The Hurricanes disrupted the moment the Seminoles created on the basketball floor. Here's how it happened.
Florida State basketball launched its momentum swing by beating Miami earlier in February.
Now it's the Hurricanes disrupting the Seminoles' sudden roll.
Miami claimed the 83-73 win on Tuesday evening in what's become a tighter race in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both teams are aspiring ACC and March Madness contenders -- especially with FSU entering the Tucker Center above .500 for the first time this season.
Chauncey Wiggins got the crowd exploding early by swatting an early shot attempt. Thomas Bassong grabbed the loose basketball and turned it into a layup for the game's first basket at the 19:38 mark.
Miami retaliated off of a Tre Donaldson three-pointer. Wiggins came back to throw down a dunk to retake the lead at 18:15.
Kobe MaGee later hit a 24-foot three-pointer with 12:59 left to put FSU ahead 12-11. Miami, however, briefly built a seven-point lead before settling for a 38-32 halftime lead in Tallahassee.
Alex Steen sparked the scoring early in the second half by hitting his layup at the 19:43 mark. Donaldson, however, put the 'Canes up by 10 off of nailing a 25-footer with 17:29 to go. Lajae Jones responded by making a hook shot to cut the lead to 46-38.
The 'Canes, though, led by 10 on at least three different occasions including 54-44 with 13:13 to go. The Noles went on a late run that featured Jones hitting a step back 27-footer from behind the arc. Dante Allen, however, broke off the FSU run in sinking a 24-foot three off the assist by Donaldson.
MaGee responded by getting the next four baskets for FSU including through an And 1 after the three. But the 'Canes scored the next five points to break the 57-57 tie.
Florida State needed to cut one last 10-point lead with 2:40 to go. Jones made two free throws and then a pair of driving layups to slice the deficit at 75-71. Robert McCray V became the last FSU player to score with 19 seconds left.
Florida State stunned Miami in Coral Gables back on Jan. 20. The Seminoles eventually toppled other winning conference foes in Virginia Tech and more recently, a 20-win Clemson team to boost their March Madness chances.
But now Miami increased its NCAA Tournament hopes by improving to 22-6 overall.
Join our NOLES ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected.