TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (SEMINOLES.COM) — Florida State Women’s Basketball freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson came up big for the Seminoles down the stretch, recording 27 points as FSU hung on for a 92-87 win at Wisconsin on Thursday night at the Kohl Center.
The win marks the Seminoles’ (8-1) 10th straight in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, currently the longest streak between schools from either conference. FSU improves to 13-2 in the challenge.
The Badgers (3-6) were down by 24 points late in the third quarter but made a furious comeback in the fourth. Wisconsin drilled 10 3’s in a frantic final quarter and cut the FSU lead to one possession on several occasions. However, Latson managed to make big buckets when her team needed her most, scoring 10 in the final quarter to help put Wisconsin away.
She finished with 27 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Sophomore Makayla Timpson recorded her third straight double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Graduate forward Valencia Myers had a very impactful game with 15 points, seven rebounds and several key hustle plays during the most crucial points of the ballgame.
The Seminoles shot 51.6 percent from the field and out-rebounded Wisconsin 44-32. Julie Pospisilova totaled 32 points for the Badgers, with many coming in their hot-shooting fourth quarter.
Florida State raced out to a 49-31 halftime lead courtesy of 30 points scored in the second quarter. Latson and Jazmine Massengill each had five assists at the break as FSU shot 83.3 percent (10-of-12) in the second quarter. Balanced scoring highlighted the big period, with Erin Howard leading the way with nine points on three 3-point field goals. Wisconsin got its offense going as well with 21 points scored in the second.
Timpson was already halfway toward her double-double with six points and five rebounds as FSU got out to a 19-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. A late scoring lull from the Badgers helped the Seminoles as Wisconsin went 0-of-5 down the stretch while FSU made 3 of its last 4 shots. FSU did strong work on the glass in the opening quarter, out-rebounding Wisconsin 15-8.
The Seminoles return home for three consecutive games, beginning this Sunday with a matchup vs. Stetson at 2 p.m.
