Florida State’s talented trio of freshmen did not disappoint in their debuts on Sunday as the Seminoles clobbered Nicholls State in the 2015-16 season-opener at the Donald L. Tucker Center, 109-62.
Former McDonald’s All-American Dwayne Bacon led the Seminoles (1-0) with 23 points and 8 rebounds on Sunday while fellow freshman Malik Beasley added 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. Terance Mann added 15 points, 5 rebounds and a game-high 4 steals in his FSU debut.
Florida State dominated from the start. FSU shot nearly 66 percent from the field for the game and 50 percent from downtown. The Seminoles also doubled up Nicholls State (0-1) on the glass, winning the rebound battle, 42-21.
Ja’Dante’ Frye paced Nicholls State with 13 points and 4 rebounds. Last season’s leading scorer T.J. Carpenter was the only other player in double-figures scoring for the Colonels with 10 points, but on just 3-for-14 shooting. Nicholls State shot 38 percent from the field as a team.
To complement the three talented FSU freshmen, guards Devon Bookert and Xavier Rathan-Mayes each scored 11 points. Rathan-Mayes also finished with a game-high 11 assists.
Florida State will have just one day off before returning to the court against Jacksonville at home on Tuesday. Nicholls State will play its home opener against Mobile on Tuesday.
