It didn’t come easy on Monday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, but Florida State withstood a late Clemson onslaught to earn its first true road victory of the season, 59-55. FSU led 56-46 with just over two and a half minutes to play, but untimely turnovers and rebounding woes allowed the Tigers to get as close as one.
With a chance to tie the game, Clemson guard Rod Hall split a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left, leaving the Tigers down 56-55. After Florida State’s Devon Bookert returned the favor on the other end, Damarcus Harrison attempted a potential go-ahead 3-pointer, but missed badly. FSU’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes’ breakaway layup on the other end put the game away.
Clemson shot just 34 percent for the evening, never led in the contest and trailed by as many as 12. The Tigers kept making a run at Florida State, but the Seminoles always seemed to have an answer.
Rathan-Mayes led the Seminoles (10-9, 2-4 ACC) in virtually every major category finishing with a game-high 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and a career-high tying 9 assists in the victory. Bookert was the only other Seminole to score in double-figures, adding 14 points and making two of Florida State’s three 3-point field goals.
Hall scored 12 to pace the Tigers (10-8, 2-4 ACC) while Donte Grantham added 11 points. Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson’s leading scorer and rebounder coming in, finished with 10 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.
Clemson left a lot of points on the floor, going 16-for-31 from the free throw line while the Seminoles were an efficient 12-for-14 from the charity stripe. The win for Florida State is its third straight at Littlejohn Coliseum. The teams will meet again in Tallahassee on February 4th.
Florida State will look to stay above the .500 mark as it visits North Carolina on Saturday. Clemson will be home for a third straight game when it hosts Wake Forest early Saturday afternoon.
