Something had to give at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Saturday. Virginia Tech was 0-8 in Tallahassee since joining the ACC and Florida State had never started 3-0 in conference play. Fortunately for the Seminoles, the zeros remained for both statistics as No. 12 FSU cruised past the 21st-ranked Hokies, 93-78.
Terance Mann recorded a career-high 22 points and a game-high nine rebounds to lead FSU. Five Seminoles scored in double-figures in the win.
The Hokies (12-3, 1-2 ACC) started strong, scoring the game’s first six points and maintained a lead throughout the early parts of the first half. An Ahmed Hill 3-pointer gave Virginia Tech a 20-16 lead with less than 13 minutes remaining, but FSU responded with six straight points and never trailed again.
A 24-9 run in the first half helped FSU (15-1, 3-0 ACC) build a double-digit lead before taking a 48-37 lead to the break. From there, the contest never got closer than eight as the Seminoles won their 11th straight game.
Without guard Seth Allen, the Hokies shot just 4-for-15 from beyond the 3-point line and lost the battle on the glass, 39-34. Virginia Tech also turned the ball over 16 times. Chris Clarke led the Hokies with 22 points before fouling out in the final seconds. Zach LeDay and Hill added 19 and 16, respectively.
Dwayne Bacon added 17 points for Florida State in the win while freshman Jonathan Isaac scored an ACC-high 13 points to go with eight rebounds. Jarquez Smith and P.J. Savoy added 12 and 11 points respectively off the FSU bench. As a team, the Seminoles shot 49 percent from the floor.
FSU will remain home to face Duke on Tuesday night. The Hokies will look to snap a 2-game skid and get to .500 in ACC play against Syracuse in Blacksburg on Tuesday.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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