It was a strong showing Tuesday night as the Florida State Seminoles defeated the Boston College Eagles 80-72 to improve to 13-13 on the season. This win came through the effort of a comeback that took just about the entirety of the game. The Seminoles showed serious resolve in this one, as they refused to be shaken by the Eagles, and managed to fight their way to a victory after being down 14 points.
Boston College started off the night hot, building a 21-8 lead versus the Seminoles, all before 10 minutes had even passed in the game. This created a comfortable lead for the entire game and allowed the team to begin to focus much more on controlling the tempo of the game as opposed to forcing scoring opportunities.
This strong lead was largely due to the huge discrepancy between the two teams’ three-point shooting. After the first half of the game, Boston College managed to shoot 8-of-12 from deep while the Seminoles had serious issues, going just 3-of-17.
Florida State, despite the deficit, refused to lose without putting up a fight, and started to up the tempo. Closing off passing lanes, playing physical on both offense and defense, and attacking the rim were all very successful. This faster pace allowed the Seminoles to force mistakes, get to the line, and capitalize on turnovers, which kept the game within reach.
After trailing for over 30 minutes in this game, this level of effort and physicality finally paid off. With 2:30 remaining in the game, senior guard Lajae Jones hauled in his ninth rebound of the night, drove to the rim, and stole the lead back for the Seminoles for the first time since the 16-minute mark in the first half. The arena erupted, and the team certainly felt and fed off of this level of energy. With a big three from junior forward Chauncey Wiggins, and then a dagger from Robert McCray V, the Seminoles finally managed to secure themselves this big comeback.
Leading Boston College in points was sophomore guard Fred Payne, who earned his 22 points while shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range. The second major contributor for the Eagles was another sophomore guard in Luka Toews. Toews was a commanding force on offense for the Eagles as he scored 14 points with eight assists. The rest of the team followed suit, as the Eagles finished the night shooting 46% from the floor and 45% from three.
In order to recover, the Seminoles needed someone to step up and lead the team. Tuesday night it was senior guard Robert McCray V. McCray provided the Seminoles with 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He was also Florida State’s most effective shooter from three, managing to make three out of four of his attempts. Senior forward Alex Steen was also able to provide some much needed energy for the Seminoles. In addition to his 13 points, he also earned eight rebounds. Steen found serious success by driving to the rim and finding his way to the free throw line, creating foul trouble for the Eagles.
As we are approaching the end of the season, it is important to acknowledge the effect that Luke Loucks has had on Florida State and its fans. It can be difficult to decide what would be considered a successful season for a first-year coach, but he has certainly captured the attention of Seminole fans. This increased attention certainly played a role as the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center was loud as the Noles attempted to chase the Eagles’ lead. Boston College started to struggle in this loud environment, which is most apparent in the team’s issues from the free throw line. As a team, the Eagles only made 3-of-13 free throws.
Loucks was asked postgame about his message to the team when they were down early in the game. “Five to six weeks ago, we would have lost this game, possibly by double digits,” he said.
He then took this as an opportunity to credit the growth that his team has had: “Every time I was walking into the huddle, they were already saying the message that I was about to give them.”
Loucks refused to accept any credit for the comeback, and gave it all to the players. “I refuse to give our coach credit for the performance of our players,” he said. “I think the best wins are the wins that you can learn from, and from a win like this we learned a lot.
Throughout the season, Coach Loucks has given FSU fans reason after reason to believe in his vision for the team, and managed to drum up hype for the team however he can. If the team manages an appearance into the ACC tournament, it would be hard to call this season anything less than a success for the first-year coach, and Seminole fans will likely be looking towards next season with optimism with him leading the charge.
Coach Loucks isn’t satisfied with the 13-13 record, though. “I am not satisfied with where we are at, but I am satisfied with the intention to show up every day and get better,” he said. “We want to build a team of real competitors… no matter how life is kicking you, you show up and fight.”
FSU will next be in action on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Clemson. Tip-off is set for noon.