Florida State flirted with an upset for most of the night Sunday, but the Seminoles managed just four points over the game’s final 10 and a half minutes in a 51-41 loss to No. 2 Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.
Jarquez Smith put Florida State ahead 37-36 on a jump-shot with 10:34 to play, but Devon Hall would put the Cavaliers (25-1, 13-1 ACC) up for good on the ensuing possession. Montay Brandon would score the Seminoles’ final four points, drawing FSU to within four at 45-41 with 2:34 remaining, but Florida State didn’t score for the remainder of the game.
Against the nation’s top scoring defense, Florida State (15-13, 7-8 ACC) was held to a season-low 41 points and below 33 percent shooting from the field. FSU turned the ball over 14 times and made just four of its 19 attempts from downtown.
On just 5-for-15 shooting, Xavier Rathan-Mayes was the lone Seminole to score in double-figures with 13 points. Boris Bojanovsky added 8 points off the bench for FSU while Brandon grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.
Anthony Gill paced the Cavaliers with 13 points and a game-high 9 rebounds. Darion Atkins finished with 11 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 10. The three combined to shoot 62 percent from the field.
Virginia will hit the road to face Wake Forest on Wednesday while Florida State visits Miami that night in the final away game of the regular season for the Seminoles.
