Florida State men’s basketball (7-6) closed out the first half of its season in style Monday night, rolling past Jacksonville (5-8) 87-63 at the Donald L. Tucker Center for its second straight win.
The victory gave first-year head coach Luke Loucks exactly what he wanted heading into the holiday break, which is momentum and a winning record before the Seminoles dive into a two-game gauntlet against ACC heavyweights No. 12 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke.
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FSU delivered one of its cleanest games of the season. The Seminoles moved the ball fluidly by gathering 19 assists and attacking the boards with 44 rebounds all night in what some might argue was their most complete game of the season.
Four of FSU’s starters scored in double figures. Senior guard Martin Somerville set the tone early, hitting three 3-pointers on his way to 13 first-half points as the Seminoles built a 43-21 lead at the break. Somerville finished with a game-high 23 points.
Chauncey Wiggins added 16 points, while Thomas Bassong chipped in 12 and eight rebounds.
FSU wasted no time extending its lead in the second half. LaJae Jones, who scored 10 points, brought the crowd to its feet with back-to-back two-handed dunks in transition. The Seminoles led by 30 less than five minutes into the half.
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Robert McCray V plays facilitator against former team
Guard Robert McCray V faced his former team but focused on distributing rather than scoring.
McCray, who ranks 10th nationally in assists at 6.8 per game, finished with 10 points, five rebounds and several key setups.
ACC Play Looms With UNC, Duke on Deck
After the holiday break, FSU will open ACC play with two marquee matchups. The Seminoles travel to Chapel Hill to face No. 12
North Carolina on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. FSU then returns home to host No. 6 Duke on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 3:45 p.m.
Florida State men’s basketball’s schedule
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Dec. 22 – Jacksonville W, 87-63.
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Dec. 30 or 31 at North Carolina at 7 p.m.
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Jan. 3 vs. Duke at 3:45 p.m.
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Jan. 10 vs. NC State at Noon
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Jan 13 at Syracuse at 9 p.m.
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Jan. 17 vs. Wake Forest at 6 p.m.
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Jan. 20 at Miami at 7 p.m.
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Jan. 28 vs. California at 7 p.m.
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Jan. 31 vs. Stanford vs. 6 p.m.
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Feb. 7 at Notre Dame at 4 p.m.
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Feb. 10 vs. Virginia at 7 p.m.
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Feb. 14 at Virginia Tech at 2 p.m.
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Feb. 17 or 18 vs. Boston College at 6 p.m.
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Feb. 21 or 26 at Clemson at Noon
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Feb. 24 or 25 vs. Miami at 9 p.m.
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March 4 at Pittsburgh at 9 p.m.
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March 7 vs. SMU at 2 p.m.
More: FSU basketball’s Luke Loucks receives coaching advice from Leonard Hamilton
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Martin Somerville leads FSU basketball past JU ahead of ACC Showdowns
