Florida State (7-14, 2-7 ACC) was defeated by Georgia Tech (9-12, 4-5 ACC) this afternoon in Tallahassee by an 80-69 score.
Game Recap
The game started off tight but midway through the quarter Florida State went on an 8-2 run that was capped by a triple from Emma Risch. The Noles took a 19-14 lead. La’Nya Foster immediately responded with a three for Georgia Tech. The quarter ended with FSU nursing a slim 21-19 lead.
Tech scored ten of the first twelve points of the second quarter to take a 29-23 lead. Amaya
Bonner broke the run with a layup. However, later in the quarter GT went on a 10-0 run to take a 44-31 lead. FSU would score the final four points of the quarter to cut the lead to 44-35 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, Pania Davis hit a layup to cut the lead to 45-41. However, later in the third quarter the Yellow Jackets went on an 8-3 mini-run to take a 57-48 lead. The Jackets took a 60-52 lead into the final quarter.
Sole Williams scored the first five points of the quarter to cut the lead to 60-57. However, the Seminoles would get no closer. The Jackets hit the Noles with a 12-0 run to take a 74-59 lead. From there they cruised to the 80-69 victory.
Post Game
Sole Williams led the Seminoles with 18 points and six rebounds. Pania Davis had 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Amaya Bonner had 14 points and four assists.
Allie Kubek missed the game but I am told that the injury is not too serious. Florida State expects her back sooner rather than later.
This was a winnable game for Florida State. In fact, ESPN analytics gave the Seminoles a 74% chance of winning. For 80% of this game FSU played well enough to win. Unfortunately, they lost focus for the other 20% of the game and that was the difference. Georgia Tech went on a 10-0 in the second quarter to establish the lead. The Jackets then went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the Seminoles away. Those two stretches decided the game. Other than that the Noles were fine.
This team is improving in some areas like half court defense. However, some of the same issues that creep up every game continue to plague the Seminoles. Chief among them is transition defense. The poor transition defense that FSU plays allows teams the chance to get easy buckets and that is the difference in many of these games – especially since the Noles rarely get easy baskets themselves.
I don’t usually talk much about opposing players but a former friend deserves mention. Brianna Turnage only scored seven points in this game and she only made one shot from the field. However, she played 40 minutes and was the most impactful player on the court for either team. Turnage had 18 rebounds in this game and it felt like she was all over the place making things happen. For some reason, FSU treated her like a normal offensive player. It was like they had never heard of her before. As we all know (and FSU should know), Turnage is not a normal player. She can’t shoot. Yet FSU had people guarding her on the perimeter. If Turnage gets the ball on the perimeter the Noles (and any other team) should give her all the space she wants to shoot it. Defenses should make Turnage into a finisher. Too often today FSU allowed her to be an initiator or worse, a facilitator. The fact that Turnage played all 40 minutes and had only three shots from the field is a bad stat for the defense.
Now let’s talk about a current Florida State player. Amaya Bonner again impressed as a point guard. She had zero turnovers today. She played more minutes at the point in this game than in the past but that is not enough. I have mentioned this before but every time Bonner is on the court she needs to be at the point. The advantages she brings to the position are too numerous to ignore (especially if she isn’t going to turn the ball over even once). I am going to keep banging this drum until it happens.
FSU shot poorly in this game (36% FG, 29% 3PT) and made up for it by getting dominated on the back boards. The Noles can’t shoot like that and get killed on the boards (52-35) and expect to win. Georgia Tech is not more talented than FSU on paper but the Jackets were the tougher team today (led by Turnage) and that was the ultimate difference in the game.
Next Game
Florida State will travel to Littlejohn Coliseum next Sunday to face Clemson. The game will tip at 4pm and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
