Florida State gets defensive, knocks off No. 18 Colorado in OT, 77-71
Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton isn’t about to suggest that his once-elite program is back where it needs to be. But after an impressive win Tuesday night against No. 18 Colorado, he does believe the Seminoles could be on their way.
Capitalizing on 17 steals and five blocked shots — along with strong offensive performances from guard Jalen Warley and small forward Jamir Watkins — Florida State pulled off a 77-71 upset in the championship game of the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona.
“I was very, very pleased with the effort from a defensive standpoint,” Hamilton said on his postgame radio show. “And we were a lot better in sync from an offensive standpoint as well. Not where we need to be, but we’re making progress.”
The game was tied at 60-60 at the end of regulation, but the Seminoles erupted for 17 points in the five-minute overtime period to win their NCAA-record 14th straight overtime game.
Florida State scored the opening nine points of overtime, highlighted by Baba Miller’s steal and fast-break dunk. Darin Green Jr. capped the run with a wide open 3-pointer from the corner.
But it was Warley and Watkins who powered the Seminoles for most of the game. Watkins scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Warley scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Warley also hit 5 of 7 shots from the free-throw line as he repeatedly used his size advantage inside against Colorado’s smaller guards.
The junior point guard is listed at 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds, and he was often being guarded by 6-2, 193-pound Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III.
“We’ve been challenging him to be more aggressive like this,” Hamilton said of Warley. “And I think we had him come out of his shell tonight.”
Green added 12 points for Florida State, and forward De’Ante Green added 10, as the Seminoles won their second straight game after an ugly loss at rival Florida last Friday. The ‘Noles defeated UNLV on Monday.
“We have potential,” said Hamilton, whose team improved to 4-1 on the season. “We still are a work in progress. We have a lot of things we have to fine-tune.”
The Seminoles played the second half without center Cam Corhen , who sustained a toe injury during the game. Hamilton said the injury is not believed to be serious, but it will be evaluated when the team returns to Tallahassee.
Next up for Florida State is a game against visiting Georgia on Nov. 29 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
Box Score: FSU 77, No. 18 Colorado 71 (OT)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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