Feb. 7, 2002
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Behind 16 strong points from senior April Traylor,
the Florida State women's basketball team defeated Maryland 60-55 in ACC
action, Thursday night at the Leon County Civic Center. FSU improved to
12-11 overall and 3-9 in the ACC while the Terrapins fell to 10-13 overall
and 3-9 in league play.
"I'm really proud of the team and how they really worked to overcome
adversity," FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. "I think the wall kept getting
taller and taller that we were going to have to hurdle to come out with a
win. That was a great basketball game and a great team effort on our team's
part and I'm just really proud of how they've handled things that have been
very difficult for us as of late."
After scoring the first two points of the half, the Seminoles fell behind
9-2, but FSU scored seven of the game's next nine points to pull within two
at 11-9 at the 10:21 mark. Maryland held onto the lead until the Tribe
forced a tie at 17-17 and then went ahead 19-17 with just over five minutes
remaining. The Terps, however, didn't back down and regained the lead and
went up, 25-20. The Seminoles' team work, however, brought FSU back.
Lakesha Springle hit a jumper and then Tasheika Morris, who led the team
with 12 first-half points, made a free throw and then hit a three-pointer on
FSU's next possession to give the Seminoles a 26-25 lead. Florida State
went into the locker room leading 28-27. FSU shot 35 percent in the first
half but had an 18-15 edge on the boards over the Terrapins, who shot 40
percent for the half. FSU's Springle, who stands at 5-3, led the team with
six rebounds. Maryland was led by Deedee Warley's eight points.
In the second half, Maryland scored first and regained the lead and held on
to it until 3:44 left in the game. The Seminoles, though, who recorded 10
steals in the game and controlled the boards the entire contest, never let
the Terrapins gain control of the game. Maryland pulled ahead by five twice
in the first five minutes of the second half, but FSU didn't panic and
pulled to within five times before finally forcing a tie at 49-49 with 4:39
left. Then Traylor, who was an absolute warrior as she scored all of her
game-high points in the final 20 minutes, hit a three-pointer at the 3:44
mark to give the Seminoles the lead for good. The Terps didn't go down
without a fight. After FSU took its largest lead at 56-51, Maryland scored
four straight points to get within one, but Springle and Traylor hit free
throws down the stretch for the win.
FSU shot a much-improved 44 percent in the second half for 40 percent for
the game and went 18-for-22 from the charity stripe for 82 percent. Led by
Morris' game-high 10 rebounds, the Seminoles had a 33-29 advantage in
rebounding. Morris recorded her third double-double of the year, adding 12
points to her effort. Springle snagged eight boards of her own. It was
truly a team-effort as seven players scored at least six points for the Tribe.
Maryland was led by Renneika Razor, who had 13 points, while Jamecca Harrell
grabbed six rebounds to lead the Terps.
