FSU-Virginia: Seminoles Chop Cavaliers in Nail-Biter

Even Sean Singletary had to smile as his meaningless 3-pointer fell through at the buzzer, as if to say, "Now I make one."

The bucket wasn't enough, as FSU prevailed 69-67 in Tallahassee. 

Virginia (11-6, 1-3) blew a 10-point first-half lead to trail 31-28 at halftime and once again built up a 10-point lead in the second-half. Again, the Seminoles (13-7, 2-3) fought back in front of a rowdy home crowd and erased the deficit.

Singletary, the Cavaliers' leading scorer at just under 19 points per game entering the contest, struggled to get his shots all night and finished with just 11 points, making only four of eleven shots and giving up five turnovers.

For most of the night, Singletary was picked up by junior Mamadi Diane (21 points on 6-12 FG, 5 3-PT) and senior Adrian Joseph (17 points).

The 'Noles were led by a trio of veteran guards. Senior Jason Rich scored 17 points despite being plagued with foul trouble for much of the night.

Senior Isaiah Swann didn't have one of his best shooting nights, but still chipped in with 16 points. However, the team was led by junior Toney Douglas, who scored 19 points and added 6 rebounds and 6 steals.

None of Douglas' 6 steals were bigger than his swipe in the final minute with the Seminoles clinging to a 63-62 lead. Douglas broke away from the pack and was hit hard for an intentional foul. The 'Noles would close out the game with Douglas and Swann knocking down free throws.

My Take

First, there was a great atmosphere at the Donad L. Tucker Center tonight. The final attendance number was less than impressive with 7,314 in attendance, but the fans who were there made their presence known. Singletary just couldn't get his game going and that was the difference in the game. 

Isaiah Swann scored 7 points in 34 seconds, including a 4-point play to help dig the 'Noles out of their initial 10-point hole.

Douglas played a great game for an FSU team that desperately needed a victory, having lost their previous three games. He ran the offense well in the second half and shot the ball well all night (7-11 FG) after shooting just five of seventeen Sunday at Wake Forest. 

Game Highlight

The highlight of the night for me (well, besides getting to catch one of those free shirts thrown by the cheerleaders during a timeout) had to be the steal by Douglas with the game on the line.

He had guts to go for the strip in that situation with the team in the bonus. His fearlessness, combined with his execution, equals one clutch play. That play was all ball, no arm on the swipe, and he had the quickness to go around and get in front of the play to start the fast break and seal the victory.

Great play by Douglas, great win for Leonard Hamilton's team. The victory marked the 300th of Hamilton's college coaching career, and 100th as coach of the 'Noles.