Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State women's basketball set records in win over Syracuse
Florida State women’s basketball team bounced back from its first mini-losing streak of the season with a big victory over Syracuse on Thursday, while also breaking a record.
The Seminoles defeated the Orange 78-65 in an ACC game at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
A block by Valencia Myers with 7:59 left in the second quarter set the FSU (21-7, 10-5 ACC) record for most blocks in a season. The previous record was held by the 2006-07 team of 166.
The Seminoles had four blocks for the game and 170 for the season.
FSU has reached 10 ACC wins in eight straight seasons.
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Florida State used an 11-0 run to pull away after the Orange (16-11, 7-9) cut the score down to a two-point game with 4:28 left.
"I am very, very proud of this team's effort, especially on the defensive end," FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. "They came out and set a tone in the first quarter and responded and made a statement in the fourth quarter, defensively first and foremost and then executing down the stretch.
"They did it together as a team. They did it the right way and they beat a very good Syracuse team."
Freshman Ta’Niya Latson led FSU with 19 points. In the third quarter, she scored her 600th point of the season. Makayla Timpson added 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Erin Howard had 11 points and seven rebounds. Sara Bejedi added nine points.
For Timpson, it was her 12th double-double of the season, putting her third all-time for most in a season.
Dyaisha Fair led Syracuse (16-11, 7-9) with 19 points, while Georgia Wooley added 12 points, Alaina Rice had nine points, 17 rebounds and five assists and Dariauna Lewis finished with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
FSU’s win gives it the edge in the all-time series (6-5). The Seminoles are 4-1 at home against the Orange.
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Latson inching toward records
In the third quarter with 5:18 remaining, freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson hit a jump shot to push her to 600 points on the season.
Latson joins Sue Galktanas (1981-82, 1982-82, Natasha Howard (2013-14) and Roneeka Hughes (2004-05) as players to score 600 in a season.
"It just feels amazing," Latson said. "My team and my coaches put me in a position to do that and I'm just blessed."
With her 19-point performance, she is 102 points away from the school record held by Galktanas of 710 (1981-82).
Latson, who came into the game averaging 21.9 points per game, has not scored 20 in a game since scoring 31 against NC State (Jan. 12).
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Defense steps up
The last two games saw the Hurricanes (86) and Hokies (82) score the most and third most points against them this season, respectively.
On Thursday, the Orange finished with 65 points and did not score a bucket in the final four and a half minutes. They shot 33.8% from the field and 23.8% in the fourth quarter.
Syracuse pulled within two points following a 3-point basket by Fair. The Orange would not score again.
"The whole team came together. We knew how important this game was," Timpson said. "We knew it was a must-win game for us. In the huddle during the timeout, we talked amongst ourselves and said it was a must-win game, so we had to do whatever it was going to take."
Fair, who came into the game averaging 20.2 points per game and had 26 games with 20 or more points, scored 19 points but shot 7 for 19 from the field.
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Domination in paint
FSU outscored Syracuse 42-28 in the paint and 16-9 on second-chance points.
The Seminoles were being out-rebounded 26-16 in the first half but won the battle 30-21 in the second half.
Timpson, in particular, took over in the fourth quarter with eight points and seven rebounds in the quarter. Two of them were offensive boards and putbacks.
"I think it was both," Wyckoff on if the concentration of points in the paint was part of the gameplan or if Timpson just took over.
"We talked to our guards about, 'we have to find driving lanes, even if they want to defend with the zone. ... In the past we've had issues with finding those driving lanes and the ability to get the ball in the paint.
"So we really worked on where those driving lanes would be and how we could get the ball in the high post, which then translated to points in the paint, as well. And (Timpson) down the stretch, just getting her the ball, her offensive rebounds, Erin's offensive rebounds and putbacks were huge."
Up next:
The Seminoles conclude their home slate for the 2022-23 season with a matchup against Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. Sunday. They play on the road at Wake Forest (Feb. 23) and Clemson (Feb. 26) to conclude their regular season next week.
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 make history in win over Syracuse
