Free throw shooting almost doomed Florida State again on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center, but the Seminoles survived for a big road victory over Louisville to get back over .500 in conference play, 80-76.
FSU (17-6, 6-5 ACC) seemed comfortably in control leading 78-71 with less than 40 seconds to play. The Cardinals were able to pull within four on a 3-pointer by Quentin Snider with 34 seconds remaining and then to two on a runner by Snider following a turnover by Florida State’s Braian Angola on the preceding inbounds pass.
After Terance Mann missed a pair of free throws, Louisville (16-7, 6-4 ACC) had the ball for one final possession with a chance to tie or win the game, but Mann atoned for his misses at the charity stripe with a block of V.J. King. M.J. Walker put the exclamation point on the victory with a breakaway flush on the other end with a second remaining.
The Seminoles lost a heartbreaker by blowing a 17-point lead to Louisville in Tallahassee on Jan. 10. Walker’s slam ensured it would not happen again as FSU earned just its second ACC road win.
For the second straight game, Phil Cofer paced the Florida State offense, leading six Seminoles in double-figures with 16 points. Angola added 13 points while Mann and Christ Koumadje each finished with 11. C.J. Walker and Trent Forrest scored 10 points apiece. Forrest also led FSU with nine rebounds and five assists.
The contest was close most of the way, but the Seminoles seized slight control with a 13-2 run midway through the second half that pushed the lead to eight. The 2-point deficit at 78-76 was the closest Louisville would get before the critical block sealed things.
The teams combined for 11 blocked shots, but the Seminoles won the battle on the glass, 43-34. FSU also shot 45 percent to Louisville’s 42, but a 9-for-21 night from distance for the Cardinals kept things interesting until the very end.
Deng Adel led Louisville with a game-high 17 points to go with eight rebounds, but shot just 5-for-16 from the field. Snider finished with 15 points and a game-high seven assists. Ray Spalding scored 13 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds and three steals. King also hit double-figures for the Cardinals with 10 points.
Louisville will have a short turnaround as it remains home to take on Syracuse on Monday night. After a short 2-game road trip, the Seminoles will return home to take on No. 2 Virginia on Wednesday.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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