Clutch free throws lead FSU past Louisville

It was the hardest stretch by an ACC team in the last 25 years, and Florida State came out of it as the No. 1 team in the ACC.

No. 12 Florida State finished its stretch of six straight ranked teams with a 73-68 victory over No. 11 Louisville on Saturday afternoon. The Seminoles were 5-1 in that stretch.

It was free throws that kept the game as close as it was, but, in the end, it was free throws by the Seminoles two best players, Jonathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon, that secured the victory for them.

"They were big," FSU guard Terance Mann said.

"Nothing more you can say. They were big free throws. We practice that type of stuff so they were ready for the moment.

The Seminoles blew the doors off the Tucker Center in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,675 with a 14-0 run to start the game. The crowd was in it from the beginning, and the players seemed to feed off the energy.

FSU led 16-4 at the first media timeout of the game, and came out with a full line change to the lineup.

"We always try to come out and start the game off really well so our bench can come in and play off what we do," Mann said.

"Sometimes if we're starting slow they'll come in and pick it up. We kind of felt like we needed to push it and start it off."

The change didn't go as well as planned.

UL was able to make a run with the Seminoles second unit on the court, and cut the lead to 23-21 with 10:02 left in the first half. FSU put the starters back in, and was able to extend the lead back to eight at the final media timeout of the half.

"They did a very good job of creating the indecision on our part," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said.

"They play what looks like a man-to-man but then it looks like a zone. A lot of times, in the last 10 to 15 seconds of the shot clock, they would go to man-to-man. So it created some indecision. We had some open looks. They just didn't go down.

Freshman Jonathan Isaac continued his hot streak in the first half by doing a little bit of everything. He had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in the half. Terance Mann, after having no points or rebounds against Notre Dame, had 9 points and 2 rebounds in the half.

The Seminoles took a 41-35 lead into halftime despite not making a field goal in the final 5:41 of the half. They went just made just six of their 27 shots after the 14-0 run to start the game.

FSU was able to extend the lead to nine early in the second half, with the starters doing most of the work. Isaac, Mann, Dwayne Bacon, and Michael Ojo all reached double figures early in the second half, and combined for 46 of the Seminoles first 54 points.

Only Christ Koumadje had more than two points among the other 12 eight players that saw playing time.

The Cardinals were able to make a run to cut the FSU lead to 54-53 with 11:00 left in the game, but FSU was able to push it back to a six point lead at the 9:30 mark following three Isaac free throws.

The game stayed tight from that point on.

Louisville kept fighting, and was able to cut the FSU lead to one again, but a great hustle play by Isaac and an acrobatic finish at the rim by C.J. Walker pushed the Seminoles lead back to three. Xavier Rathan-Mayes knocked down a three to push the FSU lead back to six once again with 6:29 left.

Louisville was able to close the gap to one once again with less than two minutes remaining, but two more Isaac free throws extended it back to three. Louisville had a chance to close the gap once again, but a big rebound by Isaac, his tenth of the game, allowed Bacon to get to the line for two more free throws.

Bacon knocked both down - he finished with 16 points - to put the game away for the Seminoles.

"I think it speaks on our resiliency," Isaac said.

"Time and time again we just shoot ourselves in the foot at the free throw line. We just have so much fight that we just pull through and make plays. X(avier Rathan-Mayes) hit a big three. Bacon hit those two free throws. We just kept fighting until the end.

FSU improved to 18-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC.

Player of the Game

Isaac was FSU's best player for the third straight game.

He finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in the game. His clutch free throws down the stretch sealed the game for the Seminoles.

"Jonathan has the innate ability to play the game the right way," Hamilton said.

"He only took seven shots today. You would think a guy of his caliber would be more aggressive hunting shots, but with his ability to make shots, he never forces a shot...

"He's a special kind of guy, but he's confident now. When the game is on the line he's such a great teammate. He wants to step up and make plays. He's a very calm guy."

Isaac is the first player since Corey Louis during the 1994-1995 season to have three straight games with a double-double.

Stats of the Game

11 - It was all starters for FSU with just 11 of its 73 points coming off the bench in the game. That is the lowest of the season for the Seminoles.

18 - The Seminoles have 18 wins in their first 20 games of the season. They had 19 in the regular season last year.

40 - FSU allowed 40 points in the paint in the game. They scored just thirty, which is well below their season average.

Up Next

FSU will travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech on Wednesday, January 25th at 7 p.m.