Florida State showed off a tall, athletic and skilled team in its home exhibition opener on Saturday. And the Seminoles picked up a second win over an SEC opponent.
Cincinnati transfer Shon Abaev led FSU with 26 points, drilling 5 of 8 three-pointers, as FSU took an 89-87 win over LSU. Abaev had 13 points in the second half, including three of four free-throw attempts late.
Missouri transfer Anthony Robinson II deflected the inbounds pass with two seconds left, stealing it as the Seminoles held on.
The Seminoles led 58-44 before the Tigers stormed back to tie the game at 73 with 3:17 to go.
LSU fouled down the stretch, but FSU finished 14 of 17 (82.4 percent) from the line.
Elisse Assui, a guard from Italy, had 10 of his 11 points in the second half for the Seminoles. He added five rebounds.
UNC Asheville transfer Kam Taylor had 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting. He added six rebounds.
FSU went 2-0 vs SEC teams in the exhibition slate, following up a win over Auburn at Birmingham last week.
“I like that we’re playing terrible and we still beat two SEC teams,” FSU coach Luke Loucks said. “Neither of those wins are going to show up. We’re going to start 0-0 just like everyone else in the country. We have so much room to grow as a team, especially on the defensive side.”
Here are some takeaways:
++ Abaev shot 8 of 16 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and 5 of 8 from the line. He also ran the point for long stretches of the game and had five assists.
++ Alex Steen came off the bench just a few minutes into the game to applause from the fans. Just days after winning his appeal, Steen had a put-back basket and later had an alleyoop dunk in the first half.
Steen gave FSU production early in 12 minutes, adding four rebounds. He finished with seven points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. FSU now has depth in the front court, including Marcis Ponder and Cooper Schwieger, but there’s no doubting the coaches love Steen’s energy as well as familiarity with the offensive and defensive principles.
++ Loucks mentioned in the preseason that FSU lost about seven games because it didn’t pull down enough rebounds in the front court. Height is not much of a problem with the 2026-27 team, and the Seminoles held a considerable rebounding edge (42-37). Marcis Ponder led FSU with seven rebounds.
“It’s encouraging. But I tell our guys don’t drink the Kool Aid,” Loucks said. “You got to show up every day to work. That’s why we work on our rebounding every day. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. It takes heart, it takes commitment, it takes some grittiness. