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'Noles let loose 3-point barrage

Florida State unleashes a school-record 17 3s to top Stetson 87-72.

Associated Press
Published December 31, 2003

DELAND - Florida State guards Nate Johnson, Tim Pickett and Von Wafer led an onslaught that resulted in a team-record 17 3-pointers and an 87-72 victory over Stetson late Tuesday.

Johnson, a senior, scored a career-high 20, highlighted by 6-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Wafer, a freshman, came off the bench in the first half and scored 11, including three consecutive 3-pointers, in 13 minutes. Pickett, a senior guard who leads FSU with a 14.3 scoring average, had 12 points, all 3-pointers.

FSU (12-1) broke its single-game record of 14 3-point field goals against Jacksonville in the 1996-97 season. FSU shot 56.7 percent (17 of 30) from behind the arc and at one point in the first half made eight consecutive baskets from 3-point range.

Stetson (2-5) lost its fifth in a row. Sophomore guard E.J. Gordon scored 23, his 22nd consecutive game in double figures, to lead the Hatters.

Sophomore guard Anthony Register added 17.

The win keeps FSU on pace to match its best start, a 16-1 run in the 1971-72 season that saw the Seminoles reach the final of the NCAA Tournament.

FSU, placed just behind No.25 Marquette in the Associated Press Top 25, plays at No.14 Florida on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The game was tied at 10 before Wafer led FSU on a 14-2 run midway through the first half, scoring on a baseline layup, then hitting three 3-pointers in a row.

The Seminoles led 51-32 at the break.

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