Watkins Scores 21, Florida State Drops Close Game To Virginia, 80-76 – Florida State University

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Virginia’s Isaac McKneely scored 29 points and the Cavaliers withstood a furious rally by Florida State to win its eighth straight game, 80-76, over the Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles rallied to within two at 77-75 with 11 seconds remaining before the Cavaliers scored three of the final four points of the game to gain the victory.

McKneely was on fire throughout the night for the Cavaliers as he made eight of 12 field goals, was five of seven from 3-point range and missed just one of his nine free throws attempted. He pulled down four rebounds and was credited with two assists as Virginia improved to 10-3 in ACC play.

Florida State was led in the scoring column for the 10^th time this season by Jamir Watkins, who scored a team-high 21 points. Sophomore Chandler Jackson scored a career-high  of 17 points.

Watkins scored 20 points or more for the second time this season. He led the team in steals with two, along with blocking two shots. He was a near perfect 11 of 12 from the free throw line.

“We did a pretty good job defensively,” said Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. “I thought that Virginia had the right chemistry and the right game plan.”

Virginia broke on top early in the first half and led by 10 on two occasions, including by a 24-14 margin at the 8:16 mark. Florida State closed the half on a 16-10 run to shrink its deficit to four at the intermission, 34-30.

The Cavaliers jumped out quickly after halftime and led by as many as 12 at the 14:19 mark. But the Seminoles continued to fight and outscored the Cavaliers by a 40-32 margin to close the game.

In the second half, Florida State outscored Virginia in both bench points (20-12) and points in the paint (22-14).

Jackson gave a shock of electricity to the raucous Seminole crown with several big plays which swung the momentum towards the home team. He had a crowd-pleasing three-pointer at the 12:33 mark to cap a five-point scoring run.

“I’ve coached against Coach Hamilton over the years, and he’ll give you a tough match-up every time,” said Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett. “Good credit to Florida State for the way they can make plays and attack the ball. Combine that with a lively crowd.”

Jackson had a stat-stuffing night with his career-high of 17 points and five rebounds.

Reece Beekman added 21 points for the Cavaliers.

“We’ve got to learn from this game,” said Hamilton. “And we’ve got to go into Blacksburg try to come away with a victory.”

The Seminoles hit the road to Blacksburg, Virginia for their next game on Tuesday, February 13 at 9:00 pm against Virginia Tech in the Cassell Coliseum.