Live updates / notes: Wake vs. FSU in ACC Tournament

[Bob Ferrante]

No. 5 seed Florida State (23-8) plays in its 32nd ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament beginning Thursday against 12th-seeded Wake Forest. The game will air on the ACC Network.

Earlier this week, Brooke Wyckoff commented on FSU's season and the outlook for the ACC Tournament:

"We’ve learned some hard lessons recently about what it’s like to play on the road, and the things that go into winning on the road," Wyckoff said. "Controlling the controllables. And we've done that at times, and we haven't done that at other times. But I know that we've learned that lesson that we have to control our defense and our rebounding when we're playing on the road. ACC tournament is on the road. So feel good about those things going into to this week."

Notes via FSU sports information:

Freshman Ta’Niya Latson and sophomore Makayla Timpson earned plenty of recognition with several conference awards each. Latson was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, chosen to the All-ACC First Team and also to the ACC All-Freshman Team. Timpson was recognized as the ACC Most Improved Player, named to the All-ACC Second Team and also placed on the ACC All-Defensive Team.

Coach Brooke Wyckoff takes her second team to the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. In her interim season in 2020-21, an FSU team predicted eighth in the league earned a No. 4 seed at the conference tournament. This season, her FSU squad predicted ninth in the ACC earns a No. 5 seed in Greensboro. Both of her teams have elevated themselves by four spots comparing prediction to regular-season finish.

The Seminoles begin the ACC Tournament with a NET ranking of 20th.

Florida State has reached six semifinals in the ACC Tournament as well as two finals appearances, with the last coming in the 2020 ACC Championship game vs. NC State. FSU also reached the finals in the 2015 tournament against Notre Dame.

Florida State’s 15 wins against the NET Top 100 are tied for the ninth-most in the country.

The Seminoles’ 12 ACC wins this season are their most since winning 13 in the 2017-18 season.

Timpson’s 13 double-doubles this season are tied for the second-most in a season at FSU with Kiah Gillespie (2018-19). The record is 15 by Natasha Howard (2013-14).

With 23 wins this season, FSU has a chance to reach its seventh 25-win season in program history.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Via FSU:

Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson will miss Thursday’s ACC Second Round game vs. 12th-seeded Wake Forest due to an injury. Latson will be day-to-day moving forward. Her status will be monitored through the duration of the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

 

[semispear]

Via FSU:

Freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson will miss Thursday’s ACC Second Round game vs. 12th-seeded Wake Forest due to an injury. Latson will be day-to-day moving forward. Her status will be monitored through the duration of the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Well that’s not good

 

[semispear]

Great start!

 

[semispear]

Team playing with some good energy and getting contributions from multiple players. Lead 21-14 after 1Q.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Good first quarter from Gordon. Six points, two assists

1Q stats:

 

[semispear]

Gordon and Bejedi have held Spear to 0-5 shooting so far.

SN: Spear is a player I wouldn’t mind seeing fsu go after if she decides to use her covid year elsewhere. A big guard whose game would compliment Latson. Plus her last name fits perfectly lol

 

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU has defeated Wake this season by shutting down Jewel Spear. So far, so good

 

[semispear]

Let go OMG!

 

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU is shorthanded without Latson and Turnage. Just eight players. But the Seminoles have only been called for two fouls

Only two offensive boards on 11 misses, but tough to complain about a 15-point lead when the Seminoles are without Latson

 

[NoleSince1961]

Does anybody have any idea at all the nature of Latson’s injury?
That’s pretty scary moving fwd if it’s anything more than a few day nick.

 

[semispear]

FSU is shorthanded without Latson and Turnage. Just eight players. But the Seminoles have only been called for two fouls

Only two offensive boards on 11 misses, but tough to complain about a 15-point lead when the Seminoles are without Latson

Turnage got some mins in the 2nd quarter. First time seeing her play in a few games

 

[semispear]

Does anybody have any idea at all the nature of Latson’s injury?
That’s pretty scary moving fwd if it’s anything more than a few day nick.

She seems to be moving fine on the bench. No visible boots/wraps. The announcers mentioned that she could be back by the end of the ACCT, which sounds like she probably won’t play tomorrow if we advance today.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Yes. Missed that Turnage has returned

Halftime box:

 

[NoleSince1961]

She seems to be moving fine on the bench. No visible boots/wraps. The announcers mentioned that she could be back by the end of the ACCT, which sounds like she probably won’t play tomorrow if we advance today.

