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(8) Oregon State (12-7) defeated (9) Florida State (10-9) by an 83-59 score in the Hemisfair Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Game Recap
The game started fairly well for Florida State. The Noles jumped out to a 7-3 lead behind five quick points from Kourtney Weber and a Morgan Jones jumper. Oregon State quickly answered back and the game was nip and tuck for the rest of the quarter. Bianca Jackson tied the game at 16 with a pair of free throws heading into the second quarter.
Unfortunately for FSU the Beavers really separated themselves in the second quarter. OSU hit the Noles with an 18-3 run that was capped by a Savannah Samuel layup to take a 36-22 lead. In that 18-3 run Oregon State scored 12 points off of (mostly wide open) layups. From there the Beavers cruised to a 41-27 halftime lead.
FSU didn’t quit but the Seminoles could never get much closer and OSU walked away with a convincing 83-59 victory.
Post Game
Bianca Jackson led FSU with 17 points. Kourtney Weber and Tiana England chipped in with 11 points each.
This ending will be disappointing for Nole fans but this type of outcome was always a possibility. As I discussed in the preview, Oregon State was under-seeded based on the quality of their team (should have been no worse than a four or five seed), they had the size to bother FSU and they are excellent shooters. This was a tough matchup for the Noles. Having said that, it is tough to lose in blowout fashion.
We could get all technical with the analysis but basically FSU didn’t shoot the ball well enough, couldn’t get an offensive rebound, and most critically couldn’t defend OSU’s potent offense. The Beavers basically got whatever shot they wanted (mostly layups and open threes) all night.
Now that the season is over the focus will turn to next year. The future is bright as the Seminoles could conceivably bring everyone back and they are adding a top 15 recruiting class. However, maintaining success won’t be easy as several ACC programs are improving rapidly.
Florida State was a young team this year and the program faced challenges that have not been seen in the history of college basketball. The overall talent base of the program remains solid so there is definitely reason for optimism going forward.
Thanks to everyone for sticking with us in this year like no other. Stay tuned to Tomahawk Nation as we continue to cover this team as well as all Seminole sports.