Florida State mirrors the 2017 Rockets in game 7, still wins against CSU Bakersfield

Florida State (4-1, 0-0 ACC) welcomed Cal State Bakersfield (3-3, 0-0 Big West) to the Tuck for the first time in program history on Tuesday for a pre-Thanksgiving game. We saw everything from an ice-cold start by the Seminoles failing to score a single three in the first half, to a horrid offensive rebounding percentage by FSU. Ultimately, the FSU would pull away in the second half and win, 89-59. Let’s dive in.

First Half

A slow start by FSU that saw all of CSUB’s first eight points come from Ronald Jessamy, someone who hadn’t scored more than 17 points in his career. The defense seemed to come to life after the first media timeout, suffocating multiple players. The Seminoles would go on a 15-2 run over almost four and a half minutes of game time. No threes through 10 minutes, though, as they would go 0/15. I want you to read that again. Florida State went 0/15 on three-pointers in the first half. Images of the 2017 Rockets in game 7 flash through my and Matt’s minds. Even funnier, through the end of the first, CSUB was 0/5 on field goals. No three-pointers went in during the entire first half. Relying entirely on two-pointers and after-foul shots, Florida State would rely on their fast-as-hell defense, which even I was shocked by how quickly they were flying up and down the court.

The turnover game was squarely won by the Seminoles, but CSUB took the offensive rebounding battle, getting 55% of them, which would make FSU the worst team in the country by a mile in that stat. One of the funniest sequences ever seen was both CSUB and FSU struggling to make field goals towards the end of the first quarter, with FSU going 2/10 and CSUB going 2/13. CSUB scored on 32.4% of its possessions, while turning it over on 35.1%. No team could score a three to save their life, and I know Luke had to have been yelling at them at halftime.

It’s a bit of an ugly stat; Florida State would be No. 363 in the country if they continued to give up 45% of their available offensive rebounds, which they did in this half. FSU leads, 35-24.

Get me to the second already, please.

Second Half

And of course, the first bucket of the second half was a Florida State three. Not that I’m complaining. This half was one where I felt like this team didn’t want to be as close in scoring to CSUB as they were, but it felt like they couldn’t do much to pull away from them. Six turnovers by CSUB in the span of five minutes led to a 15-2 run by the Seminoles as they neared 11 minutes remaining. They finally woke up in the three-pointer department, hitting four of their first seven threes.

The team started to pull away throughout the second half, and it didn’t get close afterwards. FSU went on a 23-4 run in seven minutes. It looks good for the NET ratings, after all. Somerville entered the 2nd half with no points, and he put up 14 when all was said and done. Dunks and three-pointers fell repeatedly, and the team started to look like they were playing a competent brand of basketball after all. Luke’s halftime adjustments definitely played a role here.

Player of the Game

Alex Steen felt like the bright spot of the team tonight. He was absolutely everywhere, getting all the rebounds, it felt like. Well earned.

What’s Next?

Florida State travels to Tampa for a match against Texas A&M on November 28th. Fans can catch that game on ESPN2. Then it’s a home game against Georgia, followed by No. 3 Houston at the Houston Hoops Showdown and UMass at the AutoNation Orange Bowl Classic.