Watkins, Spears Lead Florida State Over NC State, 90-83

TALLAHASSEE – Jamir Watkins scored 19 points and Primo Spears added 14 points and six assists to lead Florida State to a 90-83 victory over NC State at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The victory was the Seminoles' sixth straight at home against the Wolfpack.

Neither team was able to take control early as the game saw two ties and four lead changes in the first 10:31 of the game. The Seminoles took the lead for good on a jump shot by Darin Green Jr. that give the Seminoles a 24-22 lead with 8:25 left to play before the intermission. The Seminoles stretched their lead to 34-24 on another field goal by Green Jr. and led by eight at 41-33 at the halftime break.

The Wolfpack led only twice during the game. They took their first lead of the game, 4-3, on a fast break layup by DJ Horne at the 17:32 mark and took a 13-12 lead on a hook shot by Ben Middlebrooks at the 13:05 mark. While the Wolfpack tied the game twice more during the first half, they did not lead during the remainder of the game.

Florida State shot nearly 60 percent from the field and nearly 36 percent from the 3-point. The Seminoles' mark of .597 from the field is their highest in an ACC game this season. Florida State also totaled 16 assists, seven steals and five blocked shots.

Watkins led the Seminoles in scoring as he scored in double-figures for the 14^th consecutive game. He was Florida State's leading scorer as he shot a solid eight of 11 from the field, made one very important 3-point shot and added two free throws. Watkins was an all-around star against the Wolfpack with an additional three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 34 minutes played.

"He's a jack of all trades," NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts said of Watkins. He's a rebounding guy and rises-up and makes the three every now and then. He's really good in transition and gets an offensive rebound and he knows how to score around the basket."

Spears also had himself a night as he totaled 14 points and added a season-high six assists on the night he was presented with a special basketball for scoring his 1,000^th carer-point earlier this season.

Sophomore Cam Corhen scored 11 points for the Seminoles on five of nine shooting from the field. He is now shooting .638 percent from the field for the season.

The first half consisted of high-flying plays with Green Jr. making a pair of 3-point shots, a powerful dunk by Jaylan Gainey, and a solid 3-point shot from De'Ante Green.

"I thought that we moved the ball and executed very well," said Seminole Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. "Everybody was involved in the first half and we had some guys that made some plays."

Baba Miller led the team in rebounds with seven, six coming on the defensive end of the court.

The Seminoles had their largest lead in the second half by 12 points when up 82-70.

NC State was led by junior Jayden Taylor with 24 points, and graduate Casey Morsell was close to a double-double game right behind Taylor with 19 points and 9 assists.

The Seminoles hit the road this Saturday March, 2 to Atlanta, Georgia facing Georgia Tech for the second time this season at 12:00 p.m. in the McCamish Pavilion.

Watkins, Spears Lead Florida State Over NC State, 90-83

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Team Stats

Jamir Watkins

Primo Spears

Cam Corhen

Chandler Jackson

Players Mentioned

Cam Corhen

Jaylan Gainey

De’Ante Green

Darin Green Jr.

Baba Miller

Primo Spears

Jamir Watkins

Florida State University Athletics