FSU Opens AdvoCare Invitational with Easy Win Over UAB

No. 14 Florida State had little trouble advancing to the winners’ bracket of the AdvoCare Invitational with an 81-63 win over UAB on Thursday night in Lake Buena Vista.

The Seminoles (4-0) never trailed in the contest and used a 10-0 run early in the first half to extend a 1-point lead to 11. From there, the contest never got closer than seven. FSU led 42-31 at halftime.

Terance Mann paced FSU with an ultra efficient 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Christ Koumadje finished one rebound shy of his first career double-double with 12 points and nine boards. P.J. Savoy, who scored the first six FSU points with a pair of triples, and Mfiondu Kabengele each added 10 in the victory.

Sophomore guard Tyreek Scott-Grayson led the Blazers (3-1) with 16 points and was the only UAB player in double-figures scoring. UAB shot less than 33 percent from the field and just 2-for-14 from deep in the loss. FSU shot 49 percent and held a 38-30 advantage on the glass. Guard Trent Forrest led the Seminoles with 11 rebounds.

The one sore spot for FSU in the victory on Thursday night was the 18 turnovers. The Blazers turned it over 15 times of their own. Both teams shot better than 80 percent from the foul line.

With the victory, Florida State will move on to take on No. 19 LSU on Friday afternoon. The Tigers beat College of Charleston on Thursday, 67-55. College of Charleston and UAB will play in the losers’ bracket.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson