Florida State's defense and energy appear relentless. Maybe it's because those intangibles were missing a season ago.

But through seven games, even a loss to Florida, the energy has been consistent.

Daquan Davis scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, while Malique Ewin scored 12 points in the first half as FSU cruised to an 91-57 victory over Western Carolina on Tuesday night. Jamir Watkins also had 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting.

"We moved the ball, made the extra pass. I thought we were in attack mode from the beginning," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We challenged our guys to start developing that mindset that allows you to come with the same level of energy every time you play. They responded in the first half."

Davis shot 3 of 4 from beyond the arc in setting a new season-high after the freshman had 10 points in the loss to Florida. Ewin has scored in double figures in each of his last five games.

"He only has one speed," Hamilton said. "He only has one gear, that's all his heart and all his soul. His unselfish spirit. He's extremely confident for a youngster. He's a tremendous addition to our program."

The Seminoles were also stifling on the defensive end, recording a season-best 15 steals. Chandler Jackson had five, while Bostyn Holt and Alier Maluk grabbed three apiece. Hamilton initially thought the Seminoles had set a season-high with 13 steals but was pleased to hear the total reached 15.

"That's exceptional," Hamilton said.

The FSU-WCU contest was slated to be played in Asheville, N.C., but was rescheduled and became a fundraiser for the MANNA FoodBank, which was damaged when Hurricane Helene hit the city. With general admission seating and a $10 ticket price, thousands of fans gathered around center court on both sides of the arena and saw the Seminoles shoot more than 50 percent in each half.

FSU played arguably its best half of basketball against UMass, pulling away for the 92-59 rout by shooting 70 percent. And FSU opened the first half with a red-hot 18 of 30 performance from the floor, taking a 49-26 lead.

The Seminoles (7-1) have won four straight games, knocking off non-conference opponents below 100 in KenPom's rankings that it should have beaten. But FSU has also done it emphatically — by 18 points over Hofstra as well as nine points vs. Temple and then 33 points against UMass (the last two on a neutral court).

Brandon Morgan scored 13 points for WCU (3-2).

FSU now gets an extended Thanksgiving break, a full week before traveling to LSU for an ACC/SEC Challenge game. The opponents get tougher, no doubt, but the Seminoles are off to their best start since 2019-20.

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