What rust? FSU dominates NC State in return to the hardwood

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (247Sports) - Florida State had not taken the court for a game since December 29 due to COVID-related issues that postponed a trio of games over the first two weeks of January. When the Seminoles returned to action on Wednesday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla., hosting NC State, there was no rust to be seen. FSU dominated out of the gate and defeated the Wolfpack while scoring a season-high in points, 105-73.

“I thought that we showed that we were hungry to get out and play,” head coach Leonard Hamilton said after the game.

The Seminoles (6-2, 2-1 ACC) were led by RayQuan Evans, who scored a career-high 24 points, going 9-for-11 from the field, 2-for-2 from deep and 4-for-4 at the line. He also grabbed a team-leading six rebounds - another career-high for him. M.J. Walker contributed 19 points, going 6-for-7 from the field, 3-for-4 from deep and 4-for-4 at the line, and tied two others with a team-leading four assists. Nate Jack also contributed 18 points, a new career-high for him. Jack was 7-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from deep. FSU got 44 points from their bench and had 11 different players score on the evening.

FSU (6-2, 2-1 ACC) led by as many as 27 points in the opening half and had a 25-point lead, 57-32, at the half. The Seminoles were red-hot from the field, going 20-for-28 (71.4%), including 7-for-10 (70.0%) from the perimeter. They also went 10-for-10 (100%) at the line over the first 20 minutes.

They didn’t cool off in the second half either, pushing their lead to as many as 36 points.

Leonard Hamilton’s club was 41-for-58 (70.7%) from the floor, 12-for-18 (66.7%) from deep and a perfect 11-for-11 (100%) at the line on the evening. According to Ken Pomery of KenPom.com, it was a new record for offensive efficiency by the Seminoles.

Meanwhile, the Pack (6-4, 2-3 ACC) was led by 16 points from Thomas Allen, but couldn’t keep up from the floor as a team. They went 28-for-63 (44.4%) on the evening, including 11-for-26 (42.3%) from deep. They were 6-for-8 (75.0%) at the line.

FSU finished with a 32-19 rebounding advantage, leading to 10 second-chance points. They had 52 points in the paint. The Seminoles had 24 assists to just 11 turnovers. They also recorded seven blocks and six steals. The Pack committed 11 turnovers, that FSU turned into 16 points.

Copyright 2021 247Sports. All rights reserved.