Florida State used a 10-2 run in the middle of the second half to take an eight-point lead and maintained at least a five-point margin for the rest of the game to beat Miami 74-66 in Tallahassee on Wednesday night. Miami lost its 16th consecutive game on the road, fifth in a row and 14th in the last 15 to FSU.
Malique Ewin led all scorers with 24 points by making all 10 shots while adding five rebounds and two assists. Jamir Watkins had 16 and Chandler Jackson had 11 for Florida State. Matthew Cleveland and Lynn Kidd led Miami with 14. Kidd also led Miami with 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season.
The first half was close throughout, with Miami holding the biggest lead at 18-12. Miami had a 7-0 run to take the 18-12 lead. Florida State answered with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 20. Kidd led Miami with eight points and five rebounds in the first half and Cleveland scored seven.
Ewin scored nine points in the first half on 4-4 from the floor with three rebounds. Miami shot 44.4 percent from the field in the first half and made three of its 10 three-point attempts. Florida State made 39.3 percent of its first half field goal attempts and two of 13 on three-point attempts.
Ewin dominated the second half, making all six of his shots for 15 points with two rebounds. Ewin fell short of a Jordan Milleresque performance, making only four of his seven free throw attempts. Cleveland helped keep Miami in the second half scoring seven points with five rebounds, but made only one of his seven field goal attempts.
Miami returns home on Saturday to host Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. ET on the ACC Network, followed by Duke on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Games at North Carolina and Georgia Tech, followed by hosting North Carolina State on March 8, conclude the season for Miami.