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Seminoles Hang On For Ugly Victory

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By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - When Florida State puts together a season highlight DVD at the end of the season, the Seminoles might want to leave out Tuesday's 64-55 victory against Clemson.

"We were able to hang on," senior guard Jason Rich said. "That's all we did; we just hung on. It seemed like they just kept adding a minute up there on the clock. It was not moving."

How did the Noles cap Tuesday's victory, snapping a three-game home losing streak? By missing breakaway layups on their final two possessions.

FSU (15-12, 4-8 ACC) committed 21 turnovers, recorded five assists, and got just two points from its bench. Still, the Noles did enough to extract some revenge against a Clemson team that hit two buzzer-beaters on its way to a double-overtime victory the first time the teams met this season.

FSU started much better than it finished, shooting 61.9 percent in the first half to take an 18-point lead (35-17) into the break. In the second half, Clemson used a full-court trap to turn FSU's offense into a Keystone Cops routine, and the Noles were held to seven field goals.

Fortunately for FSU, when Clemson (19-7, 7-5) got closest with less than five minutes remaining - cutting FSU's lead to 45-39 and 47-43 - Rich answered both times with scoring drives to the basket.

"They came back at us and made us work and earn the victory there toward the end," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Jason is probably our best creator off the dribble. He was very, very determined."

Rich had help from Toney Douglas, who scored a game-high 23 points. With four regular-season games remaining and their bid the make the NCAA Tournament on life support, Hamilton wasn't complaining about the victory.

Not with the way the season has gone and the way FSU played in its last home game, a 78-70 loss to Wake Forest that was nowhere near as close as the final score.

"The story of this game from my perspective was our players came determined to bounce back and played with a tremendous effort," Hamilton said. "I'm not real sure the game was a thing of beauty."

INSIDE THE GAME

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Senior G Jason Rich scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.

TURNING POINT: Rich's back-to-back layups late in the second half to hold off a Clemson surge.

KEY STAT: Clemson hit only three of 27 (11.1 percent) from 3-point range.

UP NEXT: FSU hosts Boston College on Saturday at noon.

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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