FSU Shuts Down Rival Gators in Opener, 81-60

Florida State opened the 2018-19 basketball season by claiming in-state bragging rights over its arch-rival Florida, 81-60.

The No. 17 Seminoles held Florida (0-1) to just 37 percent shooting and a handful of points for the Gators came in garbage time during Tuesday night’s contest in Tallahassee. FSU on the other hand shot 48 percent and 11-for-23 from beyond the arc. Florida shot just 6-for-24 from deep.

FSU (1-0) led 31-20 at halftime and by as many as 35 at one point in the second half before cruising to a school-record fifth straight win over Florida. P.J. Savoy paced FSU with 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting — all treys. Trent Forrest and M.J. Walker added 13 points and 10 points respectively.

Chris Koumadje and Terance Mann each finished with nine points in the win. Mann grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Seminoles, which was an area they won 35-31. Sophomore Deaundrae Ballard came off the bench to lead Florida with 13 points.

Florida State has now won six straight season openers and will travel for the first time to face Tulane on Sunday night. The Gators play their home opener on Friday night against Charleston Southern.

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