2020-21 Women's Basketball - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Brooke Wyckoff, Head Coach Melissa Bruner, Director of Operations Will Cowen, Dir of Player Development Joy McCorvey, Associate Head Coach Becca Moore, Dir of Recruiting Ops Dave Plettl, Strength and Conditioning Adam Surguine, Assistant Coach Morgan Toles, Assistant Coach  Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Coach Sue Taking Single-Season Leave of Absence.
September 8, 2020
by Stephen Stone
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State women's basketball head coach Sue Semrau announced today that she is taking a leave of absence through March 2021 to support her family as her mom recovers from ovarian cancer in the family's hometown of Seattle, Wash. Semrau has led the program for 23 years.
In a letter to the Seminole Family Semrau said, "For the past several months I've found it increasingly difficult to commute back and forth due to the tedious and ever-changing restrictions due to COVID-19. I've prayerfully wrestled with how I can meet my family's needs and continue to lead our team. In these uncertain times, I haven't found an answer that works for everyone, but I always preach that family comes first."
"For this reason, I've decided to step away from the day-to-day coaching through March 2021. I will also forfeit my salary so it can be used to offset COVID-19-related budget cuts. This decision allows me to support my family while providing much needed resources for Seminole Athletics."
Current Associate Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff will serve as Interim Head Coach during Semrau's leave. Wyckoff is an FSU Alumna, a 10-year Seminole assistant coach, and Associate Head Coach since May 1, 2018. Wyckoff has been involved in every aspect of the FSU basketball program and is currently the offensive coordinator after stints as both defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
"She has been a stellar assistant for 10 years, is an FSU Alumna and truly understands the heartbeat of our program," Semrau said about Wyckoff. "I am confident in her and our staff. I believe she will maintain the high level of excellence this season that we've come to expect at FSU."
As part of her leave agreement, Semrau requested - and FSU Director of Athletics David Coburn agreed - that her forfeited salary will remain with the program to help offset COVID-19 budget cuts that will affect the entire athletic department.
"Sue Semrau is one of the finest coaches in the country, and we completely support the decision she has made," said Coburn. "We are given a great responsibility in intercollegiate athletics to nurture the growth of our student-athletes not only in their athletic careers, but in their academic endeavors and personal life. Our coaches constantly talk to our student-athletes about properly aligning their personal priorities, and Sue is giving all Seminoles the ultimate example of what that means."
"I want to express my appreciation to FSU and David Coburn for understanding and accommodating this personal request," said Semrau. "I am also thankful and blessed by the attitude of our players and staff. Many coaches talk of their team as a family; ours proves it and I'm very grateful."
Semrau's return is scheduled for April 2021, following the conclusion of the
2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
Tiana England, 5-7, G, Stamford, Conn.
Erin Howard, 6-1, F, Madison, Wis.
2020-21 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 1 River Baldwin C 6-5 So * Andalusia, Ala. (Pleasant Home)
* 5 Sara Bejedi G 5-7 Fr-R Helsinki, Finland (Arizona State)
4 Amaya Brown G 5-11 Jr ** Albuquerque, N.Mex. (Cibola)
* 23 Tiana England G 5-7 Sr-R Stamford, Conn. (Stamford/Saint John's)
14 Erin Howard F 6-1 So-R Madison, Wis. (Madison East/Auburn)
* 0 Bianca Jackson G 5-11 Jr-R Montgomery, Ala. (Brewbaker Tech Magnet/South Carolina)
* 24 Morgan Jones G 6-2 Jr ** Jonesboro, Ga. (Our Lady of Mercy)
* 3 Sayawni Lassiter G 5-10 Jr-R * Dorchester, Mass. (Newton North)
* 32 Valencia Myers F 6-3 Jr ** Solon, Ohio (Solon)
* 33 Izabela Nicoletti G 5-10 So-R Sao Paulo, Brazil (Neuse Christian Academy)
* 2 Sammie Puisis G 6-1 So * Mason, Ohio (William Mason)
* 10 Kourtney Weber G 5-10 Jr ** New Orleans, La. (Ursuline Academy)
* 12 Savannah Wilkinson F 6-0 Jr-R ** London, England (Barking Abbey)
2020-21 Roster - By Number
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* 0 Bianca Jackson G 5-11 Jr-R Montgomery, Ala. (Brewbaker Tech Magnet/South Carolina)
* 1 River Baldwin C 6-5 So * Andalusia, Ala. (Pleasant Home)
* 2 Sammie Puisis G 6-1 So * Mason, Ohio (William Mason)
* 3 Sayawni Lassiter G 5-10 Jr-R * Dorchester, Mass. (Newton North)
4 Amaya Brown G 5-11 Jr ** Albuquerque, N.Mex. (Cibola)
* 5 Sara Bejedi G 5-7 Fr-R Helsinki, Finland (Arizona State)
* 10 Kourtney Weber G 5-10 Jr ** New Orleans, La. (Ursuline Academy)
* 12 Savannah Wilkinson F 6-0 Jr-R ** London, England (Barking Abbey)
14 Erin Howard F 6-1 So-R Madison, Wis. (Madison East/Auburn)
* 23 Tiana England G 5-7 Sr-R Stamford, Conn. (Stamford/Saint John's)
* 24 Morgan Jones G 6-2 Jr ** Jonesboro, Ga. (Our Lady of Mercy)
* 32 Valencia Myers F 6-3 Jr ** Solon, Ohio (Solon)
* 33 Izabela Nicoletti G 5-10 So-R Sao Paulo, Brazil (Neuse Christian Academy)
2020-21 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan Jones Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team (COACH)
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team (BRP)
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Defensive Team
All-Conference - 1
2020-21 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan Jones Women's Basketball Coaches Association - All-American - Honorable Mention
All-Americans - 1
2020-21 Schedules and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | |||||
| Virginia | |||||
| Clemson | |||||
| Pittsburgh | |||||
| Virginia Tech | |||||
| Louisville | |||||
| Clemson 2 OT |
|||||
| Georgia Tech | |||||
| Wake Forest | |||||
| North Carolina | |||||
| Miami | |||||
| Syracuse | |||||
| Miami | |||||
| Georgia Tech | |||||
| Louisville | |||||
| Notre Dame | |||||
| Wake Forest | |||||
| Syracuse ACC, Greensboro, N.C. |
|||||
| Oregon State NCAA, San Antonio, Tex. |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 10- 9 8- 1 2- 6 0- 2 vs ACC 9- 7 7- 1 2- 6 0- 0
2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Louisville 14- 2 26- 4 2 North Carolina State 12- 2 22- 3 3 Georgia Tech 12- 6 17- 9 4t Florida State 9- 7 10- 9 4t Syracuse 9- 7 15- 9 6 Notre Dame 8- 7 10-10 7 Virginia Tech 8- 8 15-10 8 North Carolina 8- 9 13-11 9t Miami 8-10 11-11 9t Wake Forest 8-10 12-13 11 Clemson 5-12 12-14 12 Pittsburgh 3-12 5-14 13 Boston College 2-11 7-12 14 Duke 0- 1 3- 1 15 Virginia 0- 2 0- 5
2021 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT, Greensboro, NC Date Score Comments ========== ================================================== ================================== 03/03/2021 (13)Boston College 67, (12)Pittsburgh 56 Round 1 03/04/2021 (9)Wake Forest 82, (8)North Carolina 71 Round 2 03/04/2021 (5)Syracuse 67, (13)Boston College 61 Round 2 03/04/2021 (7)Virginia Tech 72, (10)Miami 64 Round 2 03/04/2021 (11)Clemson 68, (6)Notre Dame 63 Round 2 03/05/2021 (1)Louisville 65, (9)Wake Forest 53 Round 3 03/05/2021 (5)Syracuse 68, (4)Florida State 67 Round 3 03/05/2021 (2)North Carolina State 68, (7)Virginia Tech 55 Round 3 03/05/2021 (3)Georgia Tech 60, (11)Clemson 57 Round 3 03/06/2021 (1)Louisville 72, (5)Syracuse 59 Round 4 03/06/2021 (2)North Carolina State 66, (3)Georgia Tech 61 Round 4 03/07/2021 (2)North Carolina State 58, (1)Louisville 56 Round 5
2020-21 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 =================================================================================================================================== Bianca Jackson 19 19 625 96 257 .374 20 52 .385 55 66 .833 267 14.1 8 49 57 3.0 39 0 68 61 2 18 Morgan Jones 19 18 531 89 196 .454 2 3 .667 64 92 .696 244 12.8 25 94 119 6.3 45 0 25 34 17 23 Kourtney Weber 18 18 581 74 167 .443 27 68 .397 37 45 .822 212 11.8 21 42 63 3.5 33 0 27 50 3 23 Valencia Myers 19 19 410 67 126 .532 0 0 .000 22 33 .667 156 8.2 38 68 106 5.6 70 7 17 28 25 16 Sammie Puisis 19 19 597 47 146 .322 33 113 .292 5 9 .556 132 6.9 24 61 85 4.5 29 0 18 24 2 19 River Baldwin 19 0 340 27 64 .422 0 0 .000 14 19 .737 68 3.6 30 38 68 3.6 37 2 12 23 17 11 Sayawni Lassiter 18 2 235 13 52 .250 10 39 .256 12 20 .600 48 2.7 10 23 33 1.8 30 0 13 11 1 6 Savannah Wilkinson 14 0 202 20 39 .513 0 0 .000 3 5 .600 43 3.1 14 23 37 2.6 22 0 5 11 1 7 Tiana England 9 0 168 13 42 .310 3 8 .375 11 13 .846 40 4.4 4 13 17 1.9 5 0 18 13 2 8 Sara Bejedi 4 0 44 6 19 .316 2 7 .286 6 8 .750 20 5.0 1 8 9 2.3 6 0 7 12 0 1 Izabela Nicoletti 10 0 118 3 20 .150 3 16 .188 1 2 .500 10 1.0 0 10 10 1.0 6 0 10 11 2 4 Team 43 46 89 0.0 7 ============================================================================================================== FSU 19 455 1128 .403 100 306 .327 230 312 .737 1240 65.3 218 475 693 36.5 322 9 220 285 72 136 Opp 19 465 1141 .408 114 374 .305 206 306 .673 1250 65.8 228 472 700 36.8 334 7 251 292 70 110
Seminoles Win Fifth Straight Over Gator in Wyckoff's Debut.
