Tallahassee, Fla. ? An offensive awakening, a season-high 43.1% shooting percentage and a 33-32 advantage in rebounding was not enough for the Hatters to defeat Florida State Friday night in Tallahassee. In the end an intense Seminole defense and a few key 3-pointers coming down the stretch allowed the home team to secure the win 72-59. For the game Stetson turned the ball over 18 times leading to 14 FSU steals
Junior Eric Diaz led the way for Stetson with a season-high 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Diaz was the catalyst early on scoring 12 of the Hatters' first 14 points including a pair of 3-pointers. Senior J.J. Hirst joined in and was a perfect 2-for-2 in the first half including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. Stetson went into the break down 29-21.
“Eric was fantastic tonight... a warrior on the boards”, said Head Coach Derek Waugh. “(Kris) Thomas came around offensively and A.J. (Smith) and Brandon (Williams) did a good job considering the intense pressure they were under.”
Thomas and Stetson's leading scorer Garfield Blair also scored in double-figures finishing the game with 13 points. Thomas was 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from the line. Diaz, Thomas and Hirst led the team with five rebounds each.
“We have had some guys on and some guys off all season”, said Waugh. “We need to get everyone on the same page.”
“We did a great job holding them (FSU) down. They have been averaging around 80 points a game. Without their late run we would have kept them down around 60 (points)” he added.
Stetson entered the game ranked #1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring defense. The Hatters have held their opponents to 68.3 points per game; an average that has been generated against a very tough early-season schedule.
Stetson has played FSU 48 times over the years and now has a record of 11-37. The last time the Hatters defeated the Seminoles was 63-54 in 1975. It was the final game of the first season in the Edmunds Center. It also completed a perfect 16-0 home record in 1974-75 under head coach Glenn Wilkes.
Stetson (2-6) will return to the court Monday, December 3 when they travel to Daytona for a rematch with Bethune-Cookman. Stetson defeated the Wildcats 62-51 at home on November 21.
