Florida State men’s basketball’s upset bid over top-ranked Florida fell short, 81-72, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center after the Seminoles shot 19% from three and struggled on the glass.
FSU shot 4-of-21 from deep, and for the first time this season, were outrebounded. Florida snagged 41 rebounds to the Seminoles 29, and the Gators added 12 offensive boards, which contributed to 14 second-chance points. The Gators shot 41 free throws, making 30, while FSU went 14-of-18 from the line.
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The Seminoles went 0-for-9 from deep in the first half, and 12-of-31 from the field. FSU’s first three of the night came in the opening minutes of the second half, courtesy of Shon Abaev, who hit a three from the corner at the 18:03 mark. It didn’t lead to a barrage of threes from the Seminoles, and it forced FSU to pivot to attack the paint.
FSU got stability from point guard Anthony Robinson, who poured in 11 first-half points and finished with 19 points, and Sebastian Rancik, who scored 23, including nine of the Seminoles’ final 17 points.
Robinson aided a defense that seemed to get a key stop whenever the Gators attempted to put the game out of reach. Those stops culminated in a pair of fast-break dunks, one from Kam Taylor, and the other, a thunderous slam from Elisee Assui over Isaiah Brown.
Despite Florida‘s inability to firmly pull away, the Gators hit key shots and got a timely run from Urban Klavzar, who scored eight straight points in just over a minute of game time from 6:15 to 5:05, to keep the Seminoles at an arm’s length.
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That pivotal run, paired with the Gators’ improved shooting from the free-throw line, 27-of-33 in the second half after going 3-of-8 in the first, allowed Florida some much-needed breathing room late in the game as the Seminoles consistently kept the lead no larger than six points until the final moments.
The Gators finished the game with only two field goals after the 10-minute mark, scoring 25 points at the free-throw line on 29 attempts.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Woeful three point shooting crushes FSU basketball’s upset bid over No. 1 UF
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