Nov. 25, 2008

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Tuesday, November 25, 2008) – The Redhawks women’s basketball team knew they had to play a near-perfect game to upset Atlantic Coast Conference power Florida State on their homecourt on Tuesday morning. However knowing the gameplan and executing it are two different things and the Seminoles capitalized on that and routed the Redhawks 63-31 at the Tucker Center to hand the Redhawks their first loss of the season.

The Redhawks (3-1) struggled in all aspects of their game shooting a dismal 17-percent (10-59) from the field including 12-percent from three-point range. The Seminoles (4-1) on the other hand shot 52-percent from the field and used their superior height to dominate the boards with a 45-30 advantage.

The Seminoles jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead to start the game. The Redhawks offense looked out of synch trying to figure out the Seminoles 2-3 zone. The Redhawks got their first basket nearly five minutes into the game to make it 5-2.

The Redhawks defense however looked sharp as they forced five turnovers that helped them chip away at the Seminoles lead. Lauren Sharpe nailed a three-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 13-13 at the 7:49 mark. That’s when the Seminoles awoke from their offensive slumber and went on a 14-2 run to end the half. The Redhawks went scoreless for 7:16 until an Amber Holmes jumper with :33 seconds remaining stopped the futility.

It was too late by then however as the Seminoles attacked the Redhawks interior defense and over-aggressive defense as eight of the Seminoles 14 points during their run came in the paint.

The second half was more of the same as the Seminoles started the second stanza with a 9-0 run led by All-ACC selection Jacinta Monroe who scored four of those points. The lead quickly grew to 26 points, 48-22 on a Monroe lay-up with 9:54 remaining.

The Redhawks went on an 8-1 run to knock the lead down to 49-30 with 6:44 left but that would be as close as the score would get. The Redhawks would not score from the field the rest of the way and the Seminoles opened their largest lead of the game 62-30 with two minutes remaining before Crysta Glenn made a free throw at 1:39 for the final score.

The final stats showed the dominance inside by the Seminoles as they outscored the Redhawks 36-6 in the paint and 11-7 in second chance points. The Seminoles bench outscored the Redhawks 22-2.

The Redhawks did force the Seminoles into committing 23 turnovers but were hurt by 17 of their own. The Redhawks attempted 24 three-pointers in the game after entering the game with 29 attempts in three games.

Glenn was a bright spot for the Redhawks as she finished with a team-high 15 points with seven of those points coming from the line. She also led the team with six rebounds and recorded a career-high six steals.

Sharpe was the next leading scorer with nine points as she and Glenn combined for 24 of the Redhawks 31 points.

Monroe finished with a game-high 18 points on 9-13 shooting to lead the Seminoles. Freshman center Cierra Bravard added 13 points.

The win by the Seminoles was No. 500 in the program’s history.

The 31 points scored by the Redhawks are the seventh lowest offensive output in program history. It was the lowest points scored by the Redhawks since the 1975 when the Redhawks fell 71-31 to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The Redhawks will look to bounce back as they head back to the friendly confines of the Show Me Center for the start of a four-game homestand. The Redhawks host Missouri Valley conference opponent Indiana State on Friday, November 28. First tip is set for 7:00 p.m.