By Florida State Sports Information intern Ian Bolger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State Women's Basketball team was able to get its fifth consecutive win against Florida on Tuesday evening, as the Noles open their season with an 81-75 victory over the Gators in the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The five-game winning streak against the Gators (1-1) is the Noles' (1-0) longest against them since 1978-1980. The win also puts the Noles at a 24-5 record against UF and Miami over the last 29 games.
Interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff also recorded her first career win as a head coach after replacing Coach Sue Semrau, who is assisting her mother in her battle against cancer and decided to take a leave of absence for the 2020-21 season.
"I'm just so proud [of the team], not only for tonight but after six-plus months of uncertainty and adversity; for them to just push through and come out with great attitudes," said Coach Wyckoff after tonight's win. "Whatever came their way, they just confronted it and overcame it. I just can't say enough about these kids and how they've shown who they are as people and basketball players."
Junior Morgan Jones led the team with a career-high of 24 points, in which her previous career high was 16 against Miami last season, and shot 10 for 17 from the floor. She was also able to tally up seven rebounds and three blocks in her career night against the Gators.
"We have pride for this school and have pride playing against Florida, so it was a big win for us," Jones said. "We were locked in from the jump."
Sophomore Sammie Puisis and junior Valencia Myers also had stellar nights in tonight's win. Puisis was able to bring down a career-high eight rebounds and Myers recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
One of the focal points in tonight's game was that the Seminoles out-rebounded the Gators by almost double the amount at 52-24.
"There was a huge emphasis [on rebounding] and I've got to give credit to Coach Sue," Coach Wyckoff added. "That is Coach Sue's number one cornerstone of what we do; that we are phenomenal rebounders. She's had some amazing rebounding teams and tonight was no different."
Along with out-rebounding the Gators, the Noles out-shot them from the field at 45-42 percent and out-scored them in the paint at 38-28. The Noles were also 13 for 14 at the free throw line in the 2nd half.
Florida State started the game off hot, with Jones making a pair of layups to take an early six-point lead. Florida was able to bounce back quickly and make five straight baskets from the floor to take a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Sophomore Lavender Briggs scored nine points for the Gators in that run.
After falling down to an eight-point deficit early in the second quarter, the Noles were able to answer back with six straight made baskets of their own and locked the score 30-30 in the second quarter. The lead shifted back and forth late in the second quarter until redshirt junior Savannah Wilkinson made a jumper at the buzzer to give the Noles a two-point lead at the half.
For most of the third quarter, Florida State was able to set the pace and maintain the lead. Eight points from redshirt junior Bianca Jackson, along with a made basket and free throw from Jones at end of the quarter, put the Noles lead at 59-54 going into the fourth quarter.
The Noles were able to expand their lead to a game-high 11 points in the fourth quarter, but the Gators were able to pull it within five with back-to-back three pointers late in the game. Florida had a chance to pull within one-possession, but a crucial offensive rebound by junior Kourtney Weber followed by a clutch layup by Jones put them out of striking distance and pushed the Noles to a six-point victory.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 35 3 12 0 4 8 8 14 1 5 6 2 3 4 0 0
2 Sammie Puisis g 27 3 10 2 7 0 0 8 3 5 8 4 2 1 0 0
10 Kourtney Weber g 33 5 10 1 3 3 3 14 1 3 4 2 2 3 0 2
24 Morgan Jones g 31 10 17 0 0 2 6 22 1 6 7 2 0 3 3 0
32 Valencia Myers f 28 6 8 0 0 2 2 14 5 6 11 3 2 3 0 2
1 River Baldwin 15 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 3 7 1 1 0 2 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 16 2 3 0 0 3 4 7 2 4 6 2 1 0 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 0
Team 2 2
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 30 65 3 15 18 23 81 17 35 52 17 11 18 6 4
Opp 200 28 67 11 27 8 16 75 7 17 24 21 11 8 0 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | |||||
| Florida State |
Myers' Record-Tying Nine Blocks Lift Noles Past Virginia.
by FSU Sports Information intern Ian Bolger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A record-tying performance from junior Valencia Myers helped push the Florida State Seminoles (2-0, 1-0) to a dominant 69-51 win over Virginia (0-5, 0-2) on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The win is the Seminoles' fifth straight victory against the Cavaliers at home and their seventh win against them in their last eight meetings.
Myers was nothing short of dominant in today's game, as she posted a career-high nine blocks and tied the Seminoles' record for the most blocks in a game. She now holds the record with Jacinta Monroe, who had nine blocks against Georgia Tech in 2009.
Myers' nine blocks today also vaults her to the ninth-most career blocks in program history with 90 total blocks.
The Seminoles had four players post double-digits in points, with Myers leading the pack with 14 points and was one block shy of recording a double-double. Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson also had an outstanding day for the Seminoles with 13 points after putting up 14 in the game before against Florida.
Junior Kourtney Weber also posted 13 points and three rebounds in today's game, along with junior Morgan Jones recording 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
The second-half surge was the difference for the Seminoles in this game, as they outscored the Cavaliers, 41-23, coming out of the half. The Noles once again outrebounded their opponent by a wide margin at 39-25. They also recorded a better field goal percentage at 47%-31% and a better free throw percentage at 79%-60%.
The Seminoles picked up where they left off two weeks ago, as they took an early 7-0 lead to start the game against the Cavaliers. The first quarter was also messy for both teams with nine combined turnovers in the first five minutes of the game and 15 total turnovers in the first quarter.
The turnover woes continued for Florida State in the second quarter, as Virginia went on a scoring run of their own to take an 18-15 lead after being down by five earlier in the game. Jackson was able to stop the bleeding for the Seminoles with a three-pointer to put both teams at 18 apiece. The scoring went back and forth evenly for the rest of the second quarter with the score knotted up 28-28 at the half.
Virginia took an early lead to start the second half, but a pair of layups and a three-pointer by Weber helped give FSU a 43-36 lead. The Seminoles finished the third quarter strong by outrebounding UVA 15-5 and making their last four field-goal attempts to take a 10-point lead over the Cavs.
Florida State went on another scoring run to start the fourth quarter and never looked back. Back-to-back and-one buckets from Jones and sophomore Sara Bejedi helped spark 15 straight points early in the fourth and put the game away for the Seminoles.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 33 4 12 1 3 4 5 13 0 3 3 3 4 4 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 28 1 5 0 4 2 2 4 3 6 9 2 0 1 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 29 5 7 1 2 2 2 13 1 2 3 3 0 3 0 0
24 Morgan Jones g 31 4 9 0 0 4 5 12 0 4 4 4 1 2 0 2
32 Valencia Myers f 26 6 8 0 0 2 4 14 2 3 5 2 2 4 9 1
1 River Baldwin 13 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 4 1 0 4 1 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
5 Sara Bejedi 9 1 4 0 2 1 1 3 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 13 2 4 2 4 0 0 6 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 2
Team 3 3 6
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 53 4 16 15 19 69 10 29 39 16 9 18 11 7
Opp 200 17 55 8 17 9 15 51 8 17 25 16 13 14 2 5
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | |||||
| Florida State |
Noles Fall at Clemson, 72-69.
By Ian Bolger, FSU Sports Information Intern
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Florida State Women's Basketball team (2-1, 1-1) suffered a 72-69 loss to ACC foe Clemson (7-1, 2-1) on the road Thursday night at the Littlejohn Coliseum. It is the Seminoles' first loss of the season.
"Obviously it was a really tough one, the way it came down to the end like that," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "The girls were really disappointed. But honestly, it was a great learning lesson for us. I told them after the game, 'This is the ACC. Every single possession is going to be a battle. They're not going to give you anything easy, they're not going to make it look like how you want it to look. We've got to adjust and continue to work.'"
Junior Kourtney Weber led the team in scoring with a career-high 21 points on 7-11 shooting, while also posting three rebounds and three steals. This is the first time in her career that she's scored in double figures in three straight games.
Weber was also 5-5 from the free-throw line tonight, which is a new career-high for her in free throws made and attempted.
Sophomore River Baldwin and junior Morgan Jones also had stellar performances for the Seminoles, as Baldwin was able to score 12 points, which tied her career high in ACC play, while also bringing down four rebounds. Jones scored 13 points, along with posting a season-high nine rebounds and two steals.
Even though the Seminoles led in considerably wide margins for categories such as free throw percentage, 89%-50%, and second-chance points, 17-5, Clemson was still able to outshoot FSU from the field at 45%-36%, along with scoring 15 fast breaks points compared to FSU's six. The early turnovers also hurt the Seminoles in this game, as they committed seven turnovers in the first quarter.
The Seminoles started out rough by going down 10-2 early in the competition, but Baldwin was able to cut the deficit to four with a made layup and a pair of free throws. The Tigers were able to maintain the lead throughout most of the first quarter, but the Seminoles kept it close at the end of the period only being down by six.
