Seminoles lose third straight, fall to Virginia Tech, 76-66
Courtesy of Florida State Sports Information
Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal scored a game-high 17 points, including the first two points of the game, and the Hokies never trailed in defeating Florida State, 76-66, at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Wednesday night.
The Seminoles closed their deficit to six points in the second half but were never able to take the lead in losing at home for the first time since Dec. 21 against Louisville.
The Seminoles are now 13-7 overall and 4-6 in ACC play, while the Hokies stand at 9-12 overall and 4-6 conference play. The loss is Florida State’s third straight, and the Hokies snapped their own three-game losing streak with the wire-to-wire win.
Virginia Tech scored 12 of the first 14 points of the game and never looked back. With 11 players who played in the game for the Hokies, nine found the scoring column, including Lawal with 17 and Jaden Schutt with 16.
Taylor Bol Bowen led the Seminoles with 14 points, nine rebounds, one steal, and a blocked shot. He shot 75 percent from inside the 3-point line (six of eight) and 66 percent from outside the arc (two of three).
“I remember 2012 when we lost to Princeton and we lost to Harvard,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said after the game. “But we flipped and won the ACC championship. We’ve got to find a way to accelerate that learning curve if we are going to finish the season and have some opportunities at the end of season.”
Jerry Deng contributed 13 points and four rebounds, while Jamir Watkins added nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Watkins and center Malique Ewin are Florida State’s leading scorers, but they combined for just 11 points on Wednesday.
“Let’s not let those two players beat us, and they are certainly capable,” Virginia Tech head Mike Young said of his team’s defensive approach. “Both are great players.”
Daquan Davis finished with eight points, four assists and three rebounds, scoring all his points in the second half. Chandler Jackson tallied seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Bostyn Holt added seven points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Seminoles head to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on Boston College at Conte Forum on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. ET.
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