Seminoles Fall To Gators

TALLAHASSEE – Florida's Sam Alexis banked home a 3-point basket as the shot clock expired with 1:35 remaining in the second half to push the No 20 Gators' late -game lead to 82-73 as they defeated the Seminoles by an 87-74 margin at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The visiting Gators closed the game on a 10-1 in the final 2:21 of the game after a Florida State flurry closed the game to a four-point deficit.

All-American candidate Jamir Watkins led the Seminoles with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles who lost for the first time in four games. It was Watkins who made a driving layup to close the Seminoles' deficit to six points at 77-71 with 2:41 left in the game.

Freshman Daquan Davis scored on a fast break lay-up at the 2:23 mark to draw the Seminoles within four at 77-73.

The Gators then scored the next 10 points to gain the road victory.

Davis played his best game as a Seminole as he scored in double figures for the first time in his career with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.

"I don't have any problems instilling aggressiveness into Daquan; that's his nature," said Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton. "He was ready for the Florida game."

Watkins (19 points) and Davis (10) led four Seminoles in double figures with senior Justin Thomas scoring 11 and junior Malique Ewin adding 10.

Ewin's 10 points came as he continued to adjust to Florida State's system according to Hamilton.

"It's more challenging for Malique because he came from a system where he initiated the offense, and that's not how we play," said Hamilton. "He has good skills. It's a big leap from junior college to this level. I love his attitude, and he's eager to be on the court. He's getting constant encouragement from his teammates."

Thomas, also a first-year player for the Seminoles, was on fire from beyond the arc, sinking three 3-point shots and finishing with 11 points. He finished as the Seminoles' second-leading scorer. He was perfect from the 3-point line making all three of his long range shots.

Watkins and Taylor Bol Bowen led the team in rebounds, each grabbing seven boards.

"We are making progress," said Hamilton. "I thought we had better focus in the second half. We need to get more consistent stops, but I believe we can learn from this game. We're better prepared and more mature. We need to enhance the things we did well and work on the areas we need to improve."

Florida State totaled 12 assists with four players earning two each (Watkins, Davis, Chandler Jackson, and Bostyn Holt). The Seminoles handled the basketball well and were forced into a season-low eight turnovers.

Bol Bowen totaled three of Florida State's 10 steals. Bol Bowen, Ewin, and Jackson earned multiple steals. The Seminoles entered the game tied for the ACC lead in steals and totaled 10 or more steals for the third time in four games this season.

For the Gators, Walter Clayton Jr. was the leading scorer with 25 points. Alijah Martin scored 17 and Alex Condon led the Florida in rebounds with 12.

Season tickets for Florida State's home games are now on sale for as low as $150. Seminole fans interested in purchasing tickets for all regular season home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center can learn more here, or are encouraged to call the Florida State Ticket Office at 1-888-FSU-NOLE. Non-conference single game tickets are now available for purchase. ACC single game tickets will go on sale to Seminole Booster members on December 2nd.

Next Event

Team Stats

Jamir Watkins

Justin Thomas

Daquan Davis

Malique Ewin

Players Mentioned

Taylor Bol Bowen

Daquan Davis

Malique Ewin

Bostyn Holt

Chandler Jackson

Justin Thomas

Jamir Watkins

Florida State University Athletics