FLORIDA STATE VS TEXAS TECH

PHOTO BY: @billkiser / @vidaily.news

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas – Ta’Niya Latson scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while O’Mariah Gordon added 20 points as the Florida State Seminoles (6-1) held on for a 70-62 win over Texas Tech (6-1) on Thursday’s final contest at the 2024 Paradise Jam.

The first quarter was all Florida State, as the Seminoles jumped out to a 14-2 lead with just under three minutes to play in the quarter, taking a 16-5 lead into the second quarter. 

A 3-pointer by the Lady Raiders’ Jada Wynn keyed a 6-0 start to the second half as Texas Tech cut the deficit to five (16-11), and on three different occasions cut the Seminoles’ lead to one. Florida State answered each time, using a 7-0 run to push ahead by eight (29-21) with 4:43 to go in the half. FSU grew its lead to nine (37-28) at the break. 

The Seminoles pushed the lead back into double figures early in the third quarter, pushing ahead by as many as 13 (41-28), and taking a nine-point (54-45) lead into the fourth.

Texas Tech scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to pull to within two (54-52) with 8:31 remaining, and was able to narrow the gap to one (58-57) after a second-chance layup. The Seminoles pushed the lead back to seven (64-57) with just over three minutes remaining, and held the Lady Raiders at arm’s length down the stretch.

Florida State returns to action Friday in a 6:30 p.m. game against Missouri State, while Texas Tech will follow in the 9 p.m. game against Gonzaga.

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