TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) — The Florida State women’s basketball team (7-6, 1-2) avenged their overtime loss at Wake Forest (12-4, 2-3) on Dec. 30 with a blowout win, earning a final score of 87-46 at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Sunday, January 9.
After having two games postponed due to COVID protocols, the Seminoles made a statement on the court Sunday. The Noles were driven by strong individual efforts and plenty of team cohesion. Out of the 12 active players, 11 got into the scoring column, contributing to their highest scoring game of the season with their largest win margin.
Morgan Jones, KK Timpson, and Valencia Myers all scored in double digits, making this Jones’ 11th consecutive game with double digits.
“I’m so proud of the way they defended,” FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. “It started with our post players and not letting their post players get easy touches. I thought our guards did a great job on Jewel Spear. They wore her down and that defense really led to a nice offensive performance.”
Sammi Puisis etched her name in history, converting on her 100th career 3-point field goal, making her only the 16th Seminole to achieve this feat. Puisis had nine points on the day, all of which were from behind the three-point line.
Defensively, FSU forced 17 turnovers and did not allow a single free throw from the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest was shut down in the second half, only scoring 18 points in the final 20 minutes. Wake Forest shot 35.6 percent and had their longest drought of the game during the third quarter for just under six minutes. FSU used a key 18-0 run that put the game out of reach.
The Seminoles took the lead right out of the gate with a 3-pointer from Puisis. Myers went 3-of-3 in the opening quarter, leading the Seminoles with six points in the first 10 minutes. The defensive strength was evident from the beginning with 10 forced turnovers and two forced shot clock violations early.
The second quarter continued to be fruitful for Florida State, shooting 60 percent from the floor, resulting in a 44-28 lead at the end of the half. The 44-point tally tied the Seminoles’ highest lead at half, last seen vs. Charleston on Dec. 5.
Overall, FSU was scorching as it shot 55 percent for the game.
The Seminoles played a lights-out third quarter, proving to be their season’s best quarter. Wake Forest was outscored 24-6 in the frame.
Florida State refused to let up on Wake Forest and sealed the win with another strong quarter in the fourth. Jones scored on back-to-back drives, increasing her total points to 11 on the day. The Noles went on another run of three minutes scoring nine uncontested points. O’Mariah Gordon and Erin Howard led the defense, recording six rebounds apiece and only allowing the Demon Deacons to score 18 in the second half.
“I was very impressed with the win today,” Semrau added. “It started with defense and rebounding. We were able to outrebound a great defensive rebounding team. Not only did they take care of the ball, but they also learned how to connect with each other on the court with the ball. It was so much fun; it was really pretty basketball to watch.”
The Seminoles will head to Atlanta next to take on No. 16 Georgia Tech on January 13 at 8 PM. The game will air on the ACC Network.
