Florida State Seminoles Dominate Syracuse Orange in Commanding Quarterfinal Victory
The Florida State Seminoles, with a rank of 0, faced off against the 20th-ranked Syracuse Orange in a decisive game that ended with the Seminoles securing a commanding victory of 78-65. The Seminoles' performance was highlighted by their impressive scoring across all quarters, starting strong with 23 points in the first and peaking at 28 points in the third. The Orange, despite their efforts, fell short with an initial quarter score of 18 and their highest quarter score being 20 points.
The Seminoles showcased a robust defense alongside their offensive might. They tallied three blocks and four steals throughout the game which contributed to their dynamic play. On offense, they were not shy about sharing the ball as evidenced by their ten assists. Their aggressive play did lead to twenty personal fouls but only one player was fouled out without any ejections.
In terms of shooting accuracy, Florida State demonstrated consistency from inside the arc with a two-point field goal percentage of forty-eight percent on fifty attempts. From beyond the arc however, they struggled slightly with only twenty-three percent on twenty-two attempts but still managed to make five three-pointers which added to their overall tally.
Rebounding was another area where Florida State excelled; they outrebounded Syracuse by sixteen rebounds for a total of fifty rebounds including nineteen offensive boards that led to second-chance opportunities resulting in twenty-four second chance points. This dominance on glass also translated into forty-four points scored from within the paint.
Free throws were another key factor for Florida State's success as they capitalized on these opportunities at seventy-nine percent accuracy making fifteen free throws out of nineteen attempts.
On the other side, Syracuse matched up evenly in terms of steals and had one more block than Florida State totaling five blocks but lagged behind in assists providing only six throughout the game compared to ten by FSU. The Orange shot forty-three percent from two-point range and just twenty-seven percent from three-point territory which wasn't enough against FSU's defense.
Syracuse also struggled more at free throw line hitting sixty-three percent compared to FSU's seventy-nine percent efficiency rate which further widened gap between teams' scores.
Looking ahead for fans of Florida State Seminoles is an upcoming encounter against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Greensboro Coliseum scheduled for March 9th at 2:30 PM Eastern Time where it can be watched live on ACC Network.