Seminoles stay hot, race to 78-65 victory at Louisville
Florida State's second road trip of the season went much better than its first.
RaiQuan Gray scored 17 points to lead five players in double-figures Monday night as the Seminoles rolled to a 78-65 victory at Louisville.
It was just FSU's second road game of the season after falling by 10 points last month at Clemson. The Seminoles are now 8-2 on the season and 4-1 in ACC play; Louisville falls to 9-3 and 4-2.
*** Don't miss our exclusive FSU sports coverage. 30-day Free Trial ***
Box Score: FSU 78, Louisville 65
"I thought our guys were extremely focused at the beginning of the game," FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said. "That's a very good basketball team."
The Cardinals didn't look like it for much of Monday night.
Despite playing without injured starter Anthony Polite, the Seminoles led from wire to wire. They actually opened up a 24-point advantage late in the first half, but saw Louisville slice into that lead with a 12-2 run before halftime.
The Cardinals continued chipping away until eventually pulling to within eight points midway through the second half. But the Seminoles quickly responded with an 8-0 run to put the game away.
The key moment was a steal by 7-foot center Balsa Koprivica in which he drove all the way to the basket, past two Louisville guards, missed a runner but then dunked the putback.
"You guys probably don't know, but B.K. is like super-skilled," Gray said. "We always joke around with him about him wanting to play point guard. ... But (that play) just shows how quick and agile he is, and how skilled he is as a 7-footer."
Koprivica also had a nifty pass underneath on a drive to freshman Scottie Barnes for another bucket.
And although the sophomore's steal and score was probably the critical moment in the game, Malik Osborne definitely had the highlight of the night with an emphatic dunk over a Louisville defender to extend the lead to 17.
"These last two games have definitely been a confidence-booster for me," said Osborne, who had 12 points off the bench against Louisville after scoring 10 against North Carolina on Saturday. "The coaches were just telling me to play my game, have fun and enjoy the journey.
"It feels good to be productive again, but I also know it's a long season ahead."
FSU has now defeated the Cardinals four straight times, including the last three by double-digits.
While the Seminoles were without Polite, they did get Barnes back from an ankle injury that kept him out of the North Carolina game on Saturday. He came off the bench Monday to score 10 points and grab six rebounds.
Wyatt Wilkes added 13 points, Malik Osborne scored 12 and RayQuan Evans had 11.
FSU's leading scorer, senior M.J. Walker, only scored two points but delivered 10 assists and grabbed five rebounds.
"What I was most impressed with was two things," Hamilton said. "We maintained our composure. We didn't lose our poise. We regrouped, we came back and we made effective plays. And the second thing I was impressed with was the fact that M.J. Walker was not having a great night offensively but he had 10 assists and two blocks.
"He gave us great leadership on the floor. That's the leadership you like to see."
After playing three games in six days -- victories against N.C. State, North Carolina and Louisville -- the Seminoles won't play again until this Saturday when Clemson comes to Tallahassee.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete postgame coverage.
---------------------------
Discuss the game with fans on Warchant's Seminole Hoops message board.