The Daily Nole

FSU Women Dominate Jacksonville, 90-47

Clint Eiland/The Daily Nole

Florida State attacked early and often, spreading the ball around to enough players that the Jacksonville defense looked scrambled in a 90-47 rout at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Thursday night. The Seminoles held a 12-4 advantage in the paint after the first quarter, but they also maintained the threat of deep shooting with a perfect 4-for-4 mark behind the 3-point line. Not surprisingly, FSU led 29-13 after a quarter.

There were comparatively no hot streaks for Jacksonville in the second quarter, as Florida State’s game plan began to take root and stifle the Dolphins’ offense. Despite getting more rebounds and the same number of shots as the first quarter, Jacksonville scored only nine points and let the FSU offense slowly widen the gap between the two teams. The Seminoles were ahead 46-22 at halftime.

Jacksonville did see a bit of a revival in the third quarter, where it scored 16 of its points. This was largely because of Florida State’s inability to secure the rebounds, which allowed the Dolphins to reset their offense and chip away at the FSU lead. However, the Dolphins had no answer for any of the Seminoles players, with names like Shakayla Thomas and Leticia Romero routinely showing up on the scoreboard.

Multiple FSU freshmen got decent minutes at the end of the game and maintained the Florida State lead. It was a resounding bounce-back after Monday night’s close loss to Connecticut, and it reminded fans just why this FSU team is expected to go deep in the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles’ next game is on Sunday 1 p.m. EST against James Madison at the Tucker Civic Center.

Observations

  • Maria Conde is quickly becoming the player everyone knows she can be. Her freshman season was marked with sloppy play and streaky shooting, which coach Sue Semrau attributed to learning the pace of the college game. That hasn’t been the case so far, as she has become a more reliable shooter and ball distributor. She also finally learned how to use her length to her advantage on defense.
  • FSU passing facilitated its offensive success. Jacksonville’s largely played man-to-man defense, and the constant passes and quick cutting from FSU were enough to leave the Dolphins confused. Florida State had multiple outside shots without a defender in sight, which was something that Jacksonville attempted to combat to its detriment inside (outscored 40-12 in the paint)
  • Chatrice White is as good as advertised. Her numbers might not show it, but she provides an offensive threat down low that Florida State has not had for a few years. Adut Bulgak was great, but she was more of a defensive player.
  • Florida State’s defense responded perfectly to Jacksonville’s type of offense. The Dolphins are known for their 3-point shooting and are reliant on it for points. FSU consistently trapped on the wing and sent players wide, daring Jacksonville to try its hand at the rim. The Dolphins never took the bait and thus let the game get out of hand.
  • Jacksonville could not get fast breaks going, which watered down the potency of the offense. Florida State is too good of a team to try and outmaneuver in a slow game. To have a shot, the Dolphins needed to get easy points whenever they could.
  • Shakayla Thomas is first team All-American material if she keeps up her play. Players with her athleticism are rare. Players living up to their billing is even more rare. After another dominant showing on Thursday, it becomes clear that she could end up an all-time great in FSU basketball history.

Notable Numbers

Shakayla Thomas (FSU): 20 points (8-for-10), 1 rebound

Leticia Romero (FSU): 9 points (2-for-4), 6 assists, 1 steal

Sherranda Reddick (JU): 17 points (5-for-15), 2 steals

Quotes

Sue Semrau on Leticia Romero: “I think she is ready to play at even a higher tempo than she’s ever played before. Defensively, she’s a much better player than she was last year.”

Shakayla Thomas on defensive improvement: “I feel like [our defense] is way better than before, simply because we came together…we’re sound, we’re not forcing anything.”

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