Florida State women's basketball looks to bounce back from consecutive losses against Syracuse

Florida State women's basketball has dropped consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Seminoles are coming off road losses to rival Miami (86-82) on Thursday and Virginia Tech (84-70) on Sunday.

No. 24 FSU (20-7, 9-5 ACC) plays host to Syracuse (16-10, 7-8) at 6 p.m. Thursday, looking to right the ship as the regular season winds down.

"There were a lot of things we learned from this past week and we knew it was going to be tough going on the road," FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said in a Zoom press conference Tuesday.

"What we have to do hasn't changed from the beginning (of the season) and we needed to do it a lot better against Miami and Virginia Tech is be really solid defensively."

"We've got to get back to that it. I'm looking forward to being able to play at home in that environment, but there's a lot smaller margin for error now."

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Struggles defensively

The Seminoles have limited opponents to 66.5 points per game this season, but the last two games saw the Hurricanes (86) and Hokies (82) score the most and third most points against them this season, respectively.

FSU is now 0-4 this season when allowing 80 or more points. Two of their other three losses have come when giving up 77 (Louisville) and 79 (Oklahoma State) points.

Virginia blitzed the Seminoles early, jumping out to a 34-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Seminoles actually outscored the Hokies 59-50 for the rest of the game.

"There's a slim margin for error, if any," Wyckoff said. "The way we start games and finish games is crucial. And that's the lesson that we've had to learn over and over again."

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Free throw woes

FSU has been efficient from the free throw line for much of the season, entering Thursday's contest shooting at a 76% clip and averaging 17.1 free throws made per game.

The Seminoles shot 50% (10 of 20) against the Hurricanes and 53% (9 of 17) against the Hokies in their past two losses.

Wyckoff said the adversities on the court led to the struggles on the free throw line.

"When things aren't going well, it's hard out there," Wyckoff said. "And those two games there was a lot of there was a lot that wasn't going well at certain moments. So the ability to focus and to block all of it out and step up and knock down free throws, it gets harder.

"That's not an excuse. It is uncharacteristic of who we are. We've knocked big ones down on the road before. But again, these are the things that our players are learning as you get down the stretch, as things get more and more tight. These little details matter. They don't just happen, you know, and so I'm confident we'll turn that around."

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Paint in Pink

Thursday will be FSU's annual "Paint it Pink" game. Florida State Athletics and Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare will join forces for the eighth time to benefit patients of the TMH Walker Breast Program.

Proceeds from selected "Paint it Pink", including events at basketball, soccer, volleyball and softball will benefit Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s Walker Breast Program.

"I'm really proud that you know, women's basketball is such a great partner in the fight against breast cancer and, specifically Kay Yow and early detection," Wyckoff said.

"These games are great for to celebrate those that have fought so hard against it and to bring more awareness and support to the cause, but also to provide just perspective.

"There are so many things that are more important than basketball and, just giving the perspective that we get to do this we get to we get the privilege of, of playing this game of playing in a great conference, of playing women's basketball.

FSU vs. Syracuse game information

Who: No. 24 Florida State (20-7, 9-5 ACC) vs. Syracuse (16-10, 7-8)

When/Where: Thursday, 6 p.m.; Donald L. Tucker Center

TV/Radio: ACC Network/96.5 FM/FSU Gameday App

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. 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 looks to bounce back against Syracuse Orange