Florida State played perhaps its best 10 minutes to start a game, taking a 13-point lead and control. But Georgia Tech, with depth thinned due to injury and using only six players, kept battling back.
The Seminoles were often sloppy in the second half but got the Yellow Jackets into foul trouble. Malique Ewin scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, pulling down 11 rebounds, as he extended his double-double streak to four in FSU's 91-78 win.
Taylor Bol Bowen scored a career-high 20 points and Jamir Watkins added 17 points, scoring in double figures for the 17th time in 18 games.
"Just letting the game come to me honestly," Bol Bowen said. "Just make the open shots. My teammates were finding me. It made it easy for me. I've just been putting up more shots (in practice). Just believing in myself."
FSU (13-5, 4-3 ACC) won its second straight home game and never trailed against GT. But at times it was uncomfortable to watch, as FSU's 13-point halftime lead slid precariously lower and lower as the Yellow Jackets scored the first 10 points of the second half.
The Seminoles were challenged again and again, and the deficit was trimmed to four with 5:09 to go before Ewin and Daquan Davis had baskets on back-to-back possessions. Davis was fouled on the fast break and sank the free throw, extending the lead to 75-66.
"Second half we’ve had a tendency to let up a little bit," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "They scored 50-something points in the second half after not being able to score much in the first half. That just says a lot about the growth that we got to continue to keep making so that we can be consistent and be just as effective for the full 40 minutes.
"We had some moments where I thought we were really on point offensively and defensively. That’s who we are right now."
Lance Terry scored 23 points and Javian McCollum had 20 points for Georgia Tech (8-11, 2-6), which came into the game having lost a combined 43 games due to injury.
Baye Ndongo fouled out with 5:27 to go. He had three points and 12 rebounds.
Stat nuggets
The Seminoles shot 20 of 33 (60.6 percent) in the second half.
FSU had 11 assists and just one turnover in the first half. The Seminoles finished with 19 assists and eight turnovers.
Davis had seven points and three assists with no turnovers.
Ewin had two of FSU's five blocks. Justin Thomas had three of FSU's eight steals. The Seminoles produced 22 points off turnovers.
FSU shot 35 of 67 (52 percent) from the floor, 9 of 27 from 3-point range and 12 of 17 from the free-throw line.
The Seminoles opened ACC play 0-2, with both losses in December. FSU is 4-1 in January.
Jackson, Swinton injured
Hamilton said Chandler Jackson suffered a groin injury.
"Everybody responds differently," Hamilton said. "I can't tell you how long it's going to be for him to get back."
Freshman A.J. Swinton has an injury and did not play in Saturday's game. Hamilton said he will likely not play on FSU's upcoming road trip.
Hamilton praised Justin Thomas, who played nine consecutive minutes at one stretch. Thomas didn't score a point but had eight rebounds and five assists.
"Now we have to reinvent ourselves again," Hamilton said. "We become a different team with two players out of your rotation."
Up next
FSU begins its two-game West Coast road trip with a game at Cal on Wednesday at 9 p.m. The Seminoles will play at Stanford on Saturday at 7 p.m.
In true road games, FSU is just 1-3 — losses at LSU, NC State and Clemson and a win over Miami.
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