No. 19 ‘Noles rally for 66-60 win over USF

SUNRISE, Fla. — No. 19-ranked Florida State used smothering defense to overcome a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes and beat South Florida 66-60 Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic.

The Seminoles forced 24 turnovers, including seven as they outscored the Bulls 19-3 down the stretch. Florida State forced four shot-clock violations and won despite being outrebounded by 14 and shooting only 40 percent, including 7 for 27 from 3-point range.

RaiQuan Gray had 11 points, seven rebounds and three of Florida State’s 13 steals. Anthony Polite, Trent Forrest and M.J. Walker also scored 11 points apiece.

Florida State (10-2) scored 21 points off turnovers to earn its third win in a row. South Florida (6-6) lost to a ranked team for the 27th consecutive time since 2012.

A flurry of nine points in 39 seconds by the Bulls — including a pair of 3s and two free technical foul free throws — helped them lead 57-47 with 6:32 to go. But they didn’t score another field goal until garbage time with 3 seconds left, and committed turnovers on four consecutive possessions as the Seminoles pulled ahead.

Devin Vassell’s jumper with two minutes left put Florida State in front to stay.

Michael Durr had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, but they shot just 3 for 15 from 3-point range.

The Seminoles trailed for more than 33 minutes, and made only one of their first 13 shots as South Florida raced to a 17-4 advantage. Florida State missed its first 10 3-point tries.

Xavier Castaneda’s driving layup with three seconds left in the first half gave the Bulls a 31-28 halftime lead.

Trent Forrest’s layup with eight minutes to go gave the Seminoles their first lead, 47-46.

Florida State plays host to North Alabama on Dec. 28 before returning to Atlantic Coast Conference play.

— The Associated Press

With eight wins in its last nine games, the Florida State men's basketball team will look to continue its impressive start to the 2019-20 season with a win today against USF in the Orange Bowl Classic at Sunrise, Fla.

FSU is 9-2 overall and ranked No. 19 in the country, while USF is 6-5. The Bulls have won three of their last four games, with the lone loss coming in a neutral-site game against Utah State.

Florida State has several noteworthy wins this season, including a blowout of rival Florida, neutral-site victories against Tennessee and Purdue, and a 19-point home win against Clemson.

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Saturday, Dec. 21, Noon, BB&T Center, Sunrise, Fla.

Florida State is 8-2 in Orange Bowl Classic games, including a 75-62 victory against USF in 2014, and the Seminoles are double-digit favorites this time around.

The Bulls are off to a sluggish start in head coach Brian Gregory's third season, averaging 64.8 points per game, and they have struggled in their only two games against high-major opponents -- they lost to Boston College at home by 14 points, and they dropped a neutral-site game to Nebraska.

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Last meeting: FSU 75, USF 62 (Dec. 20, 2014)

All-time series: Florida State leads 21-12

TV: FS2| Radio: Seminole Radio Network

Head Coaches: Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Brian Gregory (USF)

What to Watch For: The Seminoles have just two more non-conference games remaining before getting back into full-scale ACC play, so this will be another good chance for Hamilton's staff to fine-tune their rotations.

Because of the great disparity in size between the two teams, Florida State likely will try to dominate the Bulls inside the paint. Last time out, freshman 7-footer Balsa Koprivica delivered his best game as a Seminole, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting against North Florida.

FSU is averaging 76.5 points per game offensively, while allowing 63.0. South Florida is averaging 64.8 and giving up 60.9

Opening Line: Florida State minus-10

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