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Florida State (8-7, 2-3 ACC) defeated Clemson (6-11, 0-6 ACC) this evening by a 79-68 score at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC.
Game Recap
The teams traded baskets early but Clemson took advantage of sluggish play from Florida State to take an early 13-6 lead after a 9-2 run. Bianca Jackson ended the run with a jumper but the Tigers responded with an 8-2 run to take a 21-10 lead late in the quarter. The quarter ended with Clemson enjoying a 23-15 lead.
FSU hit the Tigers with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 23-19. After that the two teams mostly traded buckets and the Tigers took a 36-35 lead into halftime.
The Noles made a big move in the third quarter. FSU started the quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 48-39 lead midway through the quarter. FSU ended the quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 61-46 lead into the final quarter.
Clemson would never get closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Seminoles coasted to the 79-68 victory.
Post Game
Morgan Jones led FSU with 20 points. Bianca Jackson chipped in 11 off the bench.
FSU outscored Clemson 64-45 after the first quarter. The Noles started out slow but the talent difference was too much to overcome for the Tigers.
Clemson is experiencing significant adversity as a program. The Tigers are obviously winless in the ACC but they also lost two of their best players (Kiara Lewis and Gabby Elliott) to the transfer portal last week.
Florida State came out very slowly in this game. It was almost as if the Noles didn’t believe that they had to play hard to get this win against the overmatched Clemson squad. When the Tigers jumped out to the lead it seemed to wake up the Seminoles and they never looked back.
FSU couldn’t take care of the ball in the first quarter. The Noles had seven turnovers in the quarter and many of them were live ball turnovers that led to easy baskets for Clemson. This allowed the Tigers to shoot 71.4% in the first quarter. The Noles took better care of the ball after that and they were able to take the lead.
FSU is the far deeper team and that was reflected in a 32-7 edge in bench points. The Noles also did well defensively holding the Tigers to .895 points per possession.
Slow starts may be okay against Clemson but they could be very costly against most teams in the rugged ACC.
Slow start notwithstanding, the Seminoles just need wins at this point. Wins will be welcome however they come and this one is no different. The Seminoles are still on the outside looking in regarding the NCAA Tournament but there are enough big games on the schedule to change that situation. The Noles also need to avoid bad losses and they accomplished that tonight.
Next Game
FSU has a quick turnaround as they welcome Miami (9-6, 2-3 ACC) to Tallahassee on Thursday. The Canes lost to Duke tonight 58-49 in Coral Gables. The game will tip at 8pm and will be broadcast on Regional Sports Networks.