O'Mariah Gordon on first half of ACC Tournament Quarterfinal matchup between FSU and Syracuse

The Florida State Seminoles dominated the Syracuse Orange in the first half of the women’s ACC Tournament Quarterfinal matchup on Friday. The ‘Noles jumped out to a 39-27 lead, even though Ta’Niya Latson had to sit on the bench with three fouls.

FSU was propelled by O’Mariah Gordon, who poured in 16 points in the first half. During halftime, Gordon spoke with Angel Gray of the ACC Network.

“We have to take pressure off Ta’Niya and that’s what it’s all about. Even when she is on the court, we have to be able to attack the basket and take some pressure off her…and so we can make it a team effort,” Gordon said.

Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair led the way for the Orange in the first half, pumping in 11 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. What are the keys to containing her in the second half?

“Kudos to Sara [Bejedi] first. I mean, Sara is a great defender. One of the best defenders in our league. And we believe in her and we put so much confidence in her to guard Dyaisha Fair. And on top of that, we have to help her…” Gordon finished.

O’Mariah Gordon and company coasted to the ACC Tourney Semis

The No. 6 seed Florida State Seminoles just keep rolling in the women’s ACC Tournament. The Seminoles ousted the No. 3 seed, the Syracuse Orange with ease on Friday, thanks to some big-time performances from O’Mariah Gordon, Ta’Niya Latson, and Makayla Timpson.

FSU led comfortably for much of the game, jumping out to a 12-point halftime lead and never relinquishing it the rest of the way. The ‘Noles took care of business with a 78-65 victory.

Florida State displayed plenty of scoring balance in their dominant win, getting huge performances from their three stars. O’Mariah Gordon erupted for a career-high of 24 points in their ACC Quarterfinal victory.

Seminoles forward Makayla Timpson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points and 13 rebounds, once again delivering when her team needed it the most. She’s now recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the 2024 ACC Tournament.

With the win, FSU advanced to the ACC Tournament Semifinals (Greensboro, North Carolina), where they’ll face off against the No. 2 seed, the N.C. State Wolfpack. That game will be played on Saturday and will be televised on the ACC Network at 2:30 PM EST.