TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 5, 1975. That was the last time the Hatters beat the Seminoles in men's basketball, that was until last night's 83-74 win over Florida State in the Donald L. Tucker Center.

"It was a great win tonight for our program and university," head coach Donnie Jones said "Our team embraced playing together and finding a way to win. I am so proud of our guys."

After a slow start with a feeling out process, the Hatters started to wrest control of the contest. Down 12-11 with 12:46 left in the first half, Luke Brown subbed in. The sophomore transfer missed his first jump shot, but quickly found rhythm as he drained five-of-six from beyond the arc. The Hatters continually fed the hot hand recording an assist on each make, Cyncier Harrison with a pair, Stephan Swenson with a couple and Sam Peek adding the fifth.

"Coach Jones instilled a lot of confidence in me before the game," Brown said "He told me to let it fly and not to worry about misses. Having a coach who gives you the freedom to shoot goes a long way. Also, it was a big game on a big stage, I live for that. That's why I play the game. I always expect myself to shoot well on the biggest stage. Also, I give all the glory to God. I have put in countless hours in the gym, I work extremely hard at my craft. But the Man above deserves the glory."

The offense continued to click as the Hatters piled up 44 first-half points and took a seven-point advantage to the locker room.

The Seminoles struck back in the second half after trading buckets, FSU cut the advantage to four, 48-44, with 17:22. It was at that exact and one when Brown subbed back in. On the following possession, Brown nailed a three. While the home team kept it close, Stetson had a double-digit lead when Aubin Gateretse knocked down a jumper with 14:09 left, 57-46.

"This game was an all-around team effort," Brown continued "Every single guy on our roster stepped up and provided for us. I felt like we had a great game plan going into the game and executed very well."

The advantage swelled up to 13, 61-48, before the Seminoles started chopping into the scoreboard, charging to get within three, 68-65, with 4:44 in the second half off a jump shot by Caleb Mills, but the Hatters answered the bell. On the following possession, Alvin Tumblin threw down a dunk to extend the margin to five. After an FSU made free throw, Wheza Panzo collected a miss following and the ball found its way to the senior Canadian international and he drained his fourth three of the game [73-66]. The Hatters kept their composure and made veteran college basketball plays to hold off the Seminoles down the stretch in a historic 83-74 victory.

"The message is that we belong," Brown said about the takeaways from tonight "We belong with the best of the best. We're a special team that will only get better as the season progresses."

Brown's seven made threes is one make short of tying the school record for a single game; that mark has been tied as recently as 2021. This is the first road-opening win since Western Illinois on November 9, 2019. This is the first win over an ACC foe since an 89-79 win at Wake Forest November 12, 2010.

Stetson will return home with Johnson making the trip to the Edmunds Center to face the Hatters. That game is scheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.