TALLAHASSEE - Roneeka Hodges scored 33 to lead Florida State to a 72-70 win over Texas-Arlington on Saturday.
Hodges shot 13-for-21 from the field and was 6-for-9 at the free-throw line for the Seminoles (8-0). Linnea Liljestrand added 10 points and Alicia Gladden had six rebounds.
Ganiyat Adeduntan made a jumper in the lane with 34 seconds to play for the lead to cap a 13-4 Seminoles run, and Hodges added a free throw with 13 seconds left to seal it.
"We kept trading baskets the entire game," said Hodges, "and we knew we had to stop them in order to catch up. We had to clamp down on the defensive end and try to get the victory."
Tabitha Wesley led Texas-Arlington (4-4) with 24 points, with Terra Wallace adding 22. The game was the first between the Seminoles and Mavs.
"I loved this game; this is what we play for," Seminoles coach Sue Semrau said. "Even at halftime, it was a great basketball game and we wanted it to come down to an opportunity to win the game.
"I loved our mental presence and our team showed a lot of poise. That was a tough team and we knew they'd be good."
The Seminoles, who have yet to trail this season at halftime, led 40-37 at the break and shot 68.2 percent.
Hodges took over the second half, scoring 21 of FSU's 32 points.
"I felt all along since she came last year that she could dominate in this country and not just in the ACC," Semrau said. "I think the world is about to see that when we get into conference play. The heart, soul and fight she has is a special thing and very infectious."
Hodges' career game might have been credited to the fact her twin and Los Angeles Sparks standout, Doneeka, cheered her from the stands.
"My sister and I have a special bond, so I guess you can say I had some added motivation," said Hodges, whose 33 points were the most scored by a Seminole since the 1998 season when Latavia Coleman registered 38 against North Carolina.
USF 81, HIGH POINT 38: Nalini Miller scored a career-high 23 as the Bulls won their third straight and topped High Point in the Image Depot Shootout at the Sun Dome. Miller also had a game-high 15 rebounds, and Anedra Gilmore added a double double with 17 points and 10 assists.
High Point (2-6) stayed close for the first 10 minutes, trailing 17-10 at the midway point of the first half, but the Bulls (8-3) went on a 25-8 run to close out the half. The 43-point win is the largest of the season and the most since a 70-point pounding of Morris Brown (124-54) on Nov. 30, 2001. Charlena Martin scored a team-high 16 for High Point.
USF will be back in action today at 3 against William & Mary.
FAMU 62, STETSON 60: Visiting Florida A&M used a second-half surge to down Stetson. After the Hatters (1-5) took a 36-27 halftime lead, the Rattlers (3-5) opened the second half with a 14-7 run. Stetson tied it at 58 with a little more than two minutes remaining, but managed just one layup in five attempts. Florida A&M made two free throws and a layup in the final 30 seconds to seal it.
The Hatters controlled much of the first half as they took over with a layup by sophomore Mia Johnson at 17:25. Florida A&M gained the lead with two consecutive jumpers at 11:54 and 11:24, but Stetson responded with six unanswered points and held on for nine-point lead at intermission.
Senior Kristy Brown led Stetson with her third double double of the season, scoring 17 and grabbing 12 rebounds. Charon Williams and Ariel Towns led three Rattlers in double digits with 17 points each.
UCF 83, COLGATE 69: Shelby Weber recorded her first career double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs, for host Central Florida (3-5) in the Christmas Classic. Ali Roberts led the Knights with 18 points. For Colgate (3-6), which trailed 45-33 at the half, Emily Braseth and Allison Lipinski each scored 15.
After shooting 44.8 percent (13-of-29) from the floor in the first half, including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) beyond the arc, Colgate shot just 36.4 percent (16-of-44) in the second half, including making just two of 11 3-pointers. UCF faces Florida International today at 3.
FIU 61, MARSHALL 58: Florida International fended off a late Marshall run to upend the Thundering Herd in the UCF Christmas Classic. FIU (7-2) had a 15-point lead with nine minutes remaining, but Marshall (3-4) battled back to pull within two.
With 24 seconds to go, senior Kim Griffin hit a 3-pointer to cut the Golden Panthers' lead to 60-58. FIU's Faeza Bouderra then made 1 of 2 free throws to seal it. Five Golden Panthers, including four starters, reached double digits paced by senior Milena Tomova's game-high 16 points and eight rebounds.
JU 63, NAVY 59: Sophomore guard Nakina Alford finished with a career-high 22 points and three other Dolphins (3-4) scored in double figures.
With the score tied at 55 with 2:57 remaining, Jacksonville took the lead after a 3-pointer by Alford. After a Sheena Carpenter jumper gave the Dolphins a 60-55 lead with 1:15 to go, Navy (2-5) used a 4-0 run to make it 60-59 with 20 seconds left. JU sealed it after free throws by Carpenter and Rebecca Montz.
Alford led all scorers after finishing 7-of-13 from the floor, 2-of-3 from the 3-point line and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Senior forward Yolisha Jackson added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while Carpenter and senior guard Rebecca Montz each tallied 11 points to round out the JU double-figure scorers. S. ILLINOIS 69, B-CC 64: Danette Jones tied visiting Southern Illinois' all-time single-game record with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28. Jones, a senior, finished 7-of-16 from 3-point range and tied Karrie Redeker's mark against Northern Iowa on Feb. 6, 1992. Sarah Johnson scored 15 and Katie Clark added 14 points for Bethune-Cookman (2-5), which trailed 31-27 at the half.
