Virginia Knocks Off No. 5 Florida State
Postgame Quotes – Florida State | Postgame Notes – Florida State | Boxscore
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (14-6, 6-4 ACC) took down No. 5 Florida State (17-3, 7-2 ACC) on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. It was the first time since 2013 that and unranked Virginia team has defeated a top-five team.
The Cavaliers were down 56-53 with 2:13 to go and finished the game on an 8-0 run to take the win. Three players scored in double figures for Virginia, as the team shot 43.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range.
Mamadi Diakite (Conakry, Guinea, Africa) led UVA with 19 points and added nine rebounds. Kihei Clark (Woodland Hills, Calif.) had 15 points, going 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Braxton Key (Charlotte, N.C.) added 13 points and nine rebounds. Devin Vassell led FSU with 17 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida State opened the game with an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of play. Key put UVA on the board at the 16:40 mark with a layup. Down 14-8, the Cavaliers went on a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 18-16. The teams saw four ties before the Seminoles took a 28-27 advantage into halftime.
Diakite hit back-to-back threes early in the second half to put UVA back in front. Virginia was leading 37-32 when FSU took the lead back with a 10-2 run. Clark scored on an and-one and hit four consecutive free throws to swing the lead back into UVA’s favor, 48-47, with 6:14 to play. Florida State took a three-point lead after an and-one fell on the other end. Virginia cut it to one twice before the Seminoles made it a 56-53 game with 2:13 remaining. Jay Huff (Durham, N.C.) scored on an alley-oop form Clark, then Clark hit a layup for UVA to take the final lead. Virginia was 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO
Mamadi Diakite was 6-for-10 from the field, including going 3-for-3 beyond the arc and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Diakite added nine rebounds and a block.
UP NEXT
Virginia will remain home to host Clemson on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. The game will be broadcast on Regional Sports Network.