Mens basketball wins first road game
Florida State took to the road for the first time this season, traveling to Macon, Ga., to face the Mercer Bears, but the results were very similar to the Seminoles' first two home games. Behind five players in double figures, FSU dismissed the Bears 89-50 on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Deividas Dulkys led the Seminoles (3-0) in scoring with 14 points, including 4-for-6 3-point shooting. He was joined in double figures by Jordan Demercy, Xavier Gibson, and Solomon Alabi, who all scored 12 points, as well as Derwin Kitchen with 10 points.
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The player who may have had the best night though was sophomore forward Chris Singleton who turned in a complete effort. The Peach State native scored nine points but grabbed 14 rebounds, had seven assists, two steals, and two blocked shots.
"When you look at his stats, his stats will not show how much of an impact he had on the game," Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. "He really only took one shot in the second half. That just shows the unselfish spirit he is playing with. He is very active. Right now he is giving us tremendous leadership."
As a team, Florida State was 32-for-54 (59.3%) from the floor and 8-for-18 (44.4%) from deep. They struggled at the charity stripe once again, going only 17-for-32 (53.1%). The Seminoles also had 17 assists in the victory, as compared to only 14 turnovers.
The Seminoles defensive effort was once again good as they limited the Bears (3-2) to 14-for-71 (19.7%) shooting from the field and 7-for-32 (21.9%) from deep. They also forced 20 turnovers, including 11 steals. Florida State also had 13 blocks, led by five from Alabi, in the complete effort.
"Our players were very active," Hamilton said. "They were helping each other out whenever we faltered. I thought we were communicating very well. Our defense is probably further along than our offense right now."
The only place other than the free throw line where Florida State struggled was when it came to the boards. The Bears held a 44-39 advantage on the glass over the much taller Seminoles club.
Freshman forward Terrance Shannon did dress and participate in pregame warm-ups for the first time this regular season, but he did not see any action against the Bears.
Florida State returns to the court on Tuesday, travelling to Gainesville, Fla. to face the University of Florida.
"We know that is going to be a tremendous battle for us," Hamilton said. "(Florida coach) Billy (Donovan) will have them ready. ... We know it is going to be a dogfight."
The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised by SUN Sports.
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