February is the time for every college team to hear up for March. The third month of the year opens a new opportunity for teams and players to showcase the hard work they’ve put in since the offseason. Playing in Conference Tournaments and the NCAA Tournament isn’t given to every program. You have to be one of the 64 teams who have won at a high level to make it in. Best believe the Florida State Women’s Basketball Team will once again represent Tallahassee in the Tourney next month. They’ve worked hard for this moment and want to elevate their play moving forward.
Elevating their play in February has not been the easiest. The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster for the Seminoles. The team lost two home games to NC State and Louisville, which pushed them out of the AP Top 25. They also lost their backcourt duo of Ta’Niya Latson and O’Mariah Gordon as both are on injury protocol. It’s the wrong time of the year to deal with adversity before the season ends. However, the Noles were placed in a situation that they had to overcome to finish the year strong.
Adversity hits every team. That’s what happens during the ins and outs of the regular season. However, it’s how a team decides to respond to adversity that makes them great. With Florida State without their backcourt duo, coach Brooke Wyckoff looked to her bench players to see who she could trust in this new situation.
It was the next man up for Florida State (or should I say next woman in this situation). Makayla Timpson stepped in as the number one option in Latson and Gordon’s absence. However, who would be the player to step in behind her? Coach Wyckoff made lineup adjustments by starting Raiane Dos Santos and Amaya Bonner in place of her two backcourt stars. There were big shoes to fill but somehow the Noles found a way to come out on top.
I give credit to Dos Santos and Bonner as they stepped up in Florida State’s 69-55 win over Pittsburgh. Both players stepped into the starting lineup and made an impact in multiple ways. Dos Santos, Bonner, and Sydney Bowles took on the role of bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the offense. It was a struggle in the first quarter as they failed to hit Timpson with entry passes while turning the ball over. However, as the game progressed, the team found a way to move the basketball and limit turnovers, which allowed them to come out on top.
Although Pitt is one of the lower-ranked teams in the ACC, it was a big win for Florida State. The game showed resiliency and the ability to trust your teammates to step up. Timpson led the charge for the Seminoles with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Dos Santos, Bonner, and Bowles combined for 30 points. However, the unsung hero of the contest was Carla Viegas, as she recorded 15 points with 5 three-pointers made. Overall, Florida State shot 43 percent from the floor and outscored Pitt 41-29 in the second half.
Three days later, the Noles traveled to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets without Latson and Gordon once again. You want your best players to be available against ranked teams. However, it’s best that both Latson and Gordon become 100% as the Noles prepare for March. Georgia Tech was another test that Florida State had to face, unlike Pitt, they were one of the contending teams in the ACC led by Tonie Morgan, Kara Dunn, Tianna Thompson, and others.
Once again, Coach Wyckoff had to go back to the drawing board to prepare for this matchup. The goal was how can her team break down the Yellow Jackets’ defense with efficient play both inside and out? Wyckoff made another lineup adjustment by starting the scorching hot Viegas in place of Dos Santos. Viegas can’t handle the ball and run the offense like Dos Santos. However, her shooting and anticipation was needed in this matchup if Florida State wanted to give themselves a chance.
As a team, the Noles came together and delivered a strong second half. It started in the third quarter as they outscored Georgia Tech 26-15. There was a scare in the fourth quarter as the Noles went on a four-minute scoring drought. Luckily, they were able to shock the world once again and come out on top with a 73-70 victory.
The star of the show was Sydney Bowles. She made a big impact in Thursday’s win over Pitt. However, Bowles had to make up for her 3/16 shooting in that contest. With Raiane Dos Santos going to the bench, Bowles became the primary ball-handler for the Seminoles. As she stepped into her new role, she had the green light to take control and dictate the offense the way she needed to.
For those who never watched Bowles before her transfer to Florida State, she displayed signs of her old self. Playing next to Latson and Gordon puts her in a role of a catch and shoot scorer. However, Bowles was able to show her shot creation as well as her playmaking. Give credit to Florida State’s coaching staff for believing in Bowles to become the lead guard against Georgia Tech. The junior finished the game with 32 points along with 6 assists on 11/23 shooting.
The Noles have won three games in a row without Ta’Niya Latson along with two straight without her and O’Mariah Gordon. Is it a fluke that this team has been able to win without their best players? No. This team has shown resilience and have stepped up to bigger roles over the last week. Instead of running from adversity, the Noles run to it and success has come out of it.
The road will not be easy for Florida State moving forward. Their next matchup is against one of the top ranked teams in the country in Notre Dame followed by their regular season finale against Duke. At this point, there’s no timetable on Latson and Gordon’s return. We can just hope that they’ll be available in time for the ACC Tournament. Until then, Florida State will look to close the season on a high note in their final two matchups.