Jamir Watkins scores 19, leads Florida State past UNLV in Daytona tourney

Three days after a humbling loss at rival Florida, the Florida State men’s basketball team got back on track Monday with a neutral-site victory against UNLV.

The Seminoles, who led the entire game, pulled ahead by as many as 16 points in the second half before holding off a late charge by the Runnin’ Rebels in Daytona Beach.

With the win, FSU advances to the championship game of the Sunshine Slam tournament at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The Seminoles will play the winner of Monday’s late game between Colorado and Richmond.

Florida State (3-1) was led on Monday by junior swingman Jamir Watkins , who scored a game-high 19 points and dished out a career-high eight assists.

Watkins said the Seminoles were eager to redeem themselves after suffering a 21-point defeat in Gainesville. The VCU transfer connected on 8 of 11 shots from the field.

“I would say it was a wake-up call Friday night,” Watkins said. “So during practice, we just had to get more focused and locked in on what we had to do.”

Florid State also got 16 points from senior shooting guard Darin Green Jr. , 14 points from center Cam Corhen and 10 points from forward De’Ante Green.

Kalib Boone scored 15 points for UNLV (2-2), while Justin Webster, Dedan Thomas Jr. and Jalen Hill all chipped in 13.

Neither team played exceptional defense, as FSU shot 63 percent from the field and UNLV shot 57 percent.

The Seminoles did a better job of distributing the basketball, as they dished out 17 assists while committing 15 turnovers. The Rebels recorded just eight assists with 14 turnovers.

FSU also had a 26-21 edge in bench points and a 27-24 advantage in rebounds.

The Seminoles got an additional nine points from point guard Chandler Jackson , and a team-high six rebounds from guard Cam’Ron Fletcher.

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