The Tigers jumped out early again in the second quarter with their lead expanding up to 10, but a 12-2 run by the Seminoles, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Weber and sophomore Sammie Puisis, knotted the game back up at 27 apiece. The scoring went back and forth for the rest of the period and the score was tied 36-36 at the half.
The Seminoles came out with more physicality in the third quarter, with eight of their 14 points in the period coming from the free-throw line. Clemson was able to build another big lead late in the third, but FSU was once again able to cut it down to a one-possession game entering the fourth.
The scoring shifted back and forth at the start of the fourth quarter with no lead being more than five points. With six minutes left in the game, Weber drained a three-pointer to give Florida State their first lead of the game, but Clemson was able to respond with back-to-back baskets.
The score was tied 69-69 with 36 seconds left to play, but Clemson was able to get to the line and make crucial free throws late in the game. The Noles had an opportunity to take the lead with eight seconds left in the game, but a three-point attempt by Puisis was just off the mark and Clemson was able to secure the win at home.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 31 3 17 0 2 2 2 8 2 4 6 2 4 2 1 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 36 2 7 2 7 0 0 6 2 5 7 2 1 2 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 29 7 11 2 4 5 5 21 2 1 3 2 0 2 0 3
24 Morgan Jones g 30 4 8 0 1 5 6 13 5 4 9 3 0 2 0 2
32 Valencia Myers f 18 3 6 0 0 0 0 6 2 3 5 5 0 1 1 1
1 River Baldwin 20 4 7 0 0 4 4 12 4 0 4 4 0 2 0 2
5 Sara Bejedi 9 1 4 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 3 2 4 0 1
12 Savannah Wilkinson 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
33 Izabela Nicoletti 20 0 6 0 4 1 2 1 0 2 2 1 4 1 0 0
Team 3 1 4 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 67 4 19 17 19 69 20 21 41 22 11 21 2 12
Opp 200 27 60 6 14 12 24 72 15 23 38 20 12 19 5 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Clemson |
Seminoles Turn Pitt Over In 67-53 Win.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A season-best 23 turnovers forced on the defensive end helped Florida State Women's Basketball get past Pittsburgh, 67-53, on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
"(It was) very important," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said of the 23 turnovers forced. "When we allowed them to score they would press us. If we were able to get a defensive rebound or force a turnover, that led to easier offense. That's a good sign defensively. I wished we grabbed a few more rebounds on the defensive end but that's OK, we'll work on that."
Facing a much-improved Panthers squad (3-3, 1-2), the Seminoles (3-1, 2-1) set the tone from the start by forcing eight turnovers in the first quarter. A big part of FSU's day on both sides of the court was junior guard Kourtney Weber, who delivered another game high in points with 19 and tied her career high with five rebounds. She added three assists and three steals in another stellar all-around day.
Weber scored 15 of her 19 points in the first half, helping FSU to a 34-20 lead at the break. But after the Panthers used a late basket to cut the lead to 14 at the half, it carried a 12-0 run over to the start of the third quarter after mixing in pressure on made baskets and forcing the Seminoles into turnovers of their own.
The response by FSU leading just 34-32 was the turning point in the game. With the help of steady point guard play from Bianca Jackson (13 points, six rebounds), the Seminoles returned with a 17-3 run to close out the third quarter and create some much-needed distance on the scoreboard.
"We finally started getting some stops," Wyckoff added about the momentum-turning run. "When they were scoring they were always up and pressing us in full court, which slowed us down. What we do best is get a stop, get out in transition and run. Once we were finally able to get stops and wake up, that translated into some easier offense for us."
Sammie Puisis, Sara Bejedi and River Baldwin each chipped in with seven points apiece, as Baldwin drew a team-best five fouls. Ball-handling was at its most important on Sunday as former FSU Associate Head Coach Lance White mixed in several pressure defenses.
"It was great to see him. I wish him the very best," Wyckoff said of White, who she coached with for seven years (2011-18) at FSU. "He's doing a great thing, despite the loss today, he's building and you can see that."
Florida State was out-rebounded for the first time this season, as the Panthers corralled 47 boards compared to FSU's 38. FSU's bench provided a boost by out-scoring Pitt 17-9.
The Seminoles held Pitt to just 30.4 percent from the field, while FSU shot 42.9 percent. FSU was bolstered by a good second half from the floor, going 11-of-22.
Pitt was led by sophomore guard Dayshanette Harris, who scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. FSU held Jayla Everett, one of the ACC's top scorers, to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 33 5 11 1 3 2 2 13 0 6 6 1 2 2 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 30 3 6 1 4 0 0 7 1 2 3 0 1 5 0 2
10 Kourtney Weber g 38 5 10 2 5 7 8 19 2 3 5 1 3 2 0 3
24 Morgan Jones g 27 2 7 0 0 0 0 4 1 1 2 3 1 1 0 1
32 Valencia Myers f 23 3 10 0 0 1 3 7 2 5 7 2 0 0 1 1
1 River Baldwin 16 3 4 0 0 1 2 7 0 3 3 5 0 1 1 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 9 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
5 Sara Bejedi 11 2 5 1 2 2 3 7 0 3 3 0 0 5 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 13 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0
Team 2 6 8
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 56 6 17 13 18 67 8 30 38 13 12 18 2 8
Opp 200 21 69 5 24 6 12 53 19 28 47 21 6 23 3 5
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | |||||
| Florida State |
Noles Nab Big Road Win At Virginia Tech.
BLACKSBURG, Va. - A relentless effort sparked by Sammie Puisis and Morgan Jones propelled Florida State Women's Basketball to a 73-63 road win at Virginia Tech on Thursday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.
Puisis was enormous with 15 points and five 3-point field goals, none bigger than when she knocked down a long three from straightaway to put FSU ahead 67-54 against a hard-charging Hokies (6-2, 1-2) squad with 3:56 remaining. Jones added 15 points, including 12 in the second half.
The Seminoles (4-1, 3-1) earned their ninth consecutive victory over Virginia Tech, and start 3-1 in ACC play for the seventh consecutive season. FSU was extremely efficient from beyond the arc, going 10-of-16, and closed out the game making 21 consecutive free throws.
FSU shot 21-of-22 (95.5 percent) from the line on Thursday, the third-highest free-throw percentage in a game in program history. The Seminoles entered the game as one of the nation's best teams from the charity stripe.
Overall, four players finished in double figures for the Seminoles as Kourtney Weber chipped in with 14 and Bianca Jackson added 11. Weber has recorded double-figure points in every game this season.
Down 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, FSU out-scored Virginia Tech 46-25 in the second and third quarters combined. Strong post defense highlighted FSU's workmanlike effort on Thursday, which allowed Aisha Sheppard from Virginia Tech to get 21 points but on 18 field goal attempts (6-of-18).
FSU sophomore Sara Bejedi added eight points along with three rebounds and drew four fouls. The native of Finland continues to show more growth and comfort in Florida State's offense.
One of the ACC's best shooting teams, Virginia Tech was held to 39.7 percent shooting from the floor, while FSU shot 40.4 percent. The Hokies shot 31 percent from downtown.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 35 3 11 1 1 4 4 11 0 1 1 0 3 5 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 37 5 12 5 9 0 0 15 1 2 3 1 2 1 0 2
10 Kourtney Weber g 26 4 6 2 2 4 4 14 2 2 4 4 0 3 0 0
24 Morgan Jones g 26 3 6 1 1 8 8 15 0 5 5 3 2 1 2 1
32 Valencia Myers f 25 3 6 0 0 2 2 8 0 5 5 4 0 2 2 1
1 River Baldwin 18 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 6 1 1 0 1 2
3 Sayawni Lassiter 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
5 Sara Bejedi 15 2 6 1 2 3 4 8 1 2 3 3 3 3 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 15 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
Team 2 3 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 52 10 16 21 22 73 10 23 33 17 12 17 5 7
Opp 200 23 58 9 29 8 9 63 9 20 29 21 19 20 5 4
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Virginia Tech |
Noles Fall at No. 2 Louisville, 84-56.
by Ian Bolger
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Florida State women's basketball team (4-2, 3-2) was not able to pull off the upset on the road against No. 2 Louisville (12-0, 5-0), falling 84-56 Sunday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center. It was the most points allowed by the Noles this year, and the fewest points scored.
"We faced an excellent team today. They're number two in the country for a reason and you saw why today," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "We were happy to have the opportunity and we'll learn a lot from it moving forward."
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson was the biggest highlight for the Noles, scoring a career-high 21 points while also grabbing four rebounds and a steal. This is Jackson's fifth double-figure scoring game in six games this season.
Juniors Morgan Jones and Valencia Myers also had strong performances against Louisville. Jones was able to put up 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and Myers scored six points while also tying her career-high in assists with three while adding five rebounds.
With only eight total players available for the game due to COVID protocols, one of the biggest struggles for the Noles was generating points from the bench. They only had three points total from their bench players in this game compared to the 35 bench points scored by Louisville.
Florida State was also overmatched in many other facets as the Cardinals were able to outshoot the Noles from the field at 54%-40% and outrebound them at 38-25.
The Seminoles were down 11-6 early to start the game, but a 6-0 run coming out of a timeout pushed them back into the game. Jackson was the catalyst in the scoring run, as she scored nine of the Noles' 17 points in the first quarter.
The Cardinals then took the lead and never looked back, ripping off an 18-8 run going into the second quarter and took a 43-31 lead over the Seminoles going into the half. FSU outscored Louisville 10-2 off of forced turnovers in the first half, but were struggling behind the three-point line, only shooting 38% compared to UL's 67%.
"We didn't have any kind of flow. We weren't getting stops and then we weren't able to score," said Wyckoff about the game. "[Louisville] took advantage of it and went into halftime with a 12-point lead."
