One To Remember: FSU women trounce No. 16 Duke on Sue Semrau's special day
On a day when Florida State women’s basketball alumni and fans gathered to celebrate the program’s proud past, the Seminoles’ present and future sure shined extremely bright as well.
Ten months after announcing she was stepping down as head coach after 25 years, Sue Semrau returned to the Tucker Center Sunday for the first time in retirement.
She was honored with an hour-long ceremony before Florida State took on visiting Duke in a major ACC showdown. She was saluted on the court with a rousing ovation between the first and second quarters. And athletics director Michael Alford broke the news that she will be inducted into the FSU Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
Then the current Seminoles, several of whom either played for or were recruited by Semrau, tied a perfect bow on the day by storming to a 70-57 victory against the 16th-ranked Blue Devils.
“Coach Sue loves defense and rebounding,” said Brooke Wyckoff, who played for and coached under Semrau before becoming head coach this season. “And we definitely did that today for her. … It was awesome to have her courtside and get this win for her.”
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Indeed, the Seminoles’ defense was stifling.
Duke, which came into this game with an 18-2 record and an 8-1 mark in the ACC, connected on just 19 of 72 shots from the floor (26.4 percent). The Blue Devils also were forced into 18 turnovers and scored just 34 points in the first three quarters combined.
Perhaps even more surprising was that Florida State claimed a slim rebounding edge (48-46) against a tall Duke lineup that ranks third in the ACC in that category; the Seminoles rank 10th.
Nine different Florida State players cracked the scoreboard offensively, but it was somewhat fitting that it was one of the Seminoles’ holdovers from the Semrau era that led the way. Sophomore Makayla Timpson led all scorers with 21 points, and she also pulled down 10 rebounds to record her 11th double-double of the season.
For Timpson, the fact that Semrau was sitting courtside made the performance even more special.
“Just seeing her face was just amazing,” Timpson said. “I heard her on the sideline during the game: ‘Yeah, K!’ I didn’t want to look at her and get distracted. But I love that she was at our game today.”
It was the culmination of an emotional day that started with Semrau receiving tributes from Wyckoff, Alford, men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton and other supporters.
Among the hundreds in attendance were a few dozen former FSU players — many of whom played under Semrau.
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“This is what it’s all about,” Wyckoff said after her team improved to 19-5 and 8-3. “This is the beauty of a storied college basketball program — that Coach Sue has built. It’s alumni weekend. It’s family, it really is. And you feel it most in these moments.
“A great ACC matchup. Celebrating Coach Sue, who built it. With the alumni around. With these players that are so bought in to Florida State women’s basketball. It’s like the pinnacle of why we do this. And the moments that you just remember forever.”
Semrau, who elevated Florida State’s program from one of the worst in the ACC to one of the best in the country, got emotional several times during the pregame ceremony. She spoke about lessons she learned during her coaching career and in retirement, and she reflected on the countless close relationships she was able to develop during a quarter-century with the Seminoles.
Semrau then punctuated her comments by encouraging the FSU fan base and administration to rally around Wyckoff. The coaching legend described her early years at Florida State as Phase One of the program’s resurgence, and her successful run of 16 NCAA Tournament appearances as Phase Two.
Phase Three, Semrau said, will be the Wyckoff era, which features emerging stars like Timpson and freshman phenom Ta’Niya Latson.
“Guys, we’ve got to do it bigger,” Semrau said to the program’s supporters. “Phase One was one thing. Phase Two was another. But I am all on board, and we need to do it big for Phase Three. Whatever that means, whatever Brooke asks … let’s get it done!”
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