Florida State blows out shorthanded Miami basketball
Florida State used a 25-4 run in the opening 9.5 minutes to open a 27-8 lead and was never seriously challenged after that, defeating the Miami basketball team 88-71 on Tuesday night at the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes were playing shorthanded with only six scholarship players against a deep Seminoles roster.
Florida State never led by less than 11 points after opening the 19 point lead less than halfway through the first half. Florida State led 49-28 at halftime. Leading scorer Isaiah Wong led Miami with 29 points as one of four Hurricanes in double figures. Miami competed throughout the game outscoring FSU 43-39 in the second half.
Kameron McGusty and Anthony Walker each scored 12 points and Elijah Olaniyi finished with 11 for Miami. Florida State improves to 14-3 overall and 10-2 atop the ACC. Miami falls to 7-14, 3-13 in the ACC. The injuries have been too much for Miami to overcome this season. Wong has been one of the bright spots.
Wong nearly reached his career-high of 30 points that he set in a victory against Louisville last month. Sardaar Calhoun led four Florida State players in double figures with 16 points. The Seminoles shot 56.8 percent from the floor in the first half and made six of their 12 three-point attempts.
The Miami basketball team was better defending the arc in the second half as the Seminoles made three of their 13 three-point attempts. The Hurricanes shot 34.3 percent from the floor and made just 8-23 three-point shots. The game could have been a lot worse, but Miami made 15 of their 19 free-throw attempts.
In the 29 minutes Wong played Miami was only outscored by seven. Five other players for Miami had double-figure negative point differentials when they were on the floor. The loss to Florida State is the fourth in a row for Miami and their eighth in the last nine games. The Hurricanes play at Clemson on Saturday at 2:00 PM.
Next. Miami blownout after trailing by 30 at halftime to Georgia Tech. dark
Miami will play their last road game of the regular season on Monday at Virginia. The Hurricanes return home for the final game of the regular season on March 5 against Boston College. The ACC Tournament begins on March 9 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Hurricanes will be locked into the first round.