Colleges

FSU finds rhythm in second half

By Kevin Brafford, Special to the Times
Published March 7, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] FSU's Tanae Davis-Cain takes a shot after getting past Wake Forest's Alex Tchangoue in the second half.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Something as small as one extra pass sometimes can make a big difference.

Florida State found that to be true in the second half Thursday night, as extra ball movement created better scoring chances in a 57-52 victory over Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC women's tournament.

Junior guard Tanae Davis-Cain scored 14 of her 17 in the final 20 minutes as the sixth-seeded Seminoles (18-12) kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

"We went into the locker room saying that we needed to get after it," Davis-Cain said. "My teammates got me going."

Florida State, which made nine of its first 16 field goals in the second half, advances to play third-seeded Duke (21-8) tonight.

Stingy defense in the first 13 minutes allowed the Seminoles to build an 18-9 lead. But Wake Forest (15-15), patient on its offensive end, closed the half on a 15-4 run to take a two-point advantage.

"We were not good offensively, especially in the first half," FSU coach Sue Semrau said. "In the second half I thought we got great post touches."

Davis-Cain and guard Shante Williams (12 points) played pivotal roles in the decisive stretch of the second half, combining to score 13 as the Seminoles broke from a tie at 29 to take a 46-37 lead.

FSU led by 11 with three minutes to play, then withstood a Wake Forest rally that saw the Demon Deacons draw as close as four.

Tonight brings a different challenge in the more athletic Blue Devils, and the Seminoles have revenge on their minds. They faced Duke once during the regular season and were embarrassed in a 70-38 thrashing in Durham on Jan. 11. FSU trailed 36-18 at halftime and shot a season-low 23 percent.

"Tanae (who was injured) wasn't with us," Semrau said. "We're a different team than we were that night."

Ga. Tech 76, Miami 49: A forgettable season for the 12th-seeded Hurricanes quickly came to an end. Forward Janie Mitchell paced four Yellow Jackets (22-8) in double figures with 17 points as No. 5 seed Georgia Tech held Miami to 31 percent shooting. Guard Maurita Reid, in her final game for the Hurricanes (9-21), scored a team-high 12.

Clemson 65, N.C. State 60, OT: Despite blowing a nine-point lead in the second half, the Tigers (11-18) sprung the day's lone upset. Lele Hardy nearly recorded a triple double for ninth seed Clemson, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Khadijah Whittington paced the eighth-seeded Wolfpack (18-12), which saw its tournament hopes damaged.

BC 57, Va. Tech 47: Freshman forward Stephanie Murphy totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists to pace the seventh-seeded Eagles (20-10), who held the Hokies to 15 first-half points. Andrea Barbour's 13 points led 10th seed Virginia Tech (15-15), which had 19 turnovers.

[Last modified March 7, 2008, 00:04:36]