Colleges

FSU gets over snub, tips Butler

By D.C. REEVES
Published March 18, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State's first-round NIT game had letdown written all over it.

On the heels of Sunday's depressing NCAA snub, the Seminoles displayed a much-needed case of amnesia, battling back in the final minute to outlast Butler 67-63 at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Friday night.

Climbing out of a 11-point second-half hole, Avery Sheets made his first three-pointer in six attempts with 2:22 left, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the night, 63-61.

Center Alexander Johnson took over following the basket, scoring five of FSU's final six points. The junior made one of two free throws at the two-minute mark, then added a close-range jumper with 51 seconds to play to gain the lead back for good 64-63.

After a Ralph Mims free throw with 19 seconds remaining, Johnson tipped in his missed second attempt to put the game out of reach.

"I thought our players found a way to bounce back from disappointment and play hard for 40 minutes," said FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton. "And (Butler) executed so well, we had to play well every possession in order to come away with a victory."

Butler entered Friday's game with the fourth-most three-pointers made in the NCAA, but shot a deflating 8-for-37 from behind the arc in the loss. Florida State finished second to last in the ACC in three-point field goal defense.

"As I watched them on tape, I thought defensively they would recover better than any team we faced," Butler coach Todd Lickliter said. "And I was correct."

Long-range jump shots weren't the only adversary, however.

Leading scorer Al Thornton twinged his back earlier this week and was not cleared to play until game time. He had five points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Point Guard Todd Galloway turned his ankle early in the first half and played only 12 minutes.

Guards Jason Rich and Mims picked up the slack, as Rich scored a career- and game-high 22 points and Mims had six assists and no turnovers in 28 minutes at the point.

Former Lakewood High standout Junior Brian Ligon, a former Lakewood High standout, scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in 14 minutes for the Bulldogs.

FSU will host 2006 Southeastern Conference tournament finalist and defending NIT champion South Carolina at 7 p.m. in the second round Tuesday night.

[Last modified March 18, 2006, 02:30:29]