Lopsided start to season for Noles, Gators

TALLAHASSEE — No. 17 Florida State (1-0) pushed past a messy first half, demolishing Florida (0-1) during a 81-60 win Tuesday night.

The win gave the Seminoles their first five-game win streak over the Gators during their long-running series.

Neither team had a strong first half. Florida, a highly touted 3-point-shooting team, opened the game with a 3-pointer by freshman Andrew Nembhard. They would close out the half, however, shooting 27 percent from beyond the arc. Florida State ended the first half with a field-goal drought spanning six minutes and shot 38 percent.

Sloppiness became a theme for both teams, with FSU forcing eight turnovers and UF forcing nine.

Despite shooting and ball-control issues, the Seminoles still held a comfortable 31-20 halftime lead.

Florida coach Mike White had lamented his team’s lack of toughness entering this season. FSU’s defense validated his concerns, holding the Gators to 40 points in the second half. UF could not overcome FSU’s physicality.

“It starts with the Seminole defense,” White said after the “shell-shocking” loss. “These guys are tough and long and quick — unbelievably long, of course, with [Christ] Koumadje on the court — and disciplined. It’s no wonder that they had the year they did last year.”

During the second half, Florida’s State’s strong defense began sparking an offensive surge. The ’Noles quickly pushed their lead to 39-24, and the Gators would not close the gap any further. UF shot 37 percent from the field and 26 percent from beyond the arc.

M.J. Walker proved himself as a defensive threat, spending 31 minutes on the court — the most by any player of the night. He racked up two defensive rebounds, one turnover and one block.

“That’s a part of the growth process that youngsters go through,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “It was new for him last year and he had a lot of adjustments he’s had to make. I think you see he’s been coachable. … He just made up his mind he wanted to be a complete player … so I’m very proud of the progress he’s making. I thought his effort and condition level was outstanding.”

PJ Savoy, better known to FSU fan as “3J,” showed Phil Cofer’s absence may not hinder the deep Seminoles lineup. Savoy stepped up after Cofer, FSU’s lead returning scorer, suffered a preseason foot injury.

Savoy scored 20 points, hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line, leading the Seminoles’ second-half surge.

“It makes the defense play us honest,” Savoy said of the team’s focus on shooting beyond the arc. “They can’t just sag off of us because everybody from the point guard to center can shoot.”

Trent Forrest had a nearperfect shooting game, hitting 3 of 4 field goals and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

“Just staying aggressive, listening to my coaches and teammates,” Forrest said of his performance. “They kept encouraging me to be aggressive. To get out in transition and not to worry about my fouls because I had two fouls early, but they said don’t worry about it. Keep playing hard.”