Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs vs Florida State Seminoles Match Player Stats On Dec 21, 2020

Only two days after losing at home for the first time in nearly two years, Florida State avoided another setback in Tallahassee, producing a 72-59 win over Gardner-Webb on Monday night.

Anthony Polite's 15 points and nine rebounds led the 21st-ranked Seminoles (5-1), who had a 27-game home winning streak as well as a streak of 41 consecutive home games without a loss to a nonconference opponent snapped by UCF on Saturday.

Florida State rode its defense and size in the paint to hold off the Bulldogs (1-4). Gardner-Webb led by six in the first half and kept the game close into the second half, pulling as close as 54-53 with 7:07 left.

RayQuan Evans' 3-pointer and four points from 7-foot-1 forward Balsa Koprivica helped the Seminoles pull away.

Lance Terry keyed Gardner-Webb's upset bid with a game-high 23 points, though he shot just 8 of 19 from the floor. The Seminoles held the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting overall (18 for 58) and 27.3 percent from 3-point range (9 for 33) one game after allowing UCF to shoot 50 percent overall and 47.4 percent from long distance.

Aside from Terry, no other Bulldogs player scored in double figures. The Seminoles limited Gardner-Webb's leading scorer, Jaheam Cornwall, to seven points on 1-for-7 shooting.

Florida State hit just 27.6 percent from the floor in the first half and shot 34.3 percent (21 for 61) overall, including a 6-for-33 performance from 3-point range (18.2 percent).

The Seminoles used their size inside led by Scottie Barnes, a 6-foot-9 freshman guard, 6-8 Gray and Koprivica to outrebound Gardner-Webb 53-30, including an 18-7 edge in offensive boards.

Florida State also blocked eight shots as Koprivica (14 points, eight rebounds) and Gray (eight rebounds, four points) had two swats apiece.

Barnes went down with a leg injury early in the second half but returned with 10 minutes remaining after being attended to by team trainers.

Florida State's leading scorer, M.J. Walker, left the game with three minutes remaining due to an injury and did not return. Walker was held to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting.

--Field Level Media