CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Imani Wright and Leticia Romero each scored 19 points, and No. 7 Florida State pulled away after halftime to beat No. 11 Miami 81-66 on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Shakayla Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Seminoles (13-1, 1-0), who have won 12 straight. Chatrice Wright added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Florida State, which outrebounded Miami 43-25.
Jessica Thomas had 20 points and Adrienne Motley scored 18 for Miami (11-2, 0-1), which had its 11-game winning streak snapped. Emese Hof scored 12 for the Hurricanes.
All of the Seminoles’ 13 wins this season have been by double digits, and the lone loss was a two-point defeat against No. 1 Connecticut.
Miami came in 7-0 at home, never facing a deficit of more than three points on its own floor all season and trailing for a combined 6:30 in those seven games.
Florida State changed all that in the opening minutes, setting the tone.
The Seminoles led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and as many as 14 in the second, before a Miami flurry made it a one-point game at the half. Miami outscored Florida State 16-3 in the final 4:58 before intermission, with Motley making a pair of 3-pointers — as did Jessica Thomas, including a 25-footer from in front of the FSU bench as time expired.
But the Hurricanes never got the lead back. Florida State scored the first seven points of the second half to reclaim control, and took a 60-45 lead into the fourth.
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: The Seminoles scored 32 points in the first half, then 28 more in the third quarter. … Florida State had runs of 10-3 and 9-0 in the first quarter alone.
Miami: Jessica Thomas had a four-point play in the fourth. … Hof, who didn’t start the game, actually scored the first point of the contest after Keyona Hayes was briefly shaken up and was subbed out 14 seconds after tip-off.
MARATHON POSSESSION
Florida State had an 84-second possession in the fourth quarter, one that included five shots for the Seminoles and two fouls by the Hurricanes. Romero made a 3-pointer 23 seconds into the marathon, and the Seminoles kept the ball after Miami was whistled simultaneously for a foul under the basket. Another foul a few seconds later was Hof’s fifth, ending her night.
UP NEXT
Florida State: Hosts N.C. State on Monday.
Miami: Visits Pittsburgh on Monday.
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