Florida State University Athletics
NO. 8 WOMEN’S HOOPS STARTS NEW YEAR AT SYRACUSE
1/1/2020 11:01:14 AM | Women's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – The eighth-ranked Florida State Women’s Basketball team is looking to continue its winning ways from 2019 as it travels to face Syracuse on Thursday at the Carrier Dome at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
FSU’s 86-62 home win vs. Virginia Tech on Sunday established its longest win streak in program history (13 games) as well as the longest undefeated start in program history (13-0).
Thursday’s matchup between the Seminoles (13-0, 2-0) and Orange (6-6, 0-1) pit two of the ACC’s best programs over the last five years. In the previous five seasons (since 2014-15), FSU and Syracuse join Notre Dame and Louisville as the only ACC schools to win 10+ conference games in each year.
The Florida State-Syracuse game was a doozy last year in Tallahassee. The Orange won the battle 94-88 behind an outstanding performance from guard Tiana Mangakahia, who scored 44 points (16-of-20) and dished out eight assists. Current senior guard Nausia Woolfolk did her best to go head-to-head with her, scoring a career-high 29 points for the Seminoles.
Woolfolk has 964 career points, leaving her 36 shy of becoming the 37th Seminole with 1,000 career points. Teammate Nicki Ekhomu became the 36th 1,000-point scorer this season on Nov. 17 vs. Samford.
Center River Baldwin became the first Seminole in 11 years to earn multiple ACC Freshman of the Week honors in a season, winning the award in back-to-back weeks on Dec. 23 and 30. In that three-game stretch, Baldwin has averaged 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, shot 68 percent (17-of-25) and has totaled four blocks. The last FSU freshman to win multiple times in a season was Cierra Bravard in 2008-09.
Florida State owns the nation’s eighth-best RPI, going 4-0 against Top-50 opponents Texas A&M (11th), Virginia Tech (28th), LSU (42nd) and Michigan (49th).
The Seminoles committed a season-low six turnovers last game against Virginia Tech. It was their third single-digit turnover game of the season.
Florida State and Syracuse are tied at 3-3 in the all-time series, but FSU is looking for its first win in the Carrier Dome since winning 83-59 on Feb. 13, 2014. In that game, FSU Alumna Natasha Howard set the program record with 40 points.
Florida State Women’s Basketball is seeking its first 3-0 start to ACC play since the 2008-09 season, which was its first of two consecutive seasons when it won co-ACC regular season titles with back-to-back 12-2 records in conference play.
FSU continues its road swing on Sunday when it battles in-state rival and 23rd-ranked Miami at 2 p.m. on the league’s regional sports networks.