1 0 0 3 6 5 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0
1 Morgan Jones 12 2 4 1 2 1 2 6 0 1 1 2 2 1 0 0
23 Ivey Slaughter 16 3 4 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0
Team 1 3 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 52 2 10 7 12 57 6 16 22 15 10 20 2 6
Opp 200 32 53 7 14 12 17 83 7 22 29 12 24 15 2 10
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Notre Dame |
Florida State Silences Cyclones in NCAA First Round.
Tenth-seeded Seminole Women's Hoops grinds out 55-44 win over No. 7 seed Iowa State in Ames, Iowa on Saturday night.
AMES, IA - A gritty defensive effort by the 10th-seeded Florida State women's basketball team limited No. 7 Iowa State offensively as it earned a 55-44 win over ISU in front of a boisterous Cyclone crowd of 6,759 on Saturday night in the NCAA First Round at the Hilton Coliseum.
The Seminoles (21-11) held a lead for the entire game and took the Cyclones' (20-11) home faithful right out of the game in what was considered a neutral-site matchup in the NCAA postseason. Playing a team that is predicated on 3-point shooting, Florida State's 2-3 zone limited ISU to just 7-of-38 from outside while the `Noles dominated in the lane with 30 points compared to 14 by the opposition.
The victory gives Florida State its 11th consecutive opening-round win in the NCAA Tournament.
"Iowa State does so many nice things, but they don't play against a zone much as most teams," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "We couldn't just match up and hope to beat them. I'm very proud of our team for the way they handled themselves tonight in front of a great crowd."
A balanced scoring effort was the highlight for Florida State on the offensive end. Seniors Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado led the way with 10 points apiece, while Lauren Coleman and Morgan Jones each posted nine. Seven of Jones' nine points came at the free-throw line when FSU was in need of free points down the stretch to help close out the game.
Howard shot 5-of-9 from the field as the Cyclones closed in hard on her. She added 13 rebounds, a game high, to mark her 41st career double-double and her 44th career double-digit rebounding effort. Her offensive board and put-back with 8:37 remaining in the first half made her FSU's all-time leading rebounder, passing Seminole legend Cherry Rivers (1976-80). Howard now has 1,043 career boards.
"We know that Iowa State is a good shooting team, and we knew we needed to rebound," Howard said following the game. "So I think everyone made sure they boxed out. That was our main focus with Iowa State because they are a really good rebounding team."
Although the `Noles were turnover-prone with 25 miscues on the night, they did what they had to do defensively to limit Iowa State's long-range shooters. The Cyclones shot just 18.2 percent (7-of-38) from beyond the arc, with FSU doing a good job for the most part of closing out and giving little space on shooters Nikki Moody (1-of-7), Jadda Buckley (2-of-9) and Brynn Williamson (4-of-11).
Freshman Ivey Slaughter garnered 13 rebounds in 20 minutes of action to help the `Noles gain a 44-30 rebounding edge. Coleman tied her career high drilling three 3-pointers en route to her nine points, while Emiah Bingley played strong perimeter defense all night.
"We all got to stay together," Delgado added. "I think today we did a really good job of staying together on the same page, and we get to do the same thing tomorrow and start to focus on the next game."
Florida State's gritty effort resulted in the fifth-lowest scoring effort of the season by an opponent. In 14 non-ACC games this season, FSU has now held its opponents to just 32.1 percent shooting from the floor and 53.9 points per game. Overall, Iowa State shot 25.4 percent from the field, the lowest by an opponent since Jacksonville shot 24.6 percent on Dec. 8, 2013.
Holding a 30-18 lead in the first half, Florida State set the tone in the second half when a quick 4-0 run helped the `Noles to its largest lead at 38-23 with 17:18 remaining. Freshman Brittany Brown punctuated the effort with a steal and fast-break layup to create the 15-point lead, just moments after she scored underneath to keep FSU's momentum going.
Iowa State began to make things interested when it cut its deficit to single digits on a 3-pointer from Williamson with 9:15 left, making it 40-33 FSU. Delgado came right back with a runner in the lane to extend the lead back to three possessions. Later, a bucket by Buckley made it 46-39 with just under three minutes left, but Jones would calmly sink seven free throws down the stretch as Iowa State tried to foul and generate more scoring opportunities. A missed 3-pointer by Iowa State's Nicole Blaskowsky with 24 seconds left finalized the FSU victory.
Florida State got off to an auspicious beginning, using two 3-pointers from Coleman to lead 11-2 over Iowa State through the first media timeout. The drive-and-kick game worked for FSU early as it was able to get good penetration from its guards and find the open spot-up shooter. Bingley opened the scoring for FSU off a nice feed from Delgado in the corner, canning a trey to get the `Noles started.
FSU stayed strong defensively in its 30-18 halftime lead, the fourth-lowest point total by the opposition through the game's first 20 minutes.