The Noles were starting to get their groove back early in the third quarter after an and-one bucket from Myers and a three-pointer from junior Kourtney Weber, but freshman Hailey Van Lith for Louisville made back-to-back threes to keep FSU's deficit at double digits.
The Cardinals kept that double digit lead for the rest of the game and ended up giving the Seminoles their biggest loss of the season after outscoring the Noles 41-25 in the second half.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 32 9 16 1 2 2 5 21 0 4 4 2 1 2 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 36 1 6 1 4 0 0 3 1 2 3 1 1 1 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 34 4 8 1 3 0 0 9 2 1 3 0 1 4 0 1
24 Morgan Jones g 26 5 8 0 0 4 6 14 0 3 3 3 0 2 2 0
32 Valencia Myers f 27 1 4 0 0 4 5 6 1 4 5 3 3 2 0 3
1 River Baldwin 10 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 19 1 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 16 0 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0
Team 2 1 3
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 52 4 13 10 16 56 6 19 25 13 6 13 2 6
Opp 200 32 59 11 23 9 10 84 9 29 38 15 22 11 5 4
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Louisville |
Jones Puts Up 36 In Double-Overtime Win Over Clemson.
By Ian Bolger, Sports Information intern
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - An electric performance from junior Morgan Jones pushed the Florida State women's basketball team (5-2, 4-2) to a 95-88 win in a double-overtime thriller over Clemson (8-5, 3-5). The Seminoles were able to avenge their loss to the Tigers from earlier this season and even the season series against their ACC rival at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles have now won 32 of their last 36 against the Tigers and 16 of their last 18 against them at home. They are also now 26-20 in overtime games in their program's history.
"This was a huge win for us," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said about tonight's double-overtime victory. "No matter how it happens, we love winning in the ACC. It's never easy and I just couldn't be prouder of the grit that this team had tonight."
Jones had a historic night against Clemson, scoring a career-high 36 points and bringing down a career-high tying 11 rebounds. Her 36 points ties Tia Paschal (March 6, 1993 vs. Maryland) for the sixth-most scored in a single game in program history. It was also the most points scored by a Seminole since Natasha Howard delivered a school-record 40 points at Syracuse on Feb. 13, 2014.
This is also Jones' sixth time scoring double-digit point totals in seven games this season, as well as the second time she's scored over 20 points in her career.
"I had the same drive from the start. Wanting to win and doing whatever I had to do to win," Jones said about her performance in the nail-biting home win tonight. "I just kept that [drive] the entire game, even in the double overtime."
Sophomore Sammie Puisis was another key contributor in tonight's game, as she played all 50 minutes and scored a career-high 18 points, along with hitting five three-pointers from the field. This was the most threes she's made in a game since earlier this season against Virginia Tech when she hit five from downtown. This is also her fourth game this season with multiple three-point field goals made.
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson was the third Nole tonight to score double-figures with 18 points, along with six assists and three rebounds. Sophomore River Baldwin was also a presence off the bench, as she put together an impressive night of nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a career-high six blocks.
"I think we have a really balanced team. I think that when we've had players that haven't been able to step up, other players have," said Wyckoff about the depth of the team this season. "They all have talents offensively and ways to impact the games on the offensive end."
Florida State was able to shoot 50 percent (33-66) from the floor and recorded a season-high 18 assists.
Puisis started the game strong with back-to-back threes to help build an early 12-6 lead for the Seminoles. Clemson stormed back with a 6-0 and were able to tie the game late in the first period, but another pair of threes from Puisis, who had 12 of the 23 points scored by the Noles in the quarter, gave FSU a five-point lead heading into the second period.
The Tigers started to find their rhythm again coming out of the break with a seven-point run, but the Seminoles were able to quickly respond with a six-point run of their own. Jackson was able to put together a couple of buckets, including an and-one free throw, to close the half with the Seminoles leading 37-33.
Jones went on a scoring tandem coming out of the half, scoring five straight field goals for the Seminoles and 12 total points in the third quarter. Another three-pointer and made jumper by Puisis late in quarter gave FSU a 10-point cushion over Clemson going into the final period.
The Tigers did not go gently into the night, as they made another run of eight points to keep things close early in the fourth quarter. Clemson's Delicia Washington scored nine points early in the period and was able to tie the score at 69 apiece with 2:27 left in the game. A made layup and an and-one bucket by Jones put the Noles up five points, but the Tigers were able to come back from that deficit and tie the game with a three-pointer to force overtime.
In overtime, FSU had another lead after Jones drained consecutive free throws with 28 seconds left, but Washington scored again late for the Tigers to tie the game and force double overtime. The second overtime period was all Seminoles with the team scoring nine straight points to open the period. Clemson was never able to recover, as the Noles went home with the win at home.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 45 6 11 0 1 6 8 18 1 2 3 3 6 5 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 50 6 14 5 12 1 2 18 0 5 5 2 1 3 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 47 1 6 0 2 7 10 9 0 3 3 2 5 5 0 2
24 Morgan Jones g 41 14 23 0 0 8 9 36 1 10 11 2 2 2 2 3
32 Valencia Myers f 11 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 1 4 5 5 1 1 0 0
1 River Baldwin 38 4 7 0 0 1 2 9 4 4 8 5 3 4 6 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 8 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 10 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 1
Team 1 4 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 250 33 66 5 17 24 33 95 8 35 43 23 18 23 8 8
Opp 250 36 92 4 15 12 17 88 23 24 47 34 11 22 3 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2-OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | |||||||
| Florida State |
Women's Basketball Tripped Up At Georgia Tech, 66-58.
by Ian Bolger
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Florida State Women's Basketball team (5-3, 4-3) suffered a 66-58 loss to ACC foe Georgia Tech (8-3, 6-2) on the road Sunday afternoon at the McCamish Pavilion. Junior Morgan Jones led the Seminoles in points scored in this game with 14 points on 6-14 shooting, along with recording three steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Jones has now reached double-digit point figures in seven of eight games played this season.
Although FSU still holds the series lead over Georgia Tech, this is now the third straight loss suffered by the Noles to the Yellow Jackets, as they also lost both games to GT last season.
"We were outmatched a little bit physically with that offense," said interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff about Georgia Tech. "That was a tough matchup for us, so we'll see what we can do about it going forward."
Redshirt junior Sayawni Lassiter had her best game of the season, scoring nine points and shooting a perfect 3-3 from behind the 3-point line. Lassiter's three three-pointers made tied her performance against Penn State in 2018 for a career-high in 3-pointers made in a game.
Juniors Valencia Myers and Kourtney Weber both had solid performances for the Seminoles, each putting up nine points and combining for seven rebounds. Sophomore Sammie Puisis also played well, leading the team with five rebounds and scoring eight points.
Florida State was very effective from three-point range, shooting 50% from downtown, but were outrebounded, 47-26, by Georgia Tech in this game. The Noles were also outscored on second-chance points, 15-6, and outscored on points from fast breaks, 12-2, by the Yellow Jackets.
"We got outrebounded by 22, so that was definitely a story of the game," said Wyckoff about the difference in rebounds. "We just weren't able to figure it out and find ways to get rebounds."
Jones started off where she left off against Clemson scoring the first five points for the Seminoles. FSU went on to score 11 straight in the quarter, including three straight three-pointers, to get an early 20-9, but the Yellow Jackets came back and cut the deficit to seven at the end of the period.
Georgia Tech went on a 9-0 run to start the second quarter before the Seminoles stopped the Yellow Jacket's run with a 3-pointer by Puisis. Down late in the period, Myers made an and-one bucket to cut the deficit for FSU to three going into the half.
The Yellow Jackets began to pull away early in the third quarter and expanded their lead to 12 points. The Seminoles responded quickly and closed the period on an 11-0 run to bring down Georgia Tech's lead to one point.
The start of the fourth quarter was back and forth, as both teams kept it within one possession until Georgia Tech went up five points with five minutes left in the game. The Yellow Jackets stretched their lead to eight points late in the fourth and the Seminoles couldn't pump out another late scoring run, as they only scored 11 total points in the final period.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 33 3 14 1 2 0 0 7 1 2 3 3 4 2 0 0
2 Sammie Puisis g 36 3 7 2 6 0 0 8 1 4 5 1 2 0 0 0
10 Kourtney Weber g 35 4 11 1 4 0 0 9 1 3 4 3 2 3 1 1
24 Morgan Jones g 32 6 14 0 0 2 4 14 1 2 3 3 2 2 0 3
32 Valencia Myers f 16 4 6 0 0 1 1 9 1 2 3 3 0 0 1 1
1 River Baldwin 28 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 2 0 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 20 3 4 3 3 0 0 9 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0
Team 1 4 5 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 60 7 15 3 5 58 6 20 26 16 12 10 2 5
Opp 200 23 59 7 21 13 16 66 18 30 48 8 15 16 3 1
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Georgia Tech |
Women's Basketball Falls At Wake Forest, 73-59.
by Ian Bolger, Sports Information Student Intern
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Florida State women's basketball team (5-4, 4-4) couldn't produce offensively on the road, dropping their second straight game against, this time to Wake Forest (8-6, 5-5), 73-59, on Thursday evening at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
The loss was the Seminoles first on the road against Wake Forest since 2014.
"We just didn't have enough individuals that could find it tonight," sand Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff. "That's been kind of the story in our losses. Individually and as a team, we have what it takes to be a good team and win games in this league."
Junior Kourtney Weber set a career-high in scoring tonight putting up 22 points on 8-16 shooting from the field, and pulled down six rebounds. Her 22 points marked her sixth double-figure game of the season. It was her highest scoring game since scoring 21 points against Clemson earlier this season.
