Florida State made a late push to make things interesting on Sunday night in Coral Gables, but it was not enough as 16th-ranked Miami held off the Seminoles, 80-74.
The Hurricanes (13-2, 2-1 ACC) shot 51 percent from the field and used a big early lead to hold off a late charge. Miami led 45-32 at the break and by as many as 16 in the second half, but the No. 24 Seminoles (12-3, 1-2 ACC) got as close as four late in the game, but couldn’t cash in on key opportunities.
The first big miss for FSU came with under three minutes and the Seminoles trailing 69-63. Braian Angola looked to have a breakaway layup, but was unable to finish and the ball went out of bounds to Miami. With under a minute to play and FSU down 73-68, 7-foot-4 Chris Koumadje, who returned after missing 11 games, grabbed three offensive rebounds, but missed a pair of shots at point-blank range. After cutting the lead to 78-74 and getting a steal with under 20 seconds to go, Angola had a wide open look for three to cut the lead to one, but could not convert.
The 3-point line was a sore spot for FSU throughout the evening as the Seminoles shot just 5-for-24 from deep after shooting well from distance in each of their first two ACC games. Angola led FSU with 16 points and five steals. Trent Forrest added 12 points with eight of those coming from the foul line. Phil Cofer scored 11 points in the loss and leading scorer Terance Mann had 10.
Florida State had a dominant night on the glass to keep things competitive. The Seminoles outrebounded their rivals 45-32 and came up with 22 offensive rebounds to Miami’s five. Mfiondu Kabengele ripped down a team-high 12 rebounds for FSU. Anthony Lawrence equaled that total to lead Miami.
Offensively, the Hurricanes were propelled by Bruce Brown’s efficient 23 points, which came on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 12 of 14 from the foul line. Dewan Huell finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Chris Lykes scored a career-high 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the win.
With the win, Miami snaps a 2-game losing streak to FSU and gets back over .500 in ACC play. The Hurricanes will face another ranked opponent on Saturday as they travel to Clemson. FSU returns home to take on Louisville on Wednesday night.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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