Florida State men get back on track, roll to 82-71 win over Georgia Tech

Now that Georgetown transfer Primo Spears has gotten a few games under his belt and senior center Jaylan Gainey is beginning to play his way into game shape after a lengthy layoff, Florida State’s coaches seem to be getting a better feel for what this FSU men’s basketball team can look like.

And if Wednesday night’s 82-71 victory over visiting Georgia Tech was any indication, the Seminoles might be more formidable than at any point over the past two seasons.

Florida State led for nearly 36 of 40 minutes Wednesday and held a double-digit advantage for much of the second half. The win improves the Seminoles’ record to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, while Georgia Tech falls to 8-5 and 1-1.

The Yellow Jackets opened their ACC schedule this year with a four-point win over Duke last month in Atlanta.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Wednesday’s victory was that FSU out-rebounded Georgia Tech, which came in with one of the top 20 rebounding teams in the country. The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 16 in offensive rebounding, but the Seminoles held them to just nine offensive boards and eight second-chance points.

And even though no Florida State player registered more than five rebounds, the ‘Noles claimed a 38-31 advantage overall.

“This team has been relentless on the boards,” Hamilton said of Georgia Tech. “It probably made a lot bigger difference in the game than probably you [might] realize. Because they’ve been, all year long, just pounding the boards and getting extra shots after their misses.”

Florida State’s front line has been helped recently by Gainey’s continued improvement after missing more than a year with a devastating knee injury. The former Brown transfer grabbed five rebounds and scored four points in 13 minutes.

Fellow center Cameron Corhen, who went down with a toe injury earlier this season and was held out for about a month, saw his second game back Wednesday and scored six points with four rebounds in 17 minutes.

Those two will team with sophomore De’Ante Green to give Florida State three capable big men to battle on the interior — a luxury the Seminoles haven’t enjoyed in quite some time.

“Having three guys to rotate in there, giving you a lot of energy during the moments they’re on the court, is a tremendous help to us that we didn’t have earlier in the season,” Hamilton said.

The offensive catalyst for Florida State on Wednesday was sophomore Chandler Jackson, who finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Earlier this year, Jackson was the top backup to junior Jalen Warley at point guard. But with Spears now capable of manning that role, the Seminoles are asking Jackson to be more of a scoring threat while playing off the ball. And the 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard definitely embraced that opportunity against the Yellow Jackets.

Jackson scored his 14 points in just 17 minutes of game action.

“He’s more of an attack kind of player in our system now,” Hamilton said. “And we’re taking advantage of his skills. He did a great job for us tonight.”

Jackson’s previous scoring high was 10 points, which he set twice last season.

With the Memphis native leading the way, Florida State’s bench outscored Georgia Tech’s reserves, 42-16, and all 12 Seminoles who played made their way into the scoring column. FSU also shot 52 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range.

Jamir Watkins scored 11 points, while Spears and Darin Green Jr. added 10 apiece. Warley chipped in nine points, and Baba Miller had eight.

Florida State was likely extra motivated for Wednesday’s game after they suffered a disappointing loss to Lipscomb this past Saturday. But the Seminoles have now won three of their last four games after a four-game losing streak, and there is hope that all of their pieces are beginning to jell.

“I feel like tonight we got the hang of it,” Jackson said.

“I do feel that we’ve shown at times what we’re capable of,” added Hamilton. “Now we’ve just got to find a way to be consistent with that night in and night out.”

Guards Miles Kelly and Kowacie Reeves led Georgia Tech with 20 and 18 points, respectively. The Yellow Jackets were hurt by hitting just 14 of 26 free throws.

Florida State returns to action Saturday at 4 p.m. against visiting Virginia Tech.

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