A week between games could have served as a reset for the Florida State men's basketball team after a tough two-loss week.
Based on how the Seminoles looked in their return to action, that was not the case.
Instead, the Seminoles (4-4) suffered their third straight loss in lopsided fashion, falling 88-72 to USF (3-4) in the Orange Bowl Classic at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Saturday afternoon.
After FSU won nine of its first 11 games in the Orange Bowl Classic before last year, it has now lost back to back games in the OBC by double-digit points.
It was a game the Seminoles never led, falling behind 8-0 early and trailing the rest of the way. USF gradually built its lead in the first half before closing the first half on a 16-7 run to take a 38-24 halftime lead.
The Seminoles made a run to cut the deficit to nine points midway through the second half, but USF responded with an 8-0 run and led by 15-plus points the rest of the way until the final minutes when the result of the game was known.
Defensively, FSU struggled against a South Florida team which entered the day 344th out of 351 Division I teams in shooting percentage (38.3%) and 346th nationally in three-point percentage (24.2%).
The Bulls shot 42.6% from the floor and made 12 of their 23 threes (52.2%), well above their 5.3 made threes per game average entering Saturday.
Meanwhile, FSU shot 40.4% from the floor, made many of its eight three-pointers when the game was essentially over and was almost sub-50% from the free-throw line, making 18 of 35 from the charity stripe (51.4%). The Seminoles also turned it over 16 times, leading to 19 USF points off turnovers and 22 fastbreak points for the Bulls.
USF was led by 20 points from forward Selton Miguel and 18 points from center Chris Youngblood. Jamir Watkins led the way for the Seminoles with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. However, he was the only Seminole with more than 11 points and fouled out for the second time in the last three games with more than four minutes left.
Sophomore forward Baba Miller recorded his first career double-double at FSU in the loss, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. However, he was not particularly efficient to get there, making just 3 of 9 shots from the floor and 4 of 13 free throws.
The Seminoles now get another week between games due to final exams next week. Their next game will be back at the Tucker Civic Center next Saturday night at 8 p.m. when they play host to future ACC opponent SMU (6-4).
Injury update
Before the game, FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton confirmed on the radio broadcast that forward Cam'Ron Fletcher will miss the rest of the season with an injury he suffered in last week's loss at North Carolina.
It's a blow to the Seminoles' talent and depth and his absence was felt in a few different ways during Saturday's loss to the Bulls.
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