Matthew Cleveland notches double-double, leads Florida State to second straight win
A strong defensive effort and balanced scoring offensively were a winning formula for the Florida State men’s basketball team on Tuesday night as the Seminoles cruised to an 80-63 victory against visiting South Carolina-Upstate.
It was Florida State’s second consecutive victory after a brutal 1-9 start to open the 2022-23 season. The Seminoles are now 3-9, while the visiting Spartans fell to 5-5.
Five Seminoles finished in double-figures scoring, led by sophomore guard Matthew Cleveland with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Cleveland also pulled down 10 rebounds to record the double-double.
Junior shooting guard Darin Green Jr. added 15 points, junior guard Caleb Mills scored 13, sophomore center Naheem McLeod added 12 and freshman forward Cameron Corhen chipped in 10. Sophomore point guard Jalen Warley also scored nine points with five rebounds.
The Seminoles and Spartans were tied at 27-27 with just under six minutes remaining in the first half, but Florida State closed the period with an 11-4 run to take a 38-31 advantage into the break.
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The Seminoles continued to control the action in the second half by outplaying South Carolina-Upstate in just about all phases.
For the game, Florida State shot 48 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range, while the Spartans shot 33 and 25 percent, respectively. The Seminoles also took a slight edge in rebounding, they committed fewer turnovers, and they finished with a 16-7 advantage in second-chance points.
The victory was FSU’s second of the week after the Seminoles throttled visiting Louisville on Saturday, 74-53.
South Carolina-Upstate was led by sophomore guard Floyd Rideau Jr. with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting; he hit 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range.
Florida State will take its two-game win streak into the Orange Bowl Classic this Saturday. The Seminoles will take on St. Johns (10-1) in Sunrise at 2:30 p.m.
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