Maybe it ends up a hidden blessing if we can manage to win the first 2 without her and then she comes back fresh and ready for game 3.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Looking at FSU's game notes, Turnage missed all of February due to injury

Timpson at 10 points and six rebounds, in position for a 14th double-double

 

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU held Jewel Spear to 11 points in each of the regular season matchups vs. Wake

 

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU is 1 of 10 from the floor, 6 of 6 from the line in 3Q

Still, FSU leads 42-31 with 4:18 left in 3Q

 

[semispear]

Offense having trouble finding a rhythm with Gordon on the bench. Bejedi constantly trying to attack 6-3 defenders isn’t ideal

 

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU once led by 20. Now it's down to five

 

[semispear]

why doesn’t Brooke use timeouts??

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Not sure how that Valenzuela layup didn't fall. But it has been a bizarre 3Q

Wake on a 15-0 run, now tied at 42 with the free throws at 1:09 left in 3Q

Wow

 

[semispear]

OMG what are they doing???

 

[Bob Ferrante]

End of 3Q, and it was an ugly one for FSU

 

[semispear]

And this is where we need Latson. Bejedi trying to do too much and Massengil is just an extra body on the court at this point.

Need to get it into Timpson in the fourth quarter to have a chance.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

OMG what are they doing???

I don't know. But it's not basketball

FSU went 1 of 15 from the floor with four turnovers in 3Q

 

[semispear]

Man what a collapse. Completely different team than we saw in the first half.

 

[semispear]

So much for getting it into Timpson. She has been just as bad. If we can’t get her going without Latson, then we are headed back to Tally tonight.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Spear has all 19 points in the second half

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Frustrating to watch a 20-point lead evaporate

Bejedi just isn't a volume shooter or distributor

 

[semispear]

I expected us to play poorly without Latson but this is pretty embarrassing. Up by 20, of course they are gonna make some sort of run but Brooke refused to call a timeout or make any kind of defensive adjustment.

Bejedi, while a great ball pressure defender, doesn’t have the highest bball IQ which ends in her trying to be a hero going 1-9 today so far

 

[NoleSince1961]

Maybe it ends up a hidden blessing if we can manage to win the first 2 without her and then she comes back fresh and ready for game 3.

So much for that theory lol
We definitely seem to have petered out late in the season, especially our stamina and focus, ability to keep the pedal to the metal… hopefully get the mojo back for the big dance.

 

[waternole]

I expected us to play poorly without Latson but this is pretty embarrassing. Up by 20, of course they are gonna make some sort of run but Brooke refused to call a timeout or make any kind of defensive adjustment.

Bejedi, while a great ball pressure defender, doesn’t have the highest bball IQ which ends in her trying to be a hero going 1-9 today so far

Outscored by 30+ in the 2nd half.
Total collapse.
So much for a good seed in the tourney.
Closing out the year with losses to Clemson and Wake is bad.

 

[JonScott]

Outscored by 30+ in the 2nd half.
Total collapse.
So much for a good seed in the tourney.
Closing out the year with losses to Clemson and Wake is bad.

This team is spent ... and Wykcoff had no answers. Don't expect them to do much in the NCAA tournament.

 

[semispear]

Wake doesn’t even have their starting PG who got hurt yesterday. Credit to the wake coach and Spear who killed us in the 2nd half.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

 

[semispear]

We really don’t play well in Greensboro. I thought maybe it would be different with a new coach but it was worse lol

This team has their issues but the coaching the last three games doesn’t give me any confidence heading into the NCAAT. We are definitely trending down and you could see the disappointment in Latson at the end of the game.

No reason FSU should lose to Wake even without Latson. This a game where Gordon and Timpson should have been the focal points (like we saw in the first half). Gordon sat for much of the second half while Bejedi continued to make ill advised plays.

Just a few weeks ago we were on the line for being a 4-seed and hosting in the postseason but after today we are likely a 7/8 seed.

 

[JonScott]

Wake doesn’t even have their starting PG who got hurt yesterday. Credit to the wake coach and Spear who killed us in the 2nd half.

FSU had one offensive strategy .... get the ball to Timpson ... and this despite the fact that Wake was collapsing two and three players on her every time she touched the ball. Wake figured that FSU could not beat them from outside and they were right.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Wyckoff declines to elaborate postgame about Latson's injury. Says she hopes Ta'Niya will be back for NCAA Tournament. (Wyckoff dances around injury questions like Norvell.)

With first-round games on March 17-18, Latson has time to rehab the injury.

 

[semispear]

I still want to know why Brooke used no timeouts when Wake was on what seemed like a 30-0 run lol??

Optimistically looking forward, we can only hope Latson is 100% in the next two weeks and looks to carry us to a win, maybe two in March.