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FSU's shot at history misses mark; 'Noles suffer rare home loss to Syracuse

Maybe it was the pressure of trying to make history.

Perhaps it was a young team's lack of experience against a unique defense.

Or maybe it was a combination of both.

Whatever the reason, after taking an 11-point lead shortly after halftime Saturday, the Florida State men's basketball team went ice cold for a long stretch of the second period, gave up a 19-3 run and suffered a disappointing home loss to visiting Syracuse, 63-60.

The Seminoles went into the game trying to tie an ACC record with 26 consecutive home conference victories -- they hadn't lost to an ACC foe in the Tucker Center in nearly three years -- but that goal vanished with a pair of missed 3-pointers on the final possession.

"We knew how much this game meant," senior forward Malik Osborne said. "Not just for ourselves, but just for the program. Trying to set this ACC record for most consecutive ACC home wins. So I thought there was a lot of pressure, and some guys were in positions that they've never been in before."

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FSU senior RayQuan Evans looks to pass against Syracuse on Saturday.
FSU senior RayQuan Evans looks to pass against Syracuse on Saturday. (RayQuan Ebans)
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Box Score: Syracuse 63, FSU 60

It was Florida State's second straight loss after opening the season with five wins in six games. The Seminoles are now 5-3 overall and 0-1 in ACC play; the last two FSU teams (2020-'21 and '19-'20) didn't suffer their third losses until late January.

And this result was particularly surprising because the Seminoles appeared to be in control until a sustained drought in the second half.

After Osborne hit a 3-pointer to push FSU's lead to 11 points, the Seminoles scored just three points over the next eight minutes. During that stretch, they connected on only 1 of 14 shots from the field, turned the ball over twice and made just 1 of 2 shots from the free-throw line.

A 35-24 Florida State lead suddenly turned into a 43-38 deficit.

Even though 8 of those 14 shot attempts were 3-pointers -- and the Seminoles missed every one -- FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said he didn't have a major problem with his players' shot selection.

For the game, facing Jim Boeheim's famed 2-3 zone defense, the Seminoles connected on just 22 of 63 shots from the field (34.9 percent) and 4 of 30 from (13.3 percent) from long range.

"I'm sure the youngsters were somewhat frustrated because I thought we executed our offense to the point where we had wide-open looks and uncontested shots," Hamilton said. "Just one of those days when they just weren't falling for us."

The Orange (5-3, 1-0) weren't outstanding on offense, but they took full advantage of the Seminoles' drought and opened a 55-44 lead with less than six minutes remaining.

FSU then made one last surge, outscoring Syracuse by a 16-6 margin and grabbing possession of the ball on an Osborne steal with 16 seconds remaining. But senior Anthony Polite turned the ball back over before FSU could attempt a winning shot, and the Orange hit two free throws to secure the final margin.

"We dug a hole for ourselves that we almost dug ourselves out of," Hamilton said. "But once you get down like that, it's awfully hard to come back against a team with that many ballhandlers and shooters."

FSU was led offensively by sophomore Caleb Mills with 16 points (11 in the first half) and Osborne with 10 and eight rebounds.

The Seminoles now have a week off for final exams before returning to action Dec. 12 against South Carolina.

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