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Florida State women's basketball: Seminoles' defense stymies Pittsburgh Panthers in victory

ehsan kassim, tallahassee democrat
·4 min read

The defense for Florida State women’s basketball carried it to a blowout victory over ACC rival Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Seminoles defeated the Panthers 74-37, limiting Pittsburgh to a season-low in points in the victory at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

The previous lowest scoring output against FSU (18-4, 7-2 ACC) was 48 against Stetson. Pittsburgh's (7-12, 0-8) previous low score of the season was 51 against Wake Forest.

The 14 points allowed in the first half were a season-low for FSU (18-4, 7-2 ACC). It has previously limited Georgia Tech to 21 points on Jan. 1.

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Liatu King, Pittsburgh’s leading scorer coming into the game, scored just one point on 0-of-8 shooting and was limited to 19 minutes with foul trouble. Avery Strickland and Datshanette Harris each scored nine for the Panthers.

Following a slow start for their standards, the Seminoles exploded for 30 points in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers by 21.

Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson led the way with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steals, while Sara Bejedi continued her hot streak with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Makayla Timpson totaled six blocks for the Seminoles in the victory.

Here are our takeaways from the FSU's 18th win of the season, superseding last season's 17-14 mark.

More:Florida State women's basketball: Why 5-star recruit Ta'Niya Latson can make early impact

Defensive clinic

The Seminoles entered Sunday fifth in the NCAA with 86.4 points per game. The defense side of the ball was the strength of the team against the Panthers.

The Panthers were limited to 5 for 35 shooting, including just 1 for 9 from 3-point range in the first half. FSU also forced 11 turnovers.

While the Seminoles shot just 29% from the field in the first half, the defense did enough to push the halftime lead to 29-14.

Pittsburgh finished the game shooting 15.8% from the field (12 of 76) and did not break double-digits for a quarter in points through the first three quarters. The Panthers scored 14 points in the final frame.

The 37 points were a season-low for Pittsburgh. The previous low came against Wake Forest in a 66-51 loss on Dec. 29, 2022.

"We really took care of business on the defensive end against a Pitt team that really knows who they are defensively and are going to make things tough for us offensively," FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "And they certainly tried to do that in the first half, but we didn't let that deter our defensive focus and ability to get rebounds.

More:How Florida State women's basketball will look much different under new coach Brooke Wyckoff

Timpson goes for six blocks in back-to-back games

Coming off a six-block performance against Virginia on Thursday, Timpson seemed poised to threaten the school record for blocks in the first half.

She did not record a block in the second half, but for the second straight game, she hit her career mark.

Timpson also added seven points, eight rebounds and two assists in her 26 minutes.

"The gameplan today was to stay in the paint," Timpson said. "They really weren't (shooting) outside threes. So I just had to help the guards and be a rim protector for the team."

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Bejedi continues her hot streak

Bejedi has been on a scoring tear for the Seminoles and it continued on Sunday. She tied Latson with a game-high 19 points.

She hit three 3-pointers, and was 6-for-11 overall from the field and made all five of her free throws.

Bejedi missed her opportunity for 20 points as she fouled out after 23 minutes, but she did post a team-high plus-minus of a plus-34.

"She brings toughness, and we've seen that all season on the defensive end and in the ACC I mean, you have to be tough on the offensive end as well," Wyckoff said. "Sara's ability to be an attacker, to finish in the paint and to to get to the free throw line. She is a great free-throw shooter. And then finally she's knocked down 3-point shots. She's letting the game come to her and just keeping that confidence.

"It really is her toughness, just her ability, her fearlessness, we see so much now on both ends of the court."

Up next:

FSU will play a pair of ranked opponents next week in hopes of helping its bid for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles on Thursday play on the road against No. 7 Notre Dame (8 p.m.) and then return home Sunday for a date against No. 13 Duke (2 p.m.).

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: Seminoles' defense stymies Panthers in victory