Junior Valencia Myers earned her third double-figure game this season with 14 points on 7-9 shooting from the field. She added five rebounds and four blocks. With 99 career blocked shots, she is one block shy of being the ninth Seminole with 100 blocks in program history.
The Seminoles were not able to get juniors Morgan Jones and Bianca Jackson going in this game, as they were both held to a combined 17 points against the Demon Deacons.
Florida State was outshot both from the field, 51.9-39.1 percent, and behind the three-point line, 45.5-35.7 percent by the Wake Forest defense. The Noles were outrebounded, 39-28.
The Seminoles struggled early to open the game with only 11 points in the first period – their lowest-scoring first quarter this season. Myers scored six of the Noles' 11 points and kept the game within one possession for most of the first quarter. Wake Forest moved ahead with a three-pointer to give the Demon Deacons a six-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Jackson put the game back at one-possession with back-to-back buckets to open the second quarter for the Noles. Wake Forest ripped off a 16-4 run late in the period to put the Seminoles down 35-24 at the half. Florida State's 11-point deficit at the break is their second-largest halftime deficit of the season and the 24 points scored in the half is their lowest total points in any half this season.
Coming out of the break, the Demon Deacons continued their hot streak offensively with another 12-4 run to extend their lead to 19 points. The Seminoles were able to put together a miniature run of their own late in the period behind two made 3-point shots by Weber and Sammie Puisis to bring the score to 54-42 at the end of the third quarter.
Wake Forest extended their lead to 20 points late in the game and the Seminoles weren't able to come back from thatdeficit. Florida State scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and they weren't able to surpass 20 points in anyquarter against Wake Forest
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 33 4 15 0 0 1 2 9 0 1 1 1 5 3 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 35 2 9 2 7 0 0 6 1 3 4 3 0 3 0 2
10 Kourtney Weber g 35 8 16 3 5 3 4 22 3 3 6 2 1 1 0 0
24 Morgan Jones g 30 4 12 0 0 0 0 8 2 3 5 2 3 1 1 3
32 Valencia Myers f 29 7 9 0 0 0 0 14 1 4 5 2 0 2 4 0
1 River Baldwin 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 10 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 4 3 1 0 1 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 12 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1
Team 1 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 64 5 14 4 6 59 10 18 28 19 11 11 7 7
Opp 200 28 54 5 11 12 17 73 10 29 39 12 13 17 3 4
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Wake Forest |
Women's Basketball Defeats North Carolina, 61-51.
by Ian Bolger, Sports Information Student Intern
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A double-double performance from junior Morgan Jones helped the Florida State women's basketball team (6-4, 5-4) in their third straight road game to beat North Carolina (8-8, 3-8), 61-51, on Thursday evening at Carmichael Arena.
The win marked the Seminoles sixth straight win over North Carolina in a streak that dates back to a 94-63 home win on Feb. 14, 2016. It is also Florida State's first victory on the road since winning at Virginia Tech earlier this season.
"I'm just so proud of what we were able to do tonight," FSU interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "On the road again after a two-game skid and without Kourtney Weber; the rest of our players found a way to gut this one out."
Jones scored 16 points and brought down 10 rebounds in her stellar game from tonight. It was her second double-double performance of the season with her first coming against Clemson on Jan. 21.
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson led the team with 17 points and shot a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. She also recorded three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in the victory.
Sophomore Sammie Puisis finished one rebound shy from a double-double herself, scoring 10 points and pulling down nine rebounds. She also hit her 70th career three-pointer in her 41st game played - making her second fastest in school history to reach the mark. She fell only five games short of achieving the all-time record set by Imani Wright (36 games).
Junior Valencia Myers totaled six points to go along with five rebounds and two blocks against the Tar Heels. Myers' two blocks made her the ninth Seminole to record over 100 career blocks in program history.
Redshirt junior Sayawni Lassiter started her first game of the season in place of injured Weber and totaled six points and five rebounds.
"It was a huge point of emphasis for us, and it was not going to be an easy test with their size and physicality," Wyckoff said about the importance of rebounding in this game. "I'm really proud of the effort that they showed tonight."
Despite being outscored from the bench by the Tar Heels, 32-6, FSU was able to win the turnover battle. The Seminoles committed only six turnovers as compared to UNC's 10 turnovers. The Seminoles also lead in points scored in the paint, 28-24, and in free throw percentage, 69.6%-46.7%.
Florida State held UNC to seven points in the first period - the fewest points they've held a team defensively in any quarter this season. Jones scored five of the Noles' 13 points in the period and took a six-point lead going into the second quarter.
FSU turned defensive stops into points and built a double-digit lead against in defeating the Tar Heels. The Noles didn't commit any turnovers in the second quarter and went into the half with a 29-18 lead over the Tar Heels.
The Seminoles started the third quarter on fire with a 9-0 run out of the break to give them a 20-point lead. The Tar Heels responded late in the quarter with a 9-0 run of their own to narrow the deficit back down to 13 points going into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, UNC brought the score back within single-digits with just over two minutes remaining. Free throws late in the game helped put the game away for the Seminoles and give them their second road win of the season.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 36 6 16 1 5 6 6 19 0 3 3 4 0 2 1 3
2 Sammie Puisis g 35 3 8 1 5 1 3 8 3 6 9 1 0 1 0 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter g 29 1 5 1 5 3 5 6 1 4 5 3 2 1 0 1
24 Morgan Jones g 35 5 13 0 0 6 9 16 3 7 10 3 2 2 0 1
32 Valencia Myers f 17 3 8 0 0 0 0 6 1 4 5 4 2 1 2 1
1 River Baldwin 28 2 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 4 1 2 1 1
12 Savannah Wilkinson 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 0
33 Izabela Nicoletti 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Team 1 3 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 55 3 15 16 23 61 10 32 42 20 7 9 4 7
Opp 200 19 69 6 31 7 15 51 20 27 47 22 14 13 2 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| North Carolina |
Women's Basketball Falls To Miami, 68-52.
by Ian Bolger, Sports Information Student Intern
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The Florida State women's basketball team (6-5, 5-5) suffered a 68-52 loss in its final game of a four-game road stretch to ACC-rival Miami (8-7, 5-7) on Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center. This is only the Seminoles second regular-season loss to the Hurricanes over the past six seasons.
"We couldn't stop their penetration and we couldn't rotate. We let them shoot layups, so they turned it up," FSU interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "Just in terms of attacking, we couldn't figure it out."
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson finished as Florida State's leading scorer for a second-straight game, putting up 12 points and two steals. She made two 3-point shots - her first game as a Seminole that she's made multiple 3-pointers in a game.
Junior Morgan Jones scored 10 points on 4-8 shooting with eight rebounds and three steals. She was two rebounds shy of recording her second-straight double double and her third of the season.
Junior Kourtney Weber came back into the starting lineup and scored nine points after missing the Seminoles' victory over North Carolina due to a foot injury. Redshirt junior Sayawni Lassiter also scored nine points, along with recording four rebounds and three assists.
Graduate transfer Tiana England, who made her Florida State debut, dished out her 510th career assist in today's game, which places her fourth on the active NCAA list for career assists.
Florida State was outshot by Miami in both in the second half, 71.4-40.0 percent, and overall, 50-36 percent. Despite outrebounding the Hurricanes by eight, the Noles were outscored in the paint, 48-14, and also allowed 21 points off of turnovers.
"There are no excuses," said Wyckoff about playing in their fourth-straight road game. "We've got to find a way to get it done."
Defense was the name of the game coming from the tip, with both teams shooting a combined 2-15 to start. Florida State held Miami to single-digits in the first quarter for the second-straight game. Lassiter hit a jump shot at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Noles an 11-7 lead at the end of the period.
The scoring picked up in the second quarter, as Jackson scored six of the Noles' 13 points off two made three-pointers in the period. The game continued to stay within one possession through the majority of the quarter and FSU took a two-point lead going into halftime.
The Seminoles struggled for most of the third quarter offensively, as they missed eight straight field goals and allowed 26 points in the third quarter. The 26 points was the most allowed in a quarter by FSU since giving up 26 in the second quarter to Louisville last month. Miami came out of the half making eight straight field goals and went on two separate scoring runs of nine plus points to build a 12-point lead going into the final period.
FSU scored back-to-back buckets early in the fourth quarter to bring the deficit back down to single digits, but it wasn't enough to put together a comeback on the road. Miami scored seven straight points late in the period and put the game out of reach.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 31 5 15 2 5 0 0 12 1 1 2 0 2 6 0 2
2 Sammie Puisis g 28 2 10 0 7 0 0 4 2 3 5 3 0 1 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 29 3 8 1 2 2 2 9 0 1 1 0 0 5 1 0
24 Morgan Jones g 17 4 8 0 0 2 4 10 2 6 8 2 1 2 0 3
32 Valencia Myers f 16 2 4 0 0 1 2 5 2 3 5 3 0 5 0 0
1 River Baldwin 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 32 3 8 1 6 2 2 9 0 4 4 3 3 3 0 1
12 Savannah Wilkinson 20 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 4 6 3 0 0 0 1
23 Tiana England 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
Team 3 2 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 21 58 4 20 7 10 53 13 25 38 15 8 23 1 9
Opp 200 28 56 1 13 11 14 68 6 24 30 15 13 16 4 12
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Miami |
Strong First Half Keys FSU Win Over Syracuse.
by Ian Bolger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A dominant first half from redshirt junior Bianca Jackson helped pave the way for the Florida State women's basketball team (7-5, 6-5) to secure a 67-52 win against Syracuse (11-5, 8-5) in their first game back at the Donald L. Tucker Center since Jan. 21.
