College basketball

Leader's loss helps inspire Seminoles to an easy win

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published January 1, 2006

SUNRISE - Shortly before Saturday's game against Nebraska, Florida State junior forward Al Thornton hit up his teammates for a favor.

"I thanked them for praying for me and I really wanted to dedicate this next game to my grandmother," he said.

His 88-year-old grandmother, Viola Thornton, who had been in the hospital after a stroke, died Dec. 22. She had never seen FSU's leading scorer play a collegiate game.

"Whenever we get in the huddle, a lot of times we break by saying, "Family,' " senior guard Andrew Wilson said. "We want to be that family outside his original family. We want to be there for him, and when he asked our team to do that, that gave our guys an extra burst of energy to be able to do that for him."

Sophomore guard Isaiah Swann had 16 points and Wilson came off the bench to add a season-high 15 to earn MVP honors as the Seminoles blew open a close game and beat the Cornhuskers 74-60 in the opener of the Orange Bowl Classic at the Bank-Atlantic Center.

"They came out and gave it up for me," said Thornton, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Well, not right away.

The Seminoles (9-1), who open ACC play Wednesday at Clemson, couldn't make a shot at the start. They were 0-for-9 and trailed 9-2.

That's when coach Leonard Hamilton went to Wilson, who has battled injuries (he's in his sixth season) but was healthy enough last summer to get in the gym and work on his game. Wilson hit all three of his shots in the half, including both 3-pointers, to jump-start the offense and help the Seminoles take a 32-28 lead.

"I wanted to be able to go out there and give our team that offensive spark," he said. "I'm feeling real confident in myself, and I just feel that I'm a guy who can pick this team up a little bit when we're down."

It didn't hurt FSU that Nebraska's top scorer, senior forward Wes Wilkinson, picked up three fouls and had no points in three minutes in the opening half. He finished with eight points and two rebounds, far below his averages for points (14) and rebounds (7.8).

But the Cornhuskers (9-3), who had lost their only road game by 26 at Creighton, had no answer for FSU's defensive pressure or for Wilson, Swann and Thornton on the offensive end.

The Seminoles methodically opened a 71-47 lead, and Nebraska hit cosmetic baskets against FSU's reserves to make the final score respectable.

Thornton and his coach couldn't have been happier.

"I've been where he is," Hamilton said. "People will always say, "I understand,' but you don't really understand unless you've been in that situation. Sometimes, you don't really know what to say because sometimes conversation makes it worse.

"You just have to give the person a hug and tell him you love him and you support him and be there for him any way he needs you. For him to go out there and find the energy, and to go out and give it all when we really needed this game, says a lot about his character and how much he's grown up and how much this team is maturing and making sacrifices for one another."

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]