Florida State's big lead going into the second half evaporated with point guards Robert McCray V and Martin Somerville in foul trouble.
The Seminoles survived cold patches throughout the final 20 minutes, including a drought without a made shot from the floor in the final 2:59 of the game, but FSU held on for a 63-61 win over California on Wednesday night.
Lajae Jones rebounded a miss on FSU’s final possession and made the second free throw with 9.8 seconds left. Cal then set up for a final shot.
Justin Pippen scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half but missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds for Cal. Pippen is the son of NBA All-Star Scottie Pippen.
“I told AD Michael Alford walking out of the locker room that I don't know how, but I've become Leonard Hamilton. It was the first to 63 tonight,” FSU coach Luke Loucks said. “If you would have told me after the preseason that we would win a game 63-61, we would shoot 1 for 8 in the second half from three and miss 10 free throws and win the game, I would have called you a liar. But here we are.
“And honestly, it's a good message and a good reminder for our guys, there's two sides of the basketball. You have to get stops. You have to rebound the ball, regardless of what's going on on offense. And I thought for the most part, despite some stretches in the second half, we did that tonight.”
Chauncey Wiggins had 13 of his 18 points in the first half to lead FSU (9-12, 2-6 ACC). Wiggins shot 7 of 9 from the floor and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
FSU nearly gave the game away with seven misses from the free-throw line in the last 7 minutes, 44 seconds in the second half.
“I told our guys, 'That's how you lose close games. You lose close games by missing free throws, by turning the ball over down the stretch, and by playing undisciplined,' “ Loucks said. “And we tried to give that game away. We missed a lot of free throws. We were undisciplined defensively, and we turned the ball over in key moments.”
FSU enjoyed its biggest home win of the season as Cal was ranked No. 65 coming into the night by KenPom. The Seminoles' biggest win came at Miami a week earlier.
Jones had nine points and eight rebounds but shot just 3 of 14 from the floor and was 3 of 6 from the free-throw line.
FSU had opened up a big lead late in the first half. The Seminoles went on a 16-2 run and extended the lead to 34-21 as they enjoyed a considerable lead at the half.
But the lead slipped away, in part as foul trouble for both teams mounted. McCray picked up his fourth foul with 8:05 to go and had to sit for long periods, with Somerville running the point.
The Seminoles were hot early, making 9 of 18 shots from inside the arc in the first half. But FSU finished flat on the night, making just 23 of 63 shots (36.5 percent) from the floor.
Chris Bell also had 13 points for Cal (15-6, 3-5).
But FSU hung on as Cal missed its last six shots, allowing the Seminoles to exhale with a victory.
Up next
FSU plays host to Stanford on Saturday at 6 p.m.
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