Florida State women's basketball can't complete comeback in loss to No. 9 UConn
Despite out-scoring No. 9 UConn 42-32 in the second half, Florida State Women’s Basketball came up just short in an 85-77 loss to the Huskies at the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday.
The Seminoles (11-2) showed resilience in battling back from a 23-point deficit to take control of the rest of the game, although it wasn’t enough at the end. Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson led FSU with 24 points in just under 27 minutes, fouling out midway through the fourth quarter of a game that became tight.
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Redshirt senior forward Erin Howard added 18 points and buried four 3-point field goals, highlighting a Seminole unit that refused to go away. Sophomore Mariana Valenzuela stepped up with 11 points off the bench while sophomore Makayla Timpson added 11 points but fouled out late in the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Howard hit a 3-pointer that cut FSU’s deficit to 76-71 with 5:08 remaining. She then hit another one from downtown to leave FSU trailing by just four at 80-76 with 3:19 left in the game.
The Huskies (8-2) were able to execute down the stretch and get stops defensively, thwarting FSU’s promising comeback. After allowing 53 first-half points, the Seminoles buckled down in the second half and surrendered just 32 to UConn’s high-scoring squad.
Latson continued to get to the free throw line, proving why she has the most made free throws in the country. The Miami, Fla., native was a focal point of UConn and continued to attack, going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. She now has 12 20-point performances in her first 13 games played.
FSU capitalized on points off turnovers all game, out-scoring UConn 21-11 in the category. The Seminoles generated 14 fast-break points while limiting the Huskies to eight. FSU’s high-ranked shot-blocking department added seven more blocks on Sunday.
UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards led all scorers with 26 points, while Lou Lopez Senechal added 23.
UConn jumped out to a 26-11 first-quarter lead, using a 10-0 start before Latson’s block and fast-break basket gave FSU its first field goal of the game. A 3-pointer by Sara Bejedi cut FSU’s early deficit to 19-9 with 1:31 left in the first, but UConn respond with a quick 7-0 run. Timpson ended the first on a positive note when she banked in a mid-range jumper right before the buzzer.
Latson led the Seminoles with 11 points at the break, hanging with UConn in the second quarter in what was a high-scoring 27-24 frame. Valenzuela had some effective minutes off the bench as well, carrying eight points at halftime, but the Seminoles trailed by 18 going into the locker room.
FSU had a tremendous third quarter, out-scoring UConn 27-18 which included a key 9-0 run. Latson got up to 22 points score in the third frame, although the Seminoles were hurt by eight fouls called against them that put them in foul trouble heading into the fourth.
FSU ended the game with 27 personal fouls, while UConn committed 19.
Florida State begins ACC play this Wednesday when it hosts rival Miami at Noon at the Tucker Center.
Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU women's basketball can't complete comeback in loss to No. 9 UConn
