Shon Abaev leads the way with 26 points as FSU flipped an early deficit against LSU in an 89-87 win.
Florida State hosted LSU in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Center. A solid crowd showed up, and a handful of blue-chip recruits were in the building to watch both teams work.
First Half
LSU jumped on the Seminoles right away, ripping off an 8-0 run led by Donovan Dent that forced an early timeout from Luke Loucks. FSU answered quickly, took the lead shortly after and never gave it back the rest of the half. A highlight-reel dunk from Sebastian Rancik sparked the run and gave the ‘Noles some real momentum. From there it was pretty smooth sailing. Marcis Ponder picked up early fouls and had to sit, but Alex Steen, fresh off gaining eligibility, stepped in for him and made an immediate impact. His hustle plays and defensive stops helped create better looks on the other end. Shon Abaev caught fire from deep, knocking down two threes in under a minute, and finished the half leading the way with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. FSU shot 40.7% from the field in the first half and protected the ball well, heading into the break up 38-31.
Second Half
It stayed back-and-forth early before FSU ripped off an 11-2 run that pushed the lead to 14 at one point. Abdi Bashir Jr. checked in and immediately hit a pair of threes to give the Tigers some life, but Kameron Taylor answered with a strong stretch, going 4-of-5 for nine points in the half. LSU refused to go away and tied the game with 3:20 left. Elisee Assui, who was quiet in the last exhibition against Auburn, came up big all second half. He scored an and-1 layup to put FSU back in front, and Abaev followed with a three off an inbounds play to beat the shot clock. After a wild final minute filled with fouls and contested shots, it was 89-86. Anthony Robinson II then got hit with an flagrant foul, sending Dent to the line for a two free throws, giving LSU a chance to tie or win. On the final possession, Robinson made it back up with a steal of the inbound pass to seal the 89-87 win.
Takeaways
- Alex Steen was a major piece of the first-half comeback. You could feel the difference when he was on the floor. He looked like a true leader of this young group and should be a key piece once the regualar season starts.
- Marcis Ponder needs to stay out of foul trouble. Loucks said it himself Thursday. “(Ponder) could lead the country in rebounding if he stays out of foul trouble.” He scored FSU’s first basket on an offensive rebound and putback, then picked up two quick fouls and sat most of the first half. It’s fixable, and the upside is obvious once the games start counting but it’s the type of thing FSU may have to deal with from a freshman big.
- Elisee Assui was the dark-horse performance of the day. After barely playing against Auburn, he was the glue guy FSU needed — drawing charges, grabbing boards, and scoring all 11 of his points in the second half, including a pair of threes.
- Shon Abaev is fun to watch…in stretches. He can create his own shot from anywhere, especially beyond the arc, and has the tools to lead this team in scoring. The heat checks and questionable shot selection still show up too often. He doesn’t need to lose that aggressiveness, but finding a better pace and picking his spots will go a long way.
Will Wade’s super-senior collection made it interesting late, but FSU did enough to close it out. Exhibition or not, the close game and the contributions from Steen, Assui, and Abaev give Loucks some real things to build on heading into the regular season.