The Daily Nole

Seminoles Collapse in Second Half; Drop Game to Louisville 73-69

Clint Eiland/The Daily Nole

The Florida State Seminoles suffered a second half collapse against the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday night, losing their second straight game and snapping their 28-game home winning streak, 73-69.

Everything was clicking in the first half when FSU (12-4, 1-3 ACC) went up 45-32. The offense was getting reliable shots and succeeded at slowly chipping away against the Cardinals (12-4, 2-1 ACC). That all changed in the second half when Louisville used a stifling defense to storm back and bring the game down to the wire. It pulled out a close victory and left Seminole fans stunned.

Below are the game observations and notable stats from The Daily Nole.

Observations

  • It would have been hard for Louisville to start off the game in worse shape. It wasThey were forced to burn a timeout two minutes in after FSU exploded for a 9-point lead. Braian Angola was the early star when he hit a 3-pointer, stole the ball for a layup, and passed a full court assist in three straight possessions.
  • Rebounding was not in Florida State’s favor to begin the game. At one point, the Cardinals had as many offensive rebounds as the Seminoles did total rebounds.
  • To its credit, Louisville was unfazed by the early deficit. ItThey started pushing the tempo and using offensive rebounds to reset. It worked out well and the game was tied around the 13-minute mark.
  • Florida State relied too much on the outside shot. Part of the reluctance to swing it down low was the lack of calls by the referees, but only so much could be put on them. FSU was simply jacking up errant shots when it didn’t have a good look.
  • Christ Koumadje made his presence felt almost immediately. After just seven minutes of play, the center had already contributed six points and four rebounds. He really does change how the FSU and opposing offenses go about their game plans.
  • Florida State’s superior offense helped the Seminoles begin to pull away as the first half came to a close. The Seminoles got into a rhythm and actually slowed down a bit to get themselves oriented — a tactic not seen much this season. At halftime, the score was 45-32 in favor of the Seminoles.
  • Rebounding swung way back towards the home team after a putrid start. FSU actually had the advantage 27-19 heading in to the locker room. The two men to thank for that are Koumadje and Phil Cofer, who combined for 14 boards.
  • Louisville began a full court press when the second half started. It provoked some early Florida State turnovers and fouls that made FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton call a timeout to regroup his team.
  • The Cardinals did begin to regain some offensive consistency. They were noticeably better with ball movement that allowed seemingly uncontested shots. Forward Ray Spalding grabbed a lot of attention with impressive drives to the basket.
  • Simply awful play from the FSU offense allowed Louisville to tie the game 55-55 with 8:49 remaining. A couple of low-lights include 0-for-5 shooting from behind the arc and seven turnovers.
  • There just didn’t seem to be much urgency on the offensive end for Florida State. No one broke from his defender with any sort of consistency. The reluctance to goback to their usual tempo really did impede the Seminoles’ chances at victory. It would be a mistake to not credit Louisville however as its defense can be suffocating at times and really ramped up the pressure.
  • The offensive numbers for Florida State in the second half illustrate how awful it truly was. The Noles scored 24 points on 8-for-26 shooting, made just two 2-point shots, and went 6-for-10 on free throws. It was the worst half of basketball they’ve played since Georgia Tech last year.
  • Braian Angola was the lone reason that FSU didn’t mail it in over the final two minutes. His deep shooting brought them within two points twice. Unfortunately for him, his team couldn’t match his play.

Notable Numbers

Terance Mann (FSU): 25 points (9-for-14), 8 rebounds, 2 assists

Braian Angola (FSU): 18 points (6-for-13), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists

Ray Spalding (LOU): 15 points (6-for-12), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals

Deng Adel (LOU): 16 points (5-for-12), 6 rebounds, 5 assists

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