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FSU men drop fourth straight heading into regular-season finale against SMU

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•03/04/25•

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Taylor Bol Bowen brings the ball up the court for Florida State on Tuesday at Virginia. (Courtesy of FSU Sports Information)

Courtesy of FSU Sports Information

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A 3-point jumper by Andrew Rhode with 58 seconds remaining put Virginia in the lead and helped the Cavaliers record a 60-57 victory Tuesday night over Florida State at the John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers outscored the Seminoles by a 6-2 margin in the final 2:06 to gain the win at home.

Florida State, which has lost four straight games, is now 16-14 overall and 7-12 in ACC play. Virginia is 15-15 overall and 8-11 in the ACC.

Jamir Watkins continued his double-figure scoring, leading the Seminoles with 18 points. He made two 3-point shots and has now made at least one shot from the 3-point line in 20 consecutive games — a streak that began on December 14 against Tulane. Watkins has now scored in double-figures in nine straight games and in 25 of his last 26 games. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

It was a back-and-forth battle between FSU and the Cavaliers in a game that saw 15 lead changes and four ties. It was also a clash of styles and tempos from the start of the game.

The Seminoles’ defense stymied the Cavaliers in first half as they held Virginia to two prolonged scoring droughts, which allowed Florida State to lead the game by a 28-27 margin at the half.

Virginia started the second half on a 12-3 run and took its largest lead, 41-33, at the 14:41 mark.

With center Malique Ewin sidelined for the second straight game by injury, freshman Alier Maluk earned his second consecutive start for the Seminoles, and he enjoyed an impressive performance. He tied for second-leading scorer with a career-best eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Christian Nitu played the best game of his first season as well, scoring a total of eight points. He was a perfect 4-fpr-4 inside the paint and grabbed three rebounds.

Freshman Daquan Davis had one of his more impressive defensive performances as he had a career-high four blocks.

Florida State returns home for its final game of the regular season against SMU on Saturday, at 4 p.m. in the Tucker Center. This game will serve as Senior Day and Leonard Hamilton Day.

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