Florida State defense gets torched again in 96-85 loss to North Carolina
It was a game that had an eerily similar flow to the one on Saturday for the Florida State men’s basketball team.
The Seminoles got down big, made a run, but because of defensive lapses could never get the lead below six points in the final minutes. The result was yet another high-scoring affair and yet another loss.
The North Carolina Tar Heels got up by as many as 16 points in the second half and held on to beat FSU 96-85 on Monday night the Tucker Center.
Florida State is now 16-12 overall and 7-10 in the ACC. North Carolina improves to 18-11 and 11-6.
Much like Saturday’s 89-81 loss at Louisville, the offense wasn’t a problem for the Seminoles. They shot 54 percent from the field and were 10 of 20 from 3-point range. But defensive stops were in short supply all night.
During a torrid stretch in the first half, North Carolina scored on 13 of 14 possessions. The Tar Heels had a 49-43 lead at the break thanks largely to 16 second-chance points. They held a 17-6 rebounding edge in the first 20 minutes.
Florida State rebounded better in the second half. It didn’t matter, though. The Tar Heels scored on their first three possessions of the second half — all dunks — and continually got open looks against an FSU defense that just had no answers.
North Carolina shot 55.2 percent from the floor and had 16 baskets that were classified as layups or dunks. The Tar Heels also finished with 24 second-chance points against the Seminoles, who were without starting center Malique Ewin for virtually the whole second half after he sustained a lower-body injury early on.
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Even without Ewin and with the woes on the defensive side of the court, the Seminoles had enough fight to get back into the game. They cut the UNC lead to six on three different occasions, but each time they got it tight, North Carolina scored on the other end to distance itself.
The only drama in the final minutes was if North Carolina would get to 100. The Tar Heels wouldn’t. But they still left the Tucker Center with a pivotal victory for their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Jamir Watkins led the scoring for Florida State with 26 points, and Jerry Deng came off the bench to score 16, including four made 3-pointers.
No other FSU player was in double-figures, but backup center Alier Maluk had seven points off the bench and was by far the most impactful defensive player for the Seminoles.
North Carolina finished with six players in double-figures, led by senior guard R.J. Davis, who scored 20 points and moved into third place all-time on the ACC career scoring list.
Florida State plays again on Saturday night at Duke.
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