Florida State let a chance to pick up a road win over a ranked team slip away in the second half at Notre Dame on Thursday. Three days later, the Seminoles dominated in the second half.
Makayla Timpson scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as No. 24 Florida State routed No. 16 Duke 70-57 on Sunday afternoon. Timpson recorded her 11th double-double of the season, shooting 6 of 12 from the floor for the Seminoles (19-5, 8-3 ACC).
“I’ve said it all season but the way this group responds to any kind of adversity or down moment, ie the Notre Dame game, they always find a way to respond,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said.
FSU expanded on a 30-22 halftime lead and pulled away with a 21-12 run in the third period.
FSU won in what was longtime coach Sue Semrau’s return to the Donald L. Tucker Center. Semrau sat in the stands, and Timpson said she could hear her cheering and yelling her name during the game.
“It felt good just to see her face,” Timpson said. “We have been contacting each other. Just seeing her face was amazing. I heard her on the sideline during the game, ‘Yeah! K!’ I didn’t want to look at her and be distracted. But I love that she was at our game.”
Semrau and Wyckoff could also enjoy a tough Seminoles defense that forced Duke to turn it over 18 times and held the Blue Devils to 18 of 71 (25.4 percent) from the floor and 4 of 13 (30.8 percent) from 3-point range.
“I’m really, really proud of our defensive effort,” Wyckoff said. “Coach Sue loves defense and rebounding. And we definitely did that today for her. That’s the culture that she instilled on the basketball floor here and that’s how we grind it out in the ACC.”
The Seminoles shot 24 of 61 (39.3 percent) from the floor. But the Seminoles also picked up 14 offensive rebounds, five by Timpson, and were able to score nine points on second-chance opportunities.
Timpson also got to the line early and often, although she made just 9 of 15 free-throw attempts. The sophomore forward also had her sixth double-double in 10 games, since a Dec. 29 win at North Carolina.
“She’s very talented,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “And the challenge for us was trying to keep her off the offensive glass. She she just kept getting those rebounds, second-chance opportunities. And then the other thing I thought she did well was draw fouls. Getting to the free-throw line 15 times shows I think her work. She was definitely a difference maker.”
Ta’Niya Latson scored 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting.
Duke slipped to 18-3, 8-2.