Florida State and Iowa State are now tied at 1-1 in the all-time series, with Saturday's matchup a rematch of the NCAA Second Round in 2001 that featured current assistant coach Brooke Wyckoff and Seniors Women's Administrator Vanessa Fuchs on the team.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
3 Emiah Bingley g 25 1 5 1 4 0 0 3 0 3 3 2 2 2 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 39 4 5 0 1 2 3 10 0 2 2 2 6 7 0 2
12 Brittany Brown g 31 4 9 0 1 0 0 8 2 2 4 1 1 1 0 3
32 Lauren Coleman f 30 3 7 3 6 0 0 9 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 37 5 9 0 0 0 2 10 3 10 13 3 0 8 2 2
0 Kai James 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 Morgan Jones 15 1 5 0 1 7 9 9 0 2 2 3 0 4 1 0
23 Ivey Slaughter 20 2 5 0 0 0 0 4 1 12 13 3 0 2 0 3
Team 2 2 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 46 4 13 9 14 55 8 36 44 15 10 25 3 11
Opp 200 15 59 7 38 7 9 44 10 20 30 18 12 19 4 12
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Iowa State |
Florida State Women's Hoops Ends Season to Stanford.
Tenth-seeded Seminoles fall to No. 2 Stanford, 63-44, in the NCAA Second Round on Monday night.
AMES, IA - The No. 10 seeded Florida State women's basketball team bowed out of its ninth NCAA Tournament in the last 10 seasons after falling to No. 2 seed Stanford, 63-44, on Monday evening in the NCAA Second Round at the Hilton Coliseum.
Making their 11th straight appearance in the second round of the Big Dance, the Seminoles (21-12) fell behind on a 26-2 run by the No. 6-ranked Cardinal that ended the first half and were never able to catch up. After Florida State jumped out to a 14-6 lead by forcing turnovers and converting them into points, Stanford began to work the ball around and get good offensive possessions to ignite its big run that changed the outcome of the game.
Senior Natasha Howard ended her career with nine points and seven rebounds against the Cardinal (31-3). Fellow senior point guard Cheetah Delgado added six points, three assists and three boards as well as three steals. Redshirt sophomore guard Morgan Jones chipped in with eight points.
Stanford was led by senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, who scored a game-high 21 points and added nine rebounds. Bonnie Samuelson hit timely treys to add 11 points, while Lili Thompson scored 14. The Cardinal shot 48.9 percent for the game, but was out-rebounded by FSU, 35-32.
"I give credit to Stanford, they played a great game and we just weren't able to make shots," FSU head coach Sue Semrau said. "But I'm proud of what this team was able to accomplish this season, and we were led by two great seniors in Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado. Those two were special for us throughout their careers. I'm proud of our entire team for how hard they worked and the character they showed."
Despite being down late, the `Noles would not go down quietly, using their trapping defense to help cut their deficit to 55-39 with 3:59 left in the game. Brittany Brown managed to weave through Stanford's transition defense for a nice layup on the left side, and then found a cutting Ivey Slaughter on the next possession to keep FSU in the ballgame.
A three-point play by Howard in the lane gave Florida State some momentum as it trailed 41-26 with 13 minutes remaining in the game. However, the Cardinal responded with an immediate 3-pointer by Bonnie Samuelson and a fastbreak layup by Lili Thompson to extend the Stanford lead back to 46-26 with just under 12 minutes left.
Florida State fell victim to a 26-2 run and posted its lowest point total of the first half, trailing Stanford 32-16. The `Noles endured a 9:48 field goal drought until Delgado hit a mid-range jumper with 2:43 left to leave FSU trailing 22-16. Ogwumike posted 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting at the half. The Cardinal was able to get its offense going as the half wore on, shooting 12-of-22 for 54.5 percent.
The `Noles were generating points off turnovers early, as Brown recorded two early steals three minutes into the game to set the new freshman record at FSU with 78. Emiah Bingley garnered five early points for FSU, including a triple from the right wing as the `Noles took an early 11-4 advantage through the first media timeout.
Both teams went through a cold shooting spell as FSU took a 14-10 lead with 9:32 left in the first half. Jones came in and gave the `Noles a spark with a straightaway 3-pointer, but a couple inside buckets by Ogwumike helped the Cardinal trim its early deficit.
Florida State attained its eighth 20-win season under Semrau, capping off another fine season as she continues to lead the `Noles as a national contender. FSU started the season with seven scholarship players and was forced to play with a limited rotation through a portion of the season, making its 2013-14 year even more impressive.
Monday's game brings to a close two accomplished careers by seniors Natasha Howard and Cheetah Delgado. Howard leaves Florida State as the school's all-time leader in career rebounds, double-doubles and finished second in points scored. Delgado set the school record for assists in a season at FSU, and also established a single-game school record with 15 dimes.
The `Noles are expected to bring back several players from their active roster and also add a 2013 signing class that features highly-ranked incoming student-athletes that add to the bright future for FSU women's basketball.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
3 Emiah Bingley g 30 2 9 1 7 0 1 5 0 2 2 2 0 5 0 1
5 Cheetah Delgado g 35 3 7 0 2 0 0 6 0 3 3 1 3 3 0 3
12 Brittany Brown g 24 3 6 0 1 1 1 7 2 5 7 2 3 2 0 2
32 Lauren Coleman f 22 0 5 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0
33 Natasha Howard f 34 4 13 0 0 1 1 9 4 3 7 3 1 0 0 1
0 Kai James 13 1 5 0 0 3 6 5 2 5 7 2 0 2 0 0
1 Morgan Jones 27 3 9 2 6 0 0 8 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 0
23 Ivey Slaughter 15 2 4 0 0 0 0 4 1 4 5 3 0 0 0 0
Team 1 1 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 18 58 3 20 5 9 44 12 23 35 14 10 15 1 7
Opp 200 23 47 5 19 12 15 63 3 29 32 12 18 12 2 7
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||
| Stanford |