FSU surges in 2nd half to blow out Tulane

Offense in college basketball can be a bit of a crap shoot, especially in strange gyms. Florida State didn’t even get a chance to practice in Amalie Arena in Tampa due to a hockey game. And the shooting showed it.

But defense travels.

Unlike most of the teams FSU has faced early, Tulane doesn’t have a lot of players who can beat you off the dribble. They’re good, but somewhat one-dimensional, and solid Leonard Hamilton defenses should eat that up.

Which is what happened.

The Green Wave weren’t even in double digits until after the under-8 media timeout in the first half. Florida State pressured them into turnovers, sold out to takeaway 3s, and kept them looking dysfunctional.

Unfortunately, FSU couldn’t make any shots. They routinely got good looks, but they weren’t falling. In the first half they made 9-20 2s, 2-11 3s, and 3-6 FTs.

Early in the 2nd half, it appeared that this would be the trend for the game.

Tulane made a three to cut the lead to eight with about 16 minutes remaining.

And that’s when FSU went on its run.

Turning defense into to offense, the ‘Noles put the game away with a 20-4 spurt. Down the stretch it was never close.

The final was 72-53. Tulane fell to 7-3 and Florida State improved to 9-0.

Braian Angola had 18 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Terance Mann scored 12, all in the 2nd half. Trent Forrest had another all around solid game, scoring 12 and adding six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Phil Cofer had eight rebounds and Ike Obiagu blocked three shots.

The Seminoles are off until next Saturday. They’ll return for another neutral site game. This time in Sunrise, FL against Oklahoma State.