The No. 16 Seminoles continued their strong start to the season with an emphatic 79-42 victory over Milwaukee at the Tucker Center on Sunday afternoon.
The 2-0 Noles came out firing early, going on a 13-2 run to start the first quarter. They were led by senior guard Morgan Jones and redshirt senior Bianca Jackson, who each provided six points in a quarter where the team shot an impressive 64 percent from the field.
FSU set the tone on both ends of the floor, forcing 14 turnovers from Milwaukee and scoring 16 points from those turnovers in the first half. The Noles held their opponent to six points in the second quarter with Jackson coming up with two steals.
“With the depth and length we have, we can really pressure teams and make them uncomfortable,” said Head Coach Sue Semrau about her team’s defensive effort.
Freshman forward Mariana Valenzuela dominated the glass throughout the game, coming down with a game-high nine boards, eight of which came on the defensive end.
Along with outscoring Milwaukee (0-3) 44-10 in the paint, the Seminoles also had an efficient afternoon from beyond the arc, shooting 45 percent (5-11). Overall, FSU shot 59 percent from the floor.
Senior guard Morgan Jones led the team in scoring with 19 points, going 9-of-12. Junior center River Baldwin had a big afternoon on both ends of the floor with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbing six rebounds.
The Seminoles shared the ball all afternoon with four players scoring double digit points and the team coming up with 23 assists.
“I’ve got some pieces that have little experience but boy are they ready when their number is called,” said Coach Sue about the team’s depth.
The Noles bench also outscored the Panthers by 22 points (33-11). Florida State proved to be too much for the visitors throughout the game with freshman forward Makayla Timpson capping off the victory with a dominant fourth quarter in which she scored all 12 of her points on 6-of-8 shooting.
“I think we did a great job defensively, which opened up a lot,” Jones said afterward. “Because when we run in transition, they can’t stop us. That’s really what it was – it started on the defensive end, and everything else started opening up.”
The Noles next host Jacksonville on Thursday November 18 at the Tucker Center. The game will be at 7PM and live on ACC Network Extra. The game is a Faculty/Staff Appreciation Game, where you can show an employee ID and receive two free tickets.
