Florida State (7-15, 2-8 ACC) was defeated by Clemson (16-7, 7-4 ACC) by a 77-58 score this afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Game Recap
Clemson scored the first four points of the game as the Tigers did a great job forcing Florida State to take tough shots. Sole Williams hit a driving layup for the first Seminole points. Midway through the quarter Clemson hit FSU with a 10-2 run to take a 16-9 lead. Tatum Greene buried a three to end the run. Taylor Johnson-Matthews hit a triple to give Clemson a 21-15 lead going
into the second quarter.
That shot from Johnson-Matthews sparked the Tigers to a 10-1 run that allowed them to take a 28-16 lead. Mari Gerton broke the run with a nifty putback. However, the Tigers were able to stretch the lead to 42-27 at the half.
The Tigers ended the third quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 60-41 lead into the fourth quarter. From there Clemson cruised to the 77-58 victory.
Post Game
Sole Williams was the only Seminole in double figures with 23 points.
The story of this game was that Florida State was unable to maintain any offensive continuity. If the Seminoles aren’t hitting threes (5-21 today) the offense really struggles. This is due to the fact that FSU rarely gets easy baskets. There are a couple of reasons for the lack of easy baskets. First, Florida State usually plays one-on-one offense in the frontcourt. This means that unless there is a blow-by, the shot will be contested. Secondly, the Seminoles don’t get many transition buckets (two fast break points today) or second chance points (13 today). These are the two main ways to get easy baskets.
The Seminoles did hold their own on the boards and they only had 12 turnovers which is a reasonable number. However, it is tough to beat good teams when you shoot so poorly from the field.
Next Game
The Seminoles will travel to Raleigh, NC to face NC State on Thursday. The game will tip at 8pm and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
