RECAP: FSU Basketball Falls To .500 With Road Loss To Pittsburgh
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You could tell where this game was going very quickly. Jamir Watkins picked up two fouls just over a minute into the first half following a very questionable double-technical foul. Most of you know Coach Hamilton's policy of playing someone with two fouls- he doesn't. Watkins would come back in for a few minutes between the under-8 and under-4 media timeouts in the first half but didn't make an impact as he didn't want to pick up his 3rd foul.
Florida State just couldn't find any offense early. Before a made shot by Primo Spears with a few seconds to go, Cam Corhen and Darin Green Jr. were the only Seminoles to make a field goal in the first half. Still, those two at least did enough to keep it somewhat close as Pitt entered halftime with a 42-31 lead.
The second half became the Blake Hinson show from deep. Florida State rolled out a matchup 1-3-1 zone after Pitt's lead ballooned to 18 early in the second half and it started to work. The 'Noles went on a 14-3 run to get the lead back down to 7 with a little under 13 minutes remaining. FSU was using their length to get in passing lanes and cover more space than a normal team would. The best way to beat a zone is shooting over it which is exactly what Pitt did.
Blake Hinson then decided to not be human, hitting four straight 3s between the 12-minute and 6-minute mark. Some of them were from well behind the line and another was a contested step-back. He couldn't miss. Florida State consistently went to Cam Corhen, who finished with a career-high 25 points tonight, which helped keep them in the game. But Pitt's ability to space the floor, drive, and make those 3s kept FSU at arm's length.
That shooting ability forced FSU to go back to man-to-man, but I did like the wrinkle they threw in. Would've loved to see it against a team that doesn't shoot a ton of threes, but it's nice to know it's at least in the back pocket. Pitt down the stretch started switching onto Darin Green Jr., leading to easy baskets, and would go on to win 88-73.
I mentioned in the preview that Florida State had to contend in the 3-point battle. They did not. Pitt was 11/26 from 3 while FSU was 5/17. Florida State was able to overcome that by going 24/31 from the free throw line to Pitt's 11/18, but Pitt still made 11 more total shots.
It's a shame a great performance from Cam Corhen will go unnoticed in this loss. As mentioned above, a career-high 25 points while shooting 8/12 from the floor and 9/10 from the free throw line. Pitt's thinner centers just couldn't keep up with the brute force of Corhen, who bullied his way to an efficient night.
Despite playing just a few minutes in the first half, Jamir Watkins still worked his way to 15 points, all in the second half. I know there will be some people say "Why did Hamilton not play him in the first half if he's going to end with two fouls?" Well, Hamilton did play him and he didn't contribute anything in those few minutes because he was afraid to foul anyone.
Darin Green Jr. had a solid performance with 16 points including 4/8 from 3. It's the best he had played in a while.
Between Corhen, Watkins, and Green Jr., they combined for 56 points while shooting 18/33 from the floor. Everyone else on the team had just 17 points while shooting 4/19 from the floor (9/13 from the free throw line). FSU isn't one of those teams that can win on the backs of a few players, everyone has to contribute and they just didn't get enough from everyone else.
Blake Hinson finished with 27 points, shooting 6/11 from 3. Jaland Lowe continued his strong play with 17 points and 10 assists. Carlton Carrington added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while Ishmael Leggett contributed another 10 points.
Florida State's last regular season game will be Saturday against Miami as Matthew Cleveland comes back to the Tucker Center. The Hurricanes are currently on a 7-game losing streak as of Tuesday night.
READ MORE: FSU Football Officially Announces Date, Ticket Info For 2024 Spring Showcase
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