 had not won this many consecutive league games since joining the conference before the 1991-92 season. They won 11 straight Metro Conference games in 1977-78.Florida State used its size, strength and speed to keep the run going against the Tigers, holding on after seeing an 18-point edge cut to 59-52 with eight minutes left. That's as close as Clemson (15-11, 5-8) would get in dropping its third in a row and getting swept by Florida State for the second time in three seasons.Kabengele led the way on both sides of the ball. He hit 9 of 13 from the field, blocked two shots, and his rebounds were a season high. Then again, Clemson had trouble stopping much of anything Florida State did around the basket. The Seminoles' starting center in 7-foot-4 Christ Koumadje went 4-of-6 shooting for 10 points with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.Florida State's monthlong run of success began with a 77-68 win over Clemson in Tallahassee, Florida, on Jan. 22 and doesn't show any signs of ending - especially if the Seminoles keep playing like this.The Seminoles took control after Clemson closed to 23-21 on Marcquise Reed's 3-pointer with 6:18 left in the half. Florida then went on a 15-2 surge the rest of the half with Kabengele hitting three buckets and Walker landing a 3-pointer.When Trent Forrest got his off-balance push shot on a drive to the basket to go right before the buzzer sounded, Florida State went to the locker room ahead 38-23. The lead grew as large as 18.Forrest finished with 14 points.Reed had 20 points to lead Clemson.BIG PICTUREFlorida State: The Seminoles' offense was relentless with guard Trent Forrest and Terance Mann pushing the ball at the basket where their bigger teammates like Kabengele and Koumadje took control. It's a formula that works well in the postseason where Florida State reached the NCAA's round of eight last year.Clemson: The Tigers came into the season ranked and with high expectations after their NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 a year ago. But the team of four senior starters appeared way out of synch in this one. Clemson has had two three-game losing streaks in ACC play and may have to do something remarkable for make another appearance in the Big Dance.UP NEXTFlorida State ends a three-game road swing at North Carolina on Saturday.Clemson plays Boston College at home Saturday.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 18, 2019There's no denying that Florida State is on a roll as it heads into the home stretch of its Atlantic Coast Conference season.Coach Leonard Hamilton's team has won seven consecutive league games -- matching the school record -- entering Tuesday night's game at Clemson."Playing ACC opponents, even at home, is challenging, and going on the road, it's even more difficult," Hamilton said.The game at Clemson will be the second of three ACC road games in an eight-day span for the 16th-ranked Seminoles, who are 20-5 overall, including 8-4 in league play, and would appear to be a lock for their third straight NCAA Tournament berth.Florida State is coming off a 69-47 win at Georgia Tech and will play at No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday."Road wins are very important with the new evaluation the NCAA is using now," said Hamilton, who has guided the Seminoles to a fourth straight 20-win season and their ninth in 11 years.Coincidentally, Florida State's current seven-game winning streak began on Jan. 22 with a 77-68 victory against Clemson, a game in which the Seminoles trailed by six points at halftime and rallied late behind 45.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.The key to Florida State's recent success has been getting contributions from multiple players. Nine different players have led the Seminoles in scoring this season, and senior center Christ Koumadje is coming off back-to-back double-doubles."Christ has found his niche," Hamilton said. "The guys are finding him and they have confidence in him."Our players use the term that we're '18 strong.' We're winning games by committee. And with three road games in 1/8eight days 3/8, we need to stay as fresh as we can and have as many guys contribute as possible." Clemson, meanwhile, is struggling to stay on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Tigers (15-10, 5-7) have lost two in a row in gut-wrenching fashion -- consecutive losses at Miami and then-No. 16 Louisville, both by a single point."I've been teased about how many black cats have walked in front of us and how many ladders have I walked under," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "I've heard it all the last couple of days. We've had some chances to do some things to close out games -- make more free throws, make a shot or two -- and we haven't been able to do that. You've just got to keep trusting in your players." The Tigers already have lost as many games as they did last season, when they finished 25-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16.Clemson defeated Florida State last season at home, 76-63, but the Tigers have lost five of their last six games against the Seminoles.Still, the Tigers have a chance to close with a flourish. Four of Clemson's six remaining regular-season games will be at home, including both against ranked opponents (Florida State on Tuesday, and then No. 8 North Carolina on March 2)."I believe in our guys," Brownell said. "Our guys are really playing hard and really trying to compete, and that's why your heart hurts for them, because you've watched them work. You want good things to happen for your guys."We've had our heart ripped out a couple of times. We've got to find a way to win a couple of these close ones. We've just got to do it." --Field Level Media
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