UCF falls to Florida State, 80-68
Florida State 80, UCF 68: Postgame press conference with UCF coach Donnie Jones, UCF players Kasey Wilson and Eugene McCrory and Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton.
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Recap from the Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Guard Ian Miller scored 18 points and Devon Bookert added 17 as Florida State outlasted UCF for an 80-68 win Wednesday night.
After five straight points out of halftime by the Knights to close the gap to 40-38, Okaro White and the Seminoles (2-0) took control. The 6-foot-9 forward, who sat all but six minutes in the first half, juggled a pass, collected himself and fired a 3-pointer to ignite a 13-3 run in which he accounted for seven.
By the time Florida State's Montay Brandon breezed through the UCF defense for back-to-back layups with 10 minutes remaining, the Seminoles had accumulated a 62-45 advantage.
Kasey Wilson knocked down a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining for UCF to shave the Seminoles' lead to 75-66, but Ian Miller ran half a minute off the clock and buried a jumper from the top of the key to silence the crowd and any further UCF hopes.
White finished with 13 points for Florida State, with 11 coming in the second half. Florida State shot a rock-solid 49 percent on field goals to the Knights' 39 percent.
Guard Calvin Newell and Wilson led the Knights (1-1) with 15 points each, with Wilson hitting four second-half 3-pointers.
The Seminoles, who were making their first trip to UCF, have beaten the Knights in all 10 of the intrastate rivals' meetings.