"I could not be more excited and proud of how we responded tonight," interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "Our girls stepped up to the challenge tonight against a really good Syracuse team. We had some players step up and they did it together as a team."
This is the Noles' first of four straight home games after playing four straight games on the road. The Seminoles win tonight also breaks a three-game skid against the Orange that dates back to Jan. 19, 2017.
Jackson was the star player in this matchup, leading the team with 18 points on 6-12 shooting from the field, along with five assists. This was Jackson's third straight game leading the team in scoring and her ninth game overall in double figures this season.
"We've been going through quite a bit of a rough patch, so for us to get back on track tonight was good for us," Jackson said about the team's performance tonight. "I tried to do whatever the team needed from me and I put myself in a good position to help the team out."
Junior Morgan Jones had her third-straight double-figure game of the season, as well as her 10th double-figure game overall, with 13 points. She also brought down seven rebounds and had two assists.
Kourtney Weber recorded a career-high five steals, while also putting together eight points and four assists against the Orange. This was the most steals in a game for Weber since having three against Clemson earlier this season.
Sophomore River Baldwin led the team in rebounds with eight and Junior Valencia Myers was not too far behind with seven rebounds of her own. Both Baldwin and Myers combined for 10 points.
The Noles shot 58% from behind the three-point line and 44% from the field while holding Syracuse to 17% from three-point range and 30% from the field. FSU also outrebounded the Orange, 39-33, and outscored them in the paint, 30-22.
"Defensive rebounding was something that we needed to improve on and be able to do in these ACC games and we did it tonight," Wyckoff added. "Our rotations were great, our physicality was great, we had our hands up on the ball, and then we were able to finish the play with rebounding. It's fun to see that improvement."
The Seminoles started the night slow, down 9-2, with their only bucket coming from a layup by Jones. Three straight three-pointers by FSU, including back-to-back threes from Jackson, helped put an 11-1 run together to end the first period with the Noles up by three.
FSU continued their hot scoring run, putting up 11 straight points in the second quarter, which included redshirt senior Tiana England's first bucket as a Nole, to increase their lead by double digits. Two straight field goals at the end of the period gave the Seminoles their largest lead of the game going up, 32-18, at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Orange were able to cut into the Seminoles lead with a 14-5 run in the third quarter. Nine third-quarter points from Syracuse's Tiana Mangakahia were able to bring down their deficit to single digits going into the final period of play.
The Noles were able to respond early in the fourth quarter with three straight field goals to bring their lead back up to 13 points. Syracuse tried to make a late run down eight, but a made three from Weber, followed by back-to-back buckets from Jones and Myers, put the game away at home for the Seminoles.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 27 6 12 2 2 4 4 18 0 1 1 3 5 5 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 27 2 4 2 4 0 0 6 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0
10 Kourtney Weber g 32 3 8 2 3 0 0 8 0 2 2 3 4 3 0 5
24 Morgan Jones g 31 5 11 0 0 3 4 13 1 6 7 2 2 1 1 0
32 Valencia Myers f 20 3 6 0 0 0 0 6 3 4 7 5 0 3 1 2
1 River Baldwin 20 2 5 0 0 0 0 4 3 5 8 2 0 2 1 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 15 1 3 1 3 2 2 5 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 13 2 6 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0
23 Tiana England 15 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1
Team 2 4 6
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 25 57 7 12 10 12 67 9 30 39 17 15 16 3 10
Opp 200 17 56 4 23 14 19 52 10 23 33 16 9 18 7 8
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | |||||
| Florida State |
Balanced Attack Leads Noles Past Canes.
by Ian Bolger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State women's basketball team (8-5, 7-5) was able to avenge their road loss against Miami (8-9, 5-9) from just a week ago and come out strong with a 67-59 win for their 'Paint it Pink' game at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
"I'm really proud of this team and their ability to put two wins back-to-back and just being on our home floor helps so much," Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "I'm really just happy with how we played tonight and how we were able to hang on to win this game."
The Seminoles are now 6-0 at home this season, with five of those games being against ACC opponents. The Noles are also 10-2 against the Hurricanes in their last 12 regular-season games and 15-3 against their in-state rivals over the past six regular seasons.
An overall team effort propelled FSU to their seventh conference win of the season, with four players in junior Kourtney Weber (15), redshirt junior Bianca Jackson (13), sophomore Sammie Puisis (12), and junior Valencia Myers (12) all scoring in double digits. This is the first time that the Noles have had four players score in double figures since Dec. 31 against Virginia Tech.
"We started the game a lot better this time. We limited our turnovers, especially in the first half, and we were able to keep the lead," said Weber about their performance today compared to last week's performance. "The biggest thing is we played as a team today where everybody was looking for each other and it was really balanced."
Weber led the team in scoring this afternoon with 15 points on 6-10 shooting. She also put up two assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
Jackson recorded a career-high eight assists to go with her 13 points scored in this game. This was her fourth-straight game scoring in double digits.
Puisis played a well-rounded game for the Noles, as she was able to score 12 points, along with three assists, three rebounds, and three steals. This was her first time scoring in double digits since Jan. 21 against Clemson.
Myers also performed well with 12 points this afternoon on 6-8 shooting and also had six rebounds. This was Myers' fourth game this season with double-digit points and fifth-straight game with at least five rebounds.
Junior Morgan Jones and sophomore River Baldwin both contributed on the glass, bringing down eight and six rebounds respectively and combining for 10 points in this game.
The Noles were able to gain an advantage over Miami from behind the three-point line, outscoring them 39-30 percent. FSU also out-gained the Hurricanes in rebounds, 33-30, and steals, 8-3.
"We were able to defend [Miami], force tough shots, and then secure the rebounds," said Wyckoff about her team's defensive performance. "We always know where to be, it's just a matter of what we do when we get there, and right now we're doing good things when we get to where we need to be."
The Seminoles were down 2-0 against Miami early in the first quarter and never trailed in the game after that. The Noles were able to respond being down with 10 straight points early in the first period behind back-to-back threes from Weber and Puisis. FSU expanded their lead to 18-8 at the end of the period, leading in each of their last four first quarters played.
With another pair of threes from redshirt junior Sayawni Lassiter and Jackson and a layup from Myers, the Seminoles were able to bring their lead to 15 points halfway through the second quarter. The Noles held Miami scoreless for the final 3:13 of the first half and took a 35-21 lead going into the break.
Entering the third quarter, FSU kept a distant lead for most of the period behind early scoring from Myers and Weber. Miami was able to answer being down double-digits late with a 10-2 run to end the quarter and cut the lead down to seven points.
The Noles played very well defensively to start the final period of the game, not allowing the Hurricanes to score in the first 4:15 of the fourth quarter. A three-pointer by Weber and a pair of free throws from Jackson late in the fourth put the Seminoles back up by double figures to secure the win against the Hurricanes.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 34 4 10 1 4 4 4 13 0 2 2 1 8 4 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 36 4 9 3 7 1 2 12 0 3 3 1 3 1 0 3
10 Kourtney Weber g 36 6 10 2 5 1 1 15 0 2 2 1 2 5 0 1
24 Morgan Jones g 28 2 10 0 0 2 4 6 1 7 8 1 1 1 0 1
32 Valencia Myers f 25 6 8 0 0 0 0 12 2 4 6 2 1 0 0 0
1 River Baldwin 15 1 4 0 0 2 2 4 3 3 6 1 0 1 0 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 10 1 2 1 2 2 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
23 Tiana England 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1
33 Izabela Nicoletti 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 2 3 5
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 54 7 18 12 18 67 8 25 33 8 16 14 0 8
Opp 200 22 55 7 23 8 12 59 8 22 30 18 14 14 2 3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | |||||
| Florida State |
Florida State Falls In Physical Battle Vs. Georgia Tech.
by Stephen Stone
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Despite out-rebounding a sizeable and physical Georgia Tech team on Thursday night, the Florida State Women's Basketball team endured its first home loss of the season after going down, 62-48, at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
"They play that big lineup with (Lorela) Cubaj and (Nerea) Hermosa and they attacked that right away," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "We didn't have many answers for it. They shot really well and were deliberate. Their two bigs had 14 points each and that was an issue for us."
The Yellow Jackets (13-5, 11-4) shot 57.1 percent from the floor, the highest FSU has allowed this season. After playing a competitive opening quarter where they trailed 17-16, the Seminoles (8-6, 7-6) were hurt by the middle quarters where they were out-scored 31-14 and went through a few scoring droughts against Georgia Tech's defense.
Redshirt junior point guard Bianca Jackson led FSU with 13 points and had five assists to four turnovers. She jump-started the Seminoles with eight first-quarter points. Her 13 points mark her 11th game in double figures, including her fifth straight.
"She's had a huge load to carry for us," Wyckoff said of Jackson. "She's gotten better at understanding the flow of the game, understanding how to get her teammates the ball, attacking off ball screens is huge - she's got to be the one, the ball usually comes back to her. Her aggressiveness and being able to read, being able to come off and score or make a great pass, she's getting better."
In both games this season, FSU has mustered just one double-figure scorer against the Yellow Jackets. Juniors Kourtney Weber and Morgan Jones each chipped in with seven points apiece, while Savannah Wilkinson came off the bench to add six. Wilkinson went 3-of-3 from the floor in 15:46 off the bench, generating a +4 plus-minus ratio.
FSU out-scored Georgia Tech 18-14 in the final frame. It went 20-of-62 (32.3 percent) from the floor, taking 20 more shots than Georgia Tech and its patient offense. The Seminoles were able to out-score Georgia Tech 19-6 in second-chance points, but the Yellow Jackets capitalized on 12 FSU turnovers with 16 points.
