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Noles Get Big Win

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By COREY CLARK

The Tallahassee Democrat

Published: January 14, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. - The RBC Center crowd was rocking. North Carolina State couldn't miss. And the game seemed to be slipping away from the Florida State Seminoles.

But Leonard Hamilton's team didn't give in Tuesday night. Instead, it took over.

FSU, which played five freshmen and two sophomores against the Wolfpack, went on a 19-2 run to close the game and pick up a crucial 78-65 victory. The Seminoles improved to 14-3, and 1-1 in the ACC.

"Any time you win on the road it's big-time," said senior guard Toney Douglas, who led FSU with 21 points.

"This is a big one for us," said fellow senior Uche Echefu, who scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds in his first start of the season.

The Seminoles, who shot 52.7 percent from the floor, had to withstand a ridiculous shooting barrage from N.C. State, which hit 15 of 18 shots during a stretch from the end of the first half to the early part of the second.

But after Julius Mays' pull-up jumper put them ahead 63-59 with 6:13 remaining, the Wolfpack (9-5, 0-2) hit one of their last 11 the rest of the way.

"We didn't have anything inside," N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said. "Their shot blockers were always there."

A Jordan DeMercy follow cut the N.C. State lead to two, and Solomon Alabi hit two turnarounds as the Seminoles took a 65-63 lead with 3:54 left.

Alabi, 7-foot-1 freshman, finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

"Solomon Alabi had a big game," Hamilton said. "Tonight, we had some sets designed specifically to get the ball inside, and Alabi was able to get the ball down low and convert."

After Alabi's two big buckets, freshman Deividas Dulkys scored on consecutive layups to give FSU a 69-63 lead with two minutes left.

The Seminoles knocked down nine of 10 free throws down the stretch.

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