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Florida State men’s basketball had no answers for rival Miami in an ACC matchup Tuesday.
The No. 20 Hurricanes, behind a strong shooting performance, snapped the Seminoles nine-game winning streak in the series with a 86-63 victory at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
Miami (16-4, 7-3 ACC) snapped a brief two-game win streak for FSU (7-14, 5-5).
The Hurricanes’ last victory over the Seminoles was a 70-64 win on Jan. 7, 2018. Their last win in Tallahassee was Feb. 14, 2016. FSU leads the all-time series 53-37.
Caleb Mills led the Seminoles with 12 points, while Naheem McLeod added 11 and Matthew Cleveland 10. It was the third double-digit scoring performance for McLeod on the season.
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The Hurricanes used a 13-0 run early in the first quarter to take control and led 54-26 at halftime. Miami had 14 assists on 20 baskets in the first half and out-rebounded the Seminoles 22-6.
Nigel Pack and Isaiah Wong each scored 18 points to lead Miami, while Wooga Poplar added 14 and Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier each had 12 points.
Omier had a game-high 11 rebounds and Wong added nine.
The Seminoles outscored the Hurricanes in the second half 35-32, but could never get the lead under 20 points.
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3-point shooting discrepancy
The Seminoles could not buy a shot from beyond the arc, while Miami was near automatic in the first 20 minutes.
FSU was 1-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half. The Hurricanes connected on 9 of 14 shots from three, including an 8-for-10 start.
Pack hit four 3-pointers in the first half, while Poplar and Wong each added two a piece.
The Hurricanes finished 11-for-22 for the game, despite shooting just 25% in the second half.
Miami finished with 23 total assists on 31 baskets for the game and finished shooting 56% from the field.
The Seminoles had a hard time in the first half rotating to Miami’s heavy perimeter passing to find open shooters.
On the other side, FSU finished shooting 14% (3 for 22) from 3-point range and shot 41% overall from the field.
Star 3-point shooter Darin Green shot just 1 for 10 from beyond the arc. Mills and Cleveland each added a single 3-pointer on three attempts.
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Miami dominates boards
Miami was dominant in rebounding in the first half, winning the battle 22-6. The Seminoles closed the gap in the second half, but the Hurricanes controlled the boards 40-23.
Green and Cleveland each had five rebounds to lead FSU. Omier paced Miami with 11 rebounds and Wong added nine rebounds.
Miami out-rebounded FSU 10-8 on offensive rebounds.
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Naheem McLeod strong game
One positive for the Seminoles was the play of 7-foot-4 center Naheem McLeod. He had a couple of dunks and finished 5-for-5 shooting. His 11 points was one off his season-high for the season.
He also added a single rebound in 16 minutes, something the Seminoles need him to be better at in his minutes.
It was the first double-figure performance of the new year for McLeod and his first since his 12-point performance against USC Upstate on Dec. 13.
Up next:
The Seminoles will look to bounce back when they host No. 24 Clemson at 5 p.m. Sunday. They will then travel to NC State to play the Wolfpack at 9 p.m. on Feb. 1.
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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