National Basketball Association
Florida St. 72, Illinois 61
When: 12:30 PM ET, Friday, November 25, 2016
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials:
# Jeffrey Anderson, # Bo Boroski, # Brian O'Connell
Attendance:
N/A
By The Sports Xchange
No. 25 Florida State's hot start to the 2016 season was derailed Thursday in an upset loss to Temple.
On Friday, the Seminoles got right.
Guard Dwayne Bacon scored 17 points in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off and No. 25 Florida State downed Illinois 72-61 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Forward Jonathan Isaac, the crown jewel of the Seminoles' 2016 recruiting class, added 15 points and team-high seven rebounds. Isaac scored in double figures in all six of the Seminoles' games to open the season while Bacon extended his double-figure scoring streak to 15 games.
"I thought we sustained our effort and focused better than we did yesterday. Once we were in that tight game situation, I thought we turned it up a notch defensively," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We had great play from our bench. The guys gave us tremendous energy. They gave Bacon and Isaac the opportunity to take a breather. Everybody who came in the game contributed."
Friday's game was the first time the Seminoles (5-1) and the Fighting Illini (4-3) ever met.
Illinois' third straight loss was by no fault of guard Malcolm Hill, whose hot shooting helped the Fighting Illini overcome a second-half deficit and briefly take a lead with just over 12 minutes to play. Hill finished with a game-high 18 points.
Illinois forward Leron Black posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and guard Te'Jon Lucas added 10 points in the loss.
"We can fix some things on defense; see where we messed up there," Illinois coach John Groce. "We need to handle the ball and face pressure better."
Florida State freshman guard CJ Walker scored a season-high 13 points in the win.
Florida State, which was 9 of 15 from 3-point range -- including 3 of 4 by Isaac and 3 of 5 by Bacon -- rebounded from its NIT Tip-Off loss to Temple on Thanksgiving Day. The Seminoles came in unbeaten on Thursday and led by as many as 18 points before falling 89-86. Their first appearance in the AP Top 25 Poll since 2012 likely will be brief when the new rankings are released Monday.
Friday's game was the first of two consecutive games against teams from the Big Ten for the Seminoles, who will face Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Monday night in Tallahassee. The Seminoles' game against Illinois marked the 18th consecutive season they will play at least one Big Ten team in a single season.
By beating Illinois, Florida State earned a win over a team from the Big Ten for the first time since Nov. 27, 2007, when it defeated Minnesota 75-61 in Tallahassee.
Florida State also beat a team from the state of Illinois for the first time since the Seminoles defeated Northwestern 71-53 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1, 2003.
Illinois' next chance to rebound will be Tuesday when it opens the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against N.C. State.
NOTES: Following Friday's game against Illinois, the Seminoles will play six of their next eight games at home in the Donald L. Tucker Center. ... Illinois was excellent from the free-throw line, shooting 85.7 percent on 18 of 21, but it was dismal from 3-point land, shooting 5 of 22 for just 22.7 percent. ... Florida State sophomore G Dwayne Bacon, who averages a team-leading 16.5 points per game, has already been named to the Naismith, Wooden Award Watch and Julius Irving watch lists. ... Illinois freshman G Te'Jon Lucas had a team-high four assists.
Top Game Performances
Florida St. |
|
Illinois |
Dwayne Bacon 17 |
Scoring |
Malcolm Hill 18 |
Braian Angola-Rodas 2 |
Assists |
Te'Jon Lucas 4 |
Jonathan Isaac 7 |
Rebounds |
Leron Black 11 |
Xavier Rathan-Mayes 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Leron Black 7 |
Trent Forrest 4 |
Steals |
Malcolm Hill 2 |
Christ Koumadje 4 |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Florida St.
|
72 |
48.1 |
9-15 |
11-19 |
12 |
30 |
7 |
5 |
9 |
Illinois
|
61 |
32.8 |
5-22 |
18-21 |
11 |
36 |
0 |
2 |
11 |