Florida State’s non-conference schedule ended in disappointment Friday night as Mississippi State held off the Seminoles 62-55 in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.
Florida State trailed by as many as six in the second half, but used to a 6-0 run to draw even at 49 with just over five minutes to play. With Mississippi State leading 54-53 with just over a minute left, Florida State looked to be on the verge of its first lead since the 12-minute mark, but 7’3″ center Boris Bojanovsky missed two shots from in close.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to three on a driving shot by Craig Sword with 54 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Florida State forward Jarquez Smith was called for an offensive foul, damaging the Seminoles’ comeback hopes. Mississippi State put the game away with six straight makes from the free throw line.
Florida State’s Devon Bookert led all scorers with 16 points, including four makes from beyond the arc. Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 12 points, but led FSU with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Seminoles (8-6) left a lot of points on the floor, going 11-for-19 from the charity stripe while committing 19 turnovers. Florida State was 6-for-14 from downtown.
Mississippi State shot just 2-for-14 from three, but went 12-for-13 from the foul line.
I.J. Ready paced the Bulldogs (7-6) with 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field and 3 steals while backcourt mate Travis Daniels chipped in 12 points on 5-for-9 from the floor. Gavin Ware returned after missing two games with an ankle injury to score 10 points and grab a game-high 8 rebounds.
Florida State will play its first ACC home game on Tuesday against Virginia Tech while Mississippi State opens SEC play by hosting Tennessee on Wednesday.
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