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ZACHARY SPAINAnthony Richardson scores 25 of career-high 27 in second half as FSU rallies for 71-53 win over Northwestern.
TALLAHASSEE - In the first half, Anthony Richardson was in no rush to score. After halftime, the FSU forward refused to be slowed.
The junior, averaging 12.8 points before Monday night, had a career-high 27 on 10-of-13 shooting in Florida State's 71-53 win over Northwestern at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.
But Richardson took his time warming up to a career night. Despite being on the court for 15 minutes in the first half, his only points came on a jumper with 4:09 left.
"Anthony had a nice rhythm to his game," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "He did not score a lot of points in the first half, but you could see an air of confidence about him that he just wanted to go out and do what he had to do to help us win."
The Wildcats (2-3) used their matchup zone effectively to negate the Seminoles' size advantage inside, leading by as many as eight points before going into halftime ahead 31-26 in the opening game of the fifth ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
In the locker room, the Seminoles made adjustments. Richardson took advantage, first with a 3-pointer 1:30 in, then a three-point play a little over a minute later to bring FSU within 34-32.
He was just warming up.
Richardson made a 3, his second of a career-high four, with 13:47 to go and gave FSU its first lead, 41-40, since 7:23 was left in the first half.
"I made my mind up that I was going to be more of an offensive threat and really be aggressive and see what they could do with me," said Richardson, whose best was 20 points. "I wanted to make them stop me."
As FSU held the Wildcats, hurt by playing a six-man rotation, to one field goal in the final 10:29, Richardson scored 14 in the 21-8 run to finish the game.
"Everything he shot in the second half went in," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "We were unable to control him."
While FSU, 5-0 for the first time since 1995-96, got hot in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent and making 8 of 11 3s on the way to a third straight game shooting more than 55 percent (56.3), Northwestern turned ice cold.
Northwestern made seven 3-pointers, three from sixth man Evan Seacat, and shot 57 percent in the first half. In the second, FSU wore down the short-handed Wildcats with high-intensity defense and a renewed inside presence. FSU outrebounded Northwestern 15-9 in the half on the way to a 25-18 advantage for the game.
"They took us off the dribble with their big guys, then kicked it out to the perimeter guys," Hamilton said. "That was something we had to adjust to in the second half. I think (the adjustments) contained them and didn't give them quite as many open looks."
That put an end to an up-and-down game that, at times, could have passed for a 3-point shooting contest.
"They stretch you out an awful lot," said Carmody, whose team made 1 of 8 3s in the second half.
Guard Jitim Young led the Wildcats with 17 points, including eight of their last 10.
Senior shooting guard Tim Pickett was the only other Seminole in double figures with 21, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers.