Florida State gets balanced scoring in rout of Tarleton State

Field Level Media|published: Tue 12th November, 22:07 2024

Nov 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton reacts after a play during the second half against the Rice Owls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Despite having no players score in double figures, the host Florida State Seminoles beat the Tarleton State Texans, 72-52, to remain unbeaten on Tuesday night in Tallahassee, Fla.

Daquan Davis scored a team-high nine points while Jamir Watkins, Chandler Jackson, Justin Thomas and Bostyn Holt each scored eight points to lead the Seminoles (3-0). Florida State secured its first undefeated start after three games since the 2020-21 season. That was the last time Florida State made it to the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles are hoping for such a revival this season with an influx of new talent that has so far showcased its depth and prowess on the defensive end.

Both are attributes of longtime coach Leonard Hamilton's teams when the Seminoles were NCAA Tournament regulars in recent years.

A total of 12 Seminoles scored in the game and eight scored six or more points.

Chris Mpaka led Tarleton State (0-3) with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks as the Texans finished with four players scoring in double figures.

Matt Krass and Bubu Benjamin each scored 11 points while Nick Krass finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

Mistakes by Florida State helped keep the game close in the first half. The Seminoles committed 12 turnovers before halftime. But FSU cleaned things up in the second half and committed only five turnovers, helping it go on a 27-10 run that broke the game open. Florida State led by as many as 25 points in the second half and controlled the game on the boards and in the paint.

The Seminoles outscored the Texans 34-14 in the paint and had a 37-25 rebounding edge, while collecting 11 offensive boards, which led to 15 second-chance points.

Florida State also limited Tarleton State to 31.1 percent shooting and only 4-for-15 shooting from 3-point range, which helped make up for the Seminoles' own poor shooting from long distance (4-for-21).

The Seminoles, however, earned numerous trips to the free-throw line and went 24-for-38 shooting from there while the Texans went 20 of 28.

--Field Level Media

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