Seminoles pour it on late for season-opening romp over UNF, 86-58

A stifling defensive effort in the first half gave the Florida State men's basketball team a nice cushion in its season opener Wednesday night against visiting North Florida, and the Seminoles appeared to need it before pulling away with a flurry in the final minutes.

After limiting the Ospreys to just 21 points in the first half, FSU had to withstand a strong shooting performance in the second half before surging ahead for an 86-58 victory.

The No. 18 Seminoles are 1-0 on the season, while UNF falls to 0-4.

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Box Score: No. 18 Florida State 86, UNF 58

Senior guard M.J. Walker led the Seminoles with 17 points, and sophomore center Balsa Koprivica added 13.

FSU fans eager to see the debut of freshman guard Scottie Barnes got a sampling of why he is so highly regarded. After a slow start in the scoring column, Barnes scored six points in the second half to finish with eight for the game. He also dished out a game-high six assists and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Ten different Seminoles scored in the first half as head coach Leonard Hamilton rotated players early and often. Twelve FSU players scored in the game.

At halftime, North Florida had just 21 points and had hit 3 of 12 shots from 3-point range. The Ospreys also had turned the ball over 16 times. But they hit 6 of their first 11 3-pointers in the second half to close the gap to 11 points.

FSU ended the game with a 16-2 run. The Seminoles return to action next Wednesday at home against Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

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