Georgia Tech's Kierra Fletcher added 11 points to mark three double-figure scorers. The Yellow Jackets doubled up the amount of free throws attempts from FSU, going 10-of-18 while the Seminoles went 4-of-9.
"Obviously, they have two big girls in the paint. They're very good defensively," Jones added. "They're aggressive. They play super hard, so it's hard to sometimes finish our shots on that. They've got tall trees in the paint and it's hard to maneuver around that. They're a very disruptive team, and that's kind of what we got lost in. We were making small mistakes, and by the time it was the end of the game it was too late."
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 30 6 15 0 2 1 2 13 0 1 1 4 5 4 0 0
2 Sammie Puisis g 31 1 2 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 4 2 0 0 0 0
10 Kourtney Weber g 29 3 14 1 7 0 0 7 0 6 6 1 0 2 0 1
24 Morgan Jones g 28 2 7 1 1 2 2 7 4 1 5 2 2 2 0 1
32 Valencia Myers f 16 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 6 5 0 2 0 0
1 River Baldwin 18 1 4 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 19 1 5 1 3 1 2 4 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 1
12 Savannah Wilkinson 16 3 3 0 0 0 1 6 3 1 4 1 0 0 0 0
23 Tiana England 13 2 7 0 1 0 0 4 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0
Team 7 7
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 20 62 4 15 4 9 48 19 18 37 19 7 12 0 4
Opp 200 24 42 4 6 10 18 62 5 24 29 15 18 11 3 4
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | |||||
| Florida State |
Women's Hoops Takes Down No. 3 Louisville.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State continues to have Louisville's number.
Morgan Jones scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Florida State stunned No. 3 Louisville 68-59 on Sunday.
Jones shot 7 of 13 from the floor and 12 of 15 from the free-throw line for the Seminoles (9-6, 8-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), recording her third double-double of the season. Florida State knocked off Louisville twice in the 2019-20 season when the Cardinals were ranked in the top 5 each time.
"I just got in attack mode all game," Jones said. "You just have to play hard all game."
Kourtney Weber scored 14 and added five rebounds, including four on the offensive end, as the Seminoles used a 9-0 run in the fourth period to pull in front and hold on for the victory. For Florida State, which has been forced to reschedule a large chunk of its games, a victory over a top-5 team is critical toward improving its NCAA Tournament prospects.
Dana Evans had 13 points, 10 in the second half, but shot just 5 of 21 for Louisville (20-2, 13-2). Olivia Cochran had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Cardinals were looking to secure their fourth straight ACC regular-season title, but a poor shooting game ended that opportunity.
"You love these games when you prove it with your defense," Florida State interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "You can't rest on your laurels too long in this conference. To be able to make this win count we have to handle business moving forward."
Valencia Myers fouled out but had nine points and seven rebounds for Florida State, which improved to 7-1 at home.
Louisville shot just 21 of 60 (35 percent) from the floor and 3 of 20 (15 percent) from 3-point range.
"We'll take two days off and then we'll get back at it on Wednesday," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. "I hope it sits with them and stings for a while. It's going to me. If it doesn't bother our kids much then we're not going to have a deep run in the postseason at all."
Florida State also had its struggles from the floor, making just 19 of 60 (31.7 percent) of its shots and 3 of 13 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range. But the Seminoles made the Cardinals pay by going 27 of 38 (71.1 percent) at the free-throw line.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 26 1 8 0 0 5 6 7 0 2 2 2 1 2 0 0
2 Sammie Puisis g 29 0 5 0 4 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 2 0 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 33 6 11 2 5 0 2 14 4 1 5 2 0 2 1 1
24 Morgan Jones g 30 7 13 0 0 12 15 26 3 7 10 3 2 3 2 1
32 Valencia Myers f 26 3 9 0 0 3 5 9 5 2 7 5 0 0 1 0
1 River Baldwin 14 1 3 0 0 1 2 3 2 3 5 3 1 2 0 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 10 0 4 0 3 1 2 1 3 2 5 1 1 0 0 1
12 Savannah Wilkinson 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1
23 Tiana England 22 1 7 1 1 5 6 8 0 3 3 2 2 1 1 0
Team 1 3 4
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 19 60 3 13 27 38 68 19 26 45 21 9 11 5 6
Opp 200 21 60 3 20 14 22 59 14 27 41 26 13 11 4 5
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | |||||
| Florida State |
Women's Basketball Falls On The Road At Notre Dame.
by Ian Bolger, Sports Information Student Intern
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Florida State women's basketball team (9-7, 8-7) struggled to score early against ACC foe Notre Dame (10-8, 8-6) and, 72-64, in their regular-season road finale on Thursday evening at the Purcell Pavilion.
"We got off to a slow start and it took us too long to figure it out," interim head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "I'm proud of how we finished, but it's the story of having to put four quarters together in this league."
Although the loss against Notre Dame drops FSU to sixth in the ACC standings, the Noles will have a chance to grab the fourth seed and a double-bye in the ACC Tournament with a win on Sunday against Wake Forest and losses from Syracuse and Notre Dame.
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson was the highlight of the game for the Seminoles. She scored 18 points on 7-14 shooting and 4-6 from downtown. Jackson scored 13 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and shot 5-6 from the field while doing so.
Junior Valencia Myers had a solid performance on the road recording 13 points on 5-8 shooting, along with five rebounds and a steal. It's the most points scored by Myers since scoring 14 points against Wake Forest on Jan. 28.
Junior Morgan Jones scored eight points and brought down a team-high seven rebounds in the losing effort. The performance was Jones' eighth game this season with at least seven points and seven rebounds.
Junior Kourtney Weber led the team with six assists and scored five points against Notre Dame. Sophomore Sammie Puisis also performed well scoring 10 points and bringing down three rebounds in her fourth double-figure game of the season.
The Seminoles were able to outshoot Notre Dame from deep, 35 percent -21 percent, but the Irish had the advantage when it came to field goal percentage at 49 percent -38 percent. Florida State was outrebounded, 44-31, and was outscored in the paint, 38-14.
"We let them shoot really well," Wyckoff said on allowing Notre Dame to shoot 49 percent from the field. "When you can't get it going offensively, it affects your defense and that just can't happen. It can't be that way."
Notre Dame hopped out to an eight-point lead early in the first quarter, but a three-pointer by Puisis and a made bucket from Jones brought the Seminoles back within three. The Irish went on a seven-point run to end the period and went into the second quarter up 17-7, which is the lowest-scoring first quarter for the Noles this season.
FSU gained traction in the second quarter with Jones making back-to-back field goals to open the period, which gave her six points and six rebounds through the first 13 minutes of the game. The Seminoles closed their deficit back within single-digits until Notre Dame went on another run to give them a 13-point lead at the half.
The scoring picked up for the Seminoles coming out of the break, as they scored more points in the third quarter than the first two quarters combined.
The Irish went on another scoring run to increase their lead to 18 points, but seven third-quarter points from Puisis kept the Seminole in the game at 52-39 entering the final period of the game.
Jackson started the fourth quarter strong for the Seminole with eight straight points to bring their deficit down to 15 points. Florida State had an 11-point run late in the game to bring the game within seven points, but it wasn't enough for the Seminoles to pull off the comeback on the road.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 33 7 14 4 6 0 0 18 1 0 1 3 2 1 0 0
2 Sammie Puisis g 31 4 11 2 9 0 0 10 2 1 3 2 1 1 1 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 33 2 10 1 5 0 0 5 1 2 3 1 6 3 0 0
24 Morgan Jones g 20 4 8 0 0 0 0 8 0 7 7 4 0 2 1 0
32 Valencia Myers f 25 5 8 0 0 3 5 13 1 4 5 4 1 1 0 1
1 River Baldwin 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 18 2 8 1 4 0 0 5 4 0 4 4 2 1 0 2
12 Savannah Wilkinson 13 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 4 0 3 0 0
23 Tiana England 20 1 7 1 2 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 2
Team 2 3 5 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 69 9 26 3 5 64 13 18 31 23 14 14 2 6
Opp 200 26 53 3 14 17 25 72 12 32 44 12 15 19 4 7
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Notre Dame |
Noles Get Big Win over Wake Forest.
by Ian Bolger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A late scoring run in the fourth quarter helped push the Florida State women's basketball team (10-7, 9-7) to a win over Wake Forest (11-11, 8-10), 59-51, in its home finale on Sunday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center. This is the Seminoles' ninth win over the Demon Deacons in their last 10 matchups and their fifth consecutive win against them at home.
The big win by FSU gives it another Top-50 NET win as it continues to put itself in prime position for an NCAA Tournament berth.
"I'm just so thrilled to be able to end the regular season this way. We were focused as a team and as a staff," Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "This was a must-win in terms of being able to control our destiny going into March as much as we possibly could."
With the win against the Demon Deacons, the Seminoles are still in contention for the double-bye and can be seeded no worse than fifth at the ACC Tournament following Syracuse's loss to NC State. They are still awaiting the results of today's conference play to determine their opponent in Greensboro, N.C. Their seeding boils down to the results of the Louisville-Notre Dame matchup at 3 p.m.
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson had an all-around great performance against Wake Forest putting up 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Jackson was one of three Seminoles to score in double figures in this game.
Junior Valencia Myers was one rebound shy from recording her second double-double of the season with 11 points and nine rebounds, as well as three assists and a block. This is Myers' sixth game with double figures this season.
Junior Morgan Jones also put on a show with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two assists. Redshirt junior Savannah Wilkinson scored a season-high eight points and paired it with four rebounds, a block, and a steal.
"I'm definitely starting to feel more in the flow of things and getting my trust back in my teammates," Wilkinson said about coming off of injury this season. "It bounces off of each other so that we can be successful."
