At the Buzzer: Florida State 63, Florida 51 (Instant Breakdown)
Sunday, November 10, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA STATE 63, No. 6 FLORIDA 51
FLORIDA STATE 63, No. 6 FLORIDA 51
WHAT HAPPENED: The Seminoles continued their recent mastery in this rivalry by shooting 45 percent in the second half and holding the host Gators to just 28 percent for the game to extend their record-winning streak in the series to six games with a runaway victory Sunday at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Sophomore guard Devin Vassell led FSU with 13 points and six rebounds, while steady senior point guard Trent Forrest had eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists and set a tone as the defensive catalyst for his teammates. Florida State shot just 36.4 percent for the game, but it was way better than that 28 for the home team, which included 4-for-22 from the 3-point line (just 18 percent). UF also turned the ball over 16 times (nearly twice as many as FSU's nine). The Gators trailed by four at halftime after shooting 22 percent (just six of 22) through the first 20 minutes. They started the second half by missing their first three shots and turning the ball over three times the first three minutes. The Seminoles, meanwhile, reeled off six straight points to open the period and built a 10-point lead at 31-21, then started taking things out from there. FSU led by as many as 16, as UF missed 10 of its first 13 shots out of the locker room and never got the lead under double digits. Florida was paced by sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson's 19 points, going 6-for-6 in the second half and accounting for all but two of Florida's field goals in the period. Grad-transfer forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 10 points and 13 rebounds, but went 0-for-5 from the floor. Sophomore shooting guard Noah Locke was 1-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-7 from deep.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Give FSU coach Leonard Hamilton his due. After guiding two outstanding teams to the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 the last two seasons, Hamilton and his staff had a serious rebuild to deal with, what with five of their top seven scorers gone. His 2019-20 team isn't nearly as big as his clubs in the past, but they still defend like lions, and four days after opening the season with an Atlantic Coast Conference loss at Pittsburgh he brought the Seminoles to the O'Dome and beat a team ranked sixth in the country. Hamilton is now 10-8 against the Gators, and that winning streak continues to grow.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators have some really good shooters on the roster, but through two games they've gone a combined 7-for-37 from the 3-point line. That's 18.9 percent. And, frankly, that's stunning.
UP NEXT: Florida (1-1) remains at home for the third time in as many games, with Towson (2-0) coming to town Thursday night. The Tigers, out of the Colonial Athletic Conference, beat George Washington, 72-58, in their opener, followed that with a 100-31 win against NAIA Bryn Athyn, and Monday night take on Kent State. After the Towson game, the Gators hit the road for a weekend date and Connecticut and won't be back in the O'Dome until Nov. 29 (the eve of the UF-FSU football game) when they host Marshall.
Players Mentioned
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