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College basketball

FSU easily handles Jacksonville

'NOLES 78, DOLPHINS 48: The Seminoles' shooting warms up in the second half as they pull away.

Associated Press
Published November 20, 2005

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JACKSONVILLE - In a season-opener dominated by fouls, missed shots and turnovers, Florida State got 13 points from Jason Rich and 12 from Al Thornton to roll to a 78-48 win Saturday over Jacksonville.

After taking its only lead of the night at 2-0, Jacksonville (0-1) quickly fell behind with cold shooting. Florida State (1-0) scored 11 consecutive points for an 11-2 lead and held a double-digit margin from the 6:50 mark of the first half.

"It was frustrating missing all those shots because we were getting open shots, we're getting good looks. Those are shots our players normally make. It's just one of those things," Jacksonville coach Cliff Warren said.

The two teams combined for 52 personal fouls, and both clubs had 22 turnovers

Jacksonville's 12.5 percent shooting from 3-point range (3-of-24) was only slightly worse than FSU's 5-of-18 from long distance.

Florida State finished strong in the first half, scoring 12 consecutive points to open a 23-point advantage at the half, 42-19.

Florida State hiked its 33 percent first-half shooting to 50 percent in the second half and continued to build its lead. It hit the 30-point mark with eight minutes to play when a Rich jumper made it 67-37.

Jacksonville improved its shooting slightly in the second half but finished with just 17 baskets in 58 attempts (29.3 percent).

The Dolphins were without 7-foot center Ljubisa Vrcelj, who missed the game due to a groin injury.

[Last modified November 20, 2005, 00:55:14]

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