FSU Basketball: Noles Rally Comes Up Short Against Canes
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU Basketball needed a big win against No. 12 Miami on Sunday night, but second half rally comes up short for second straight loss.
First Half
The FSU Basketball team trailed 37-26 at halftime, largely due to getting crushed on the boards with offensive rebounds and not getting to the free throw line while turning the ball over 10 times.
Which was exactly the opposite of what we said they needed to do in our preview:
"Miami is capable of putting up points and is top 20 in offensive efficiency whereas FSU is listed at No. 92. The Noles will need to limit turnovers, get the to free throw line AND convert, crash the boards and take good shots on offense. Defensively, they need to communicate and basically stop playing OLAY defense."
The Noles shot ONE free throw (0-1) during the entire first half, compared to six for Miami (4-6). Miami dominated the boards with 14 total and 7 offensive rebounds compared to seven rebounds and one offensive rebound.
Dwayne Bacon was held scoreless in the first half, and Malik Beasley had two points for the Noles. They were led by Devon Bookert with eight points at the half. Miami was led by Sheldon McClellan with 11 points.
FSU shot 45.5 percent overall and 57 percent from beyond the arc (4-7) with 10 turnovers.
Miami shot 43.3 percent overall and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-12) with 7 turnovers.
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Second Half
The second half was much better with the Noles continuing to shoot well from beyond the arc. The Noles also were able to get to the free throw line although they shot an abysmal percentage which has haunted them at certain times this year.
The Noles tightened up on the defensive end, forcing Miami into tough shots and turning them over. However, the Hurricanes continued to feast on the boards with offensive rebounding.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes heated up this game making two-three pointers as was the second leading scorer for the Noles with 12 points. Devon Bookert led the scoring with 14 points total.
The Noles shot 45.6 percent for the game and 45 percent from long-range (9-20). FSU held Miami to 38.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from long-range (9-24). A much better effort than against Syracuse, but one of the biggest differences in the game was Miami’s ability to get to the free throw line and convert (16-22). The Noles were (4-9) and lost by two points.
There you go.
The Noles cut the lead to one with :49 seconds remaining on a Dwayne Bacon three pointer, and had a chance to win it on a three-point attempt by Devon Bookert but he missed the shot with four seconds left.
Miami made one of two free throws as FSU fouled which pushed the final score to 67-65. Sheldon McClellan lit the Noles up for the second time this year with 20 points, nine of them coming from the free throw line.
FSU Basketball will be back in action on February 17 hosting Georgia Tech at 9 p.m.