Florida State University Athletics
Thursday, January 11
6PM
Florida State
70
vs
62
University of North Carolina
No. 21 Noles Gut Out 70-62 Win Over 20th-Ranked North Carolina
1/11/2024 9:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – The 21st-ranked Florida State Women's Basketball team gutted out a physical 70-62 win over No. 20 North Carolina on Thursday night, getting its second AP Top 25 win of the season at the Tucker Center.
The leading scorers of the contest featured FSU's Sara Bejedi and UNC's Deja Kelly each scoring 23 points. FSU's Makayla Timpson led all players in rebounds with 14, while Ta'Niya Latson tacked on five assists. Timpson recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 boards.
Bejedi put together her fifth career 20-point game on Thursday, tying her career high set last game with five 3-point field goals made. She added six rebounds and three assists.
"It was another amazing ACC game. I love this time of year," FSU Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "(I love) the opponents we get to face night in and night out – it's really fun to do it at home and battle it out for a great win. Sara Bejedi stepped up and put the team on her back today and did everything we needed to get this win. I'm very proud of her as well."
FSU made 10 three-point shots in the game and forced 11 North Carolina turnovers on defense.
The Noles stayed hot from three-point range, hitting two threes to start the second quarter. FSU continued to take advantage of scoring off turnovers and playing solid defense. Bejedi was the hot hand, scoring 10 points in the quarter. The story of the first half was the difference in three-point shooting - the Seminoles made eight first-half threes shooting 35 percent from deep while the Tar Heels only managed one made three shooting 13 percent.
FSU played great defense in the second quarter, holding North Carolina to a three-minute scoring drought to end the first half. The Noles took a 41-26 halftime lead and were led by Bejedi in scoring with 13 points, and Timpson who led the Noles in rebounds with six.
Coming out of the first half Bejedi got the Noles going with her fourth made three-pointer of the game. The Noles saw themselves up by as many as 21 points in the quarter until a late North Carolina rally cut the lead to 11 points. UNC held the Noles to just four made shots in the quarter. Carolina's Paulina Paris led all scorers in the quarter with eight as Bejedi tacked on seven more, pushing her total to 20.
FSU took a 58-47 lead heading into the final quarter. The Tar Heels capitalized in the final frame, cutting the Seminole lead down to just four points with two minutes left to play. The momentum shifted back to FSU when Timpson made a huge and-one basket, essentially icing the game for the Noles. The Seminoles also got key defensive stops down the stretch, anchored by Timpson in the paint.
The Seminoles were the beneficiary of a 16-for-18 night at the free throw line, and recorded 15 assists to 11 turnovers.
FSU is back home at the Tucker Center again this Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on ACC opponent and 11th-ranked Virginia Tech. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The leading scorers of the contest featured FSU's Sara Bejedi and UNC's Deja Kelly each scoring 23 points. FSU's Makayla Timpson led all players in rebounds with 14, while Ta'Niya Latson tacked on five assists. Timpson recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 boards.
Bejedi put together her fifth career 20-point game on Thursday, tying her career high set last game with five 3-point field goals made. She added six rebounds and three assists.
"It was another amazing ACC game. I love this time of year," FSU Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "(I love) the opponents we get to face night in and night out – it's really fun to do it at home and battle it out for a great win. Sara Bejedi stepped up and put the team on her back today and did everything we needed to get this win. I'm very proud of her as well."
FSU made 10 three-point shots in the game and forced 11 North Carolina turnovers on defense.
FSU scored the first basket of the game giving them an early three-point lead that they never gave back. The Noles scored 10 points on six North Carolina turnovers while also getting the deep ball working early. The Seminoles hit four three-pointers during the first quarter and finished the quarter with a 19-12 lead. O'Mariah Gordon led the Noles in scoring with six points in the opening frame.No. 21 @fsuwbb secures the win over No. 20 North Carolina. #NCAAWBB pic.twitter.com/KF80kjfcDg
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) January 12, 2024
The Noles stayed hot from three-point range, hitting two threes to start the second quarter. FSU continued to take advantage of scoring off turnovers and playing solid defense. Bejedi was the hot hand, scoring 10 points in the quarter. The story of the first half was the difference in three-point shooting - the Seminoles made eight first-half threes shooting 35 percent from deep while the Tar Heels only managed one made three shooting 13 percent.
FSU played great defense in the second quarter, holding North Carolina to a three-minute scoring drought to end the first half. The Noles took a 41-26 halftime lead and were led by Bejedi in scoring with 13 points, and Timpson who led the Noles in rebounds with six.
Coming out of the first half Bejedi got the Noles going with her fourth made three-pointer of the game. The Noles saw themselves up by as many as 21 points in the quarter until a late North Carolina rally cut the lead to 11 points. UNC held the Noles to just four made shots in the quarter. Carolina's Paulina Paris led all scorers in the quarter with eight as Bejedi tacked on seven more, pushing her total to 20.
FSU took a 58-47 lead heading into the final quarter. The Tar Heels capitalized in the final frame, cutting the Seminole lead down to just four points with two minutes left to play. The momentum shifted back to FSU when Timpson made a huge and-one basket, essentially icing the game for the Noles. The Seminoles also got key defensive stops down the stretch, anchored by Timpson in the paint.
The Seminoles were the beneficiary of a 16-for-18 night at the free throw line, and recorded 15 assists to 11 turnovers.
FSU is back home at the Tucker Center again this Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on ACC opponent and 11th-ranked Virginia Tech. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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