Second-half struggles again plague Florida State in 83-75 loss to Pitt
A career night from sophomore point guard Jalen Warley wasn’t enough to prevent another tough loss in what continues to be a dismal season for the Florida State men’s basketball team.
Warley scored a career-high 23 points and helped the Seminoles take a slim lead midway through the second half Saturday against visiting Pitt. But as has been the case so many times this season, the Seminoles faltered down the stretch and suffered an 83-75 defeat.
In a game that was nip-and-tuck until the final few minutes, the Panthers took advantage of a 20-8 edge in second-chance points to secure the win.
“They were a little more determined, much more aggressive,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said of the Panthers’ physical play inside.
With the loss, Florida State falls to 8-18 overall and 6-9 in the ACC. This marks the Seminoles’ fifth straight home loss — the first time an FSU squad has dropped that many consecutive games at home since 1982.
Pitt, which is tied for first place in the ACC, improves to 18-7 and 11-3.
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Warley almost single-handedly kept Florida State in the game in the first half with 14 points, as the Seminoles’ clung to a 37-33 deficit. Warley hit 5 of 6 shots before halftime, while the rest of his teammates combined to hit 6 of 24.
But even though the Seminoles’ other players got going offensively in the second half, they were unable to keep Pitt off the glass and the ball out of the basket. The Panthers grabbed 15 offensive rebounds — the most they have recorded in an ACC game this season — and they converted those into 20 second-chance points.
Florida State, meanwhile, grabbed 12 offensive boards but only turned them into eight second-chance points.
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“It’s quite obvious tonight that Pittsburgh displayed more interior toughness than we did,” Hamilton said. “No coach likes to admit that. … You’ve got to have a tough mind to play through contact. It’s that grit. It’s that determination. It’s that focus. You know you’re gonna get bumped, you know you’re gonna get hit. You’ve got to control the ball. You can’t get it slapped out of your hand. …
“We just didn’t get it done. We’ve got to be tougher. We’ve got to be more consistent with how competitive our spirit is in those situations. That was disappointing to me.”
After Florida State cut Pitt’s lead to 64-63 with just under six minutes remaining, Pitt went on a 14-4 run to open up an 11-point advantage and secure the win.
Pitt was led by forward Blake Hinson and guard Jamarius Burton with 19 points apiece. Guard Nike Sibande came off the bench to score all 12 of his points in the second half.
Florida State got 16 points from guard Caleb Mills and 13 from forward Cameron Corhen.
Sophomore guard Matthew Cleveland finished with six points and six rebounds, but Hamilton said the Seminoles didn’t know if their leading scorer would even play Saturday. Cleveland had been experiencing back spasms in recent days and was a game-time decision.
Florida State next plays at Clemson on Wednesday night.
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