FSU dominated the boards in today's game, as they out-rebounded Wake Forest, 45-27, as well as scoring over triple the number of bench points, 30-9. The Seminoles also did a great job of out-shooting the Demon Deacons, 42%-31%, along with shooting a stellar 82% from the free-throw line.
"We certainly had our fair share of ups and downs today, but our players were able to find a way to grind through and come out with a win," Wyckoff said about her team's performance against Wake Forest. "I'm excited about this momentum going into March."
The Seminoles started the game slow, finding themselves down by five points early and committing nine turnovers in the first quarter. Junior Kourtney Weber was able to get FSU on the board with a three-pointer and back-to-back buckets from Myers and Jackson helped the Noles tie the game going into the second period.
FSU was able to build their lead to four points in the second quarter, but a 16-4 run by the Demon Deacons, including three-straight three-pointers from Wake Forest, put them down by eight. The Noles quickly responded with a six-point run of their own and went into halftime with a 29-27 deficit.
The scoring coming out of the break was back and forth in bunches for each team, as both FSU and Wake Forest had multiple five-point runs. Nearing the end of the third period, the Seminoles took their six-point deficit and cut it to two points behind jumpers by Jones and Myers entering the fourth quarter down, 41-39.
The Noles took their strong finish in the third quarter and carried it over to the final period with sophomore River Baldwin converting an and-one bucket and Wilkinson expanding the lead to three points. FSU continued their scoring run and brought their lead up to eight to put the game out of reach in their final home game of the season. The Seminoles doubled up Wake Forest in the final period, 20-10.
Wake Forest's Ivana Raca led all scorers with 19 points.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 35 5 15 1 3 0 0 11 1 6 7 1 4 2 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 18 1 9 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter g 14 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0
10 Kourtney Weber g 22 2 3 1 1 0 0 5 0 3 3 1 0 4 0 1
32 Valencia Myers f 28 5 8 0 0 1 2 11 5 4 9 3 3 1 1 0
1 River Baldwin 12 2 2 0 0 1 1 5 2 2 4 0 1 0 1 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 23 4 8 0 0 0 0 8 3 1 4 2 0 2 1 1
23 Tiana England 20 1 3 0 1 4 4 6 0 3 3 1 3 3 1 1
24 Morgan Jones 28 4 7 0 0 3 4 11 0 7 7 1 2 2 0 0
Team 3 3 6 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 24 57 2 13 9 11 59 15 30 45 12 14 18 4 4
Opp 200 18 59 7 21 8 8 51 10 17 27 15 10 14 5 8
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | |||||
| Florida State |
Noles Fall to Syracuse at the Buzzer.
by Ian Bolger
GREENSBORO, N.C. - A career performance from redshirt junior Bianca Jackson could not fend off a 15-point comeback from Syracuse as the fourth-seeded Florida State women's basketball team (10-8) fell at the buzzer to the fifth-seeded Orange (14-7), 68-67, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Women's Tournament on Friday afternoon.
"It had to be done on the defensive end and we just couldn't get it done defensively in terms of stopping them around the rim," Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said following the loss. "[Syracuse] hit a couple key three-pointers when they needed to."
Jackson was the heart and soul of this game for the Noles, recording a career-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, along with leading the team with seven assists. It is also her 14th double figure game, which leads the team this season.
Redshirt junior Savannah Wilkinson had a strong showing in this game, scoring eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and bringing down six rebounds. She also tied her career highs with three assists and three steals this afternoon.
Junior Kourtney Weber scored eight points, along with three rebounds and two steals. Sophomores River Baldwin and Sammie Puisis also played well with each of them scoring six points.
The Orange won the game when an airball fell into the arms of 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, who stuck the put-back in as time expired.
FSU exploded off the scene early this afternoon as they shot 54 percent from the field in the first half compared to Syracuse's 29 percent. The Orange led in other categories, such as rebounds, 41-32, and free throw percentage, 76%-59%, that ultimately helped them win this game.
"It's a great opportunity for us to rally together as a team and to stay together. These players battled and left their hearts on the floor," Wyckoff said about their matchup this afternoon. "It was another opportunity to play on the big stage and understand what tournament basketball is all about. We've got to defend and finish with rebounds if we're going to win in March."
The Seminoles came out blazing to start the game with a 9-0 run behind a three-pointer and a pair of free throws from Weber. FSU was able to hold Syracuse to single digits in the first period to pump their lead to 14 points going into the second quarter.
The Noles continued their downpour of scoring in the second period, but the Orange also got their scoring going early in the period to cut the lead to nine points. Back-to-back made field goals by redshirt senior Tiana England, including an and-one bucket, sparked an 8-2 run by FSU near the end of the quarter to go into half leading 39-27.
Entering the third quarter, the Seminoles' lead dropped back down to single digits once again, but Puisis beat the shot clock on a three-pointer to get back up by 12 points. A 14-4 run by Syracuse, including a half-court buzzer beater at the end of the period, pulled them back into the game and cut the FSU lead to three points going into the fourth quarter.
After Syracuse tied the game in the opening minutes of the final period, the Noles scored seven straight points to retain the lead.
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 35 10 17 2 3 3 4 25 0 2 2 1 7 5 0 1
2 Sammie Puisis g 20 2 6 2 5 0 0 6 2 2 4 1 1 0 0 1
10 Kourtney Weber g 28 2 6 1 3 3 4 8 1 2 3 4 0 0 0 2
24 Morgan Jones g 18 2 7 0 0 1 6 5 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 1
32 Valencia Myers f 17 2 5 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 3 5 0 0 1 1
1 River Baldwin 20 2 3 0 0 2 2 6 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 1
3 Sayawni Lassiter 8 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 28 4 8 0 0 0 0 8 1 5 6 4 3 1 0 3
23 Tiana England 26 2 5 0 0 1 1 5 1 3 4 1 3 1 0 2
Team 4 4 1
=========================================================================
FSU 5 200 26 59 5 13 10 17 67 11 21 32 17 15 9 2 12
Opp 200 23 60 6 27 16 21 68 17 24 41 15 8 14 7 3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Syracuse |
Ninth-Seeded Noles Fall to Oregon State in NCAA First Round.
by Ian Bolger
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The ninth-seeded Florida State women's basketball team (10-9, 9-7) suffered a season-ending loss to No. 8 seed Oregon State (12-7, 7-6), 83-59, on Sunday evening in the NCAA First Round at The University Events Center in San Marcos, Texas.
"It's obviously disappointing to end the season this way," FSU Interim Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "But Oregon State, give them all the credit in the world. They're an excellent basketball team, (they have) some really good players, and we couldn't figure out a way to stop them tonight on the defensive end or rebound. That really were the two keys. Our defensive rebounding just wasn't where it needed to be against a team like this.
"But I don't want this loss to take away from what we've accomplished as a team this season. I'm so proud of this group, from where we started to where we finished. It's been a great journey, and we've got lots to look forward to as well with this group."
Redshirt junior Bianca Jackson was the leading scorer once again for the Seminoles with 17 points, as well as three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. This was her 15th double-figure game of the season.
Redshirt senior Tiana England had one of her best games of the season scoring a season-high 11 points on 5-10 shooting, along with a team-high four assists, three rebounds, and a steal. This was England's first double figure game of the season.
Junior Kourtney Weber was the third Seminole to score in the double-digits with 11 points. She also recorded three rebounds and an assist.
Junior Morgan Jones led the team in rebounds with five and put together four points, two assists, and two blocks. Junior Valencia Myers had six points, two rebounds, and two assists before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.
FSU was outshot by Oregon State, 55%-35%. They did hold their own on the free throw line at 88% shooting, but were outscored in the paint, 46-20, and were out-rebounded, 43-26, as well.
The Seminoles kept the pace early with Weber putting up five points off the bat to take a four-point lead. Both teams exchanged leads throughout the first quarter, and they finished the period tied at 16 each.
Oregon State started to heat up once they controlled the lead and ripped off an 11-0 run in the middle of the second quarter. The Noles struggled to shoot from the field, making only four field goals in the period, and trailed at halftime by 14 points.
The Noles were still trying to find their rhythm coming out of the break, but the Beavers were able to push their lead up to 20 points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Jackson put together eight points for FSU in those last five minutes of the period and trailed by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter.
FSU was trying to put a late run together early in the fourth, but Oregon State kept building on their double-digit lead. Scoring runs of eight and five points for the Beavers brought the lead back over 20 points and it was eventually too much for the Seminoles to overcome.
Oregon State 83, Florida State 59
NO NAME GS MIN FGM FGA 3FGM 3FGA FTM FTA PTS OREB DREB REB PF AST TO BLK STL
== ==================== == === === === ==== ==== === === === ==== ==== === == === == === ===
0 Bianca Jackson g 30 6 16 2 4 3 4 17 0 3 3 3 2 1 0 2
2 Sammie Puisis g 26 2 6 2 5 0 0 6 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 2
10 Kourtney Weber g 33 4 12 3 7 0 0 11 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 0
24 Morgan Jones g 22 2 8 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 5 2 2 2 2 0
32 Valencia Myers f 15 2 5 0 0 2 2 6 1 1 2 5 2 0 1 1
1 River Baldwin 24 1 1 0 0 2 2 4 0 2 2 2 1 2 2 0
3 Sayawni Lassiter 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
12 Savannah Wilkinson 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0
23 Tiana England 30 5 10 1 3 0 0 11 0 3 3 0 4 3 0 1
Team 3 1 4
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FSU 5 200 22 62 8 19 7 8 59 6 20 26 14 13 10 6 6
Opp 200 32 58 7 15 12 16 83 8 35 43 12 15 12 3 6
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | |||||
| Oregon State |