Basketball Opens ACC Play with 74-61 Victory

Florida State 74, Georgia Tech 61 / Florida State Statistics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Freshman Scottie Barnes scored a team-high 16 points to lead five Seminoles in double figure scoring and Florida State won their ACC opener with a 74-61 win over Georgia Tech at the Donald L. Tucker Center.  Senior M.J. Walker totaled 14 and Wyatt Wilkes 11 while Balsa Koprivica and Anthony Polite scored 10 each to lead Florida State to its fourth consecutive victory to open the season.

The Seminoles improved to 4-0 and 1-0 in the ACC while Georgia Tech fell to 2-2 and 0-1 in ACC play.

Barnes continued to shine on the court and he added six rebounds, two steals and one assist to this 16-point scoring total.  Barnes was four for six from the free throw line in his first career ACC game.

It was Barnes who gave the Seminoles some breathing room with a dunk at the 9:15 mark of the second half after the Yellow Jackets had closed the score to 51-50 on the heels of a 15-0 scoring run that nearly gave them their first lead since early in the first half.  Following Barnes’ dunk, the Seminoles outscored Georgia Tech 21-11 to take the victory.

In the Seminoles’ first ACC matchup of the season, they continue to extend some impressive home winning streaks. They are now 69-3 in the last 72 home games since the end of the 2015-16 season. Florida State has now won 27 consecutive games at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee and 18 consecutive ACC home games.

Wilkes led the Seminoles to a 36-29 lead at halftime as he totaled 11 points in the first half.  The redshirt junior was a perfect three of three from the 3-point line as he led Florida State in the first half scoring column.

Polite also had a powerful first half, making two 3-point shots and scoring six points.  He totaled four second half points as Florida State pulled away for the victory.

Guard Michael Devoe led the Yellow Jackets in points with 21.  Jordan Usher and Moses Wright added 12 points each.

In his 100^th career game, senior M.J. Walker continued to reach perfection from the free throw line.  He made four of four from the line and totaled 14 points for the Seminoles. Walker has made 27 of 28 from the free throw line to begin the 2020-21 season. The senior also ended the game with four rebounds and one steal.

Sophomore Balsa Koprivica continued to play well as he scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.  He has scored in double figures in three of Florida State’s first four games of the season.

Redshirt junior RaiQuan Gray totaled four points and added six rebounds the Seminoles’ first ACC victory of the season.

The No. 15 Seminoles play host to UCF on Saturday, December 19 at 9:00 p.m. The game will be aired on the ACC Network.