Field Level Media
Nov 22, 2021
Anthony Polite scored 14 points to lead Florida State to a 81-58 victory over Missouri in the championship game of the Jacksonville Classic on Monday night in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Seminoles (4-1) used intense defensive pressure to take control of the game early and cruise to their third consecutive win.
Missouri (3-2) committed 13 of its 17 turnovers in the first half leading to 22 of the 24 points Florida State scored off of giveaways. The Seminoles built a 44-23 lead by halftime and eventually jumped ahead by as many as 28 points late in the second half.
Amari Davis finished with 14 points and Kobe Davis totaled 13 for the Tigers.
Florida State had four players score in double figures and six finish with at least eight points.
Malik Osborne had 10 points and seven rebounds while playing only 19 minutes. The Seminoles were able to play 17 players, 13 of whom scored points. Florida State's bench outscored Missouri's reserves 39-12.
Seminoles reserve Cam'Ron Fletcher finished 12 points in 17 minutes while Caleb Mills and RayQuan Evans each had eight points. Evans also dished out six assists. Matthew Cleveland also had 10 points and four rebounds for Florida State.
The Seminoles seemed to find their rhythm on the offensive end during the two games in two days in the tournament after struggling the previous week in a loss to rival Florida and a low-scoring win over Tulane.
Florida State made 15 of its first 18 shots on Monday and shot 64.3 percent (18 of 28) in the first half while making 5 of 11 3-point attempts.
The Seminoles led from start to finish and shot 61.1 percent (33 of 54) for the game while finishing with 19 assists. Florida State shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range (10 of 24) and outscored Missouri 38-22 in the paint and 14-4 on fastbreak points.
The Tigers shot just 38.2 percent on field-goal attempts (21 of 55) and 27.3 percent (6 of 22) from long range.
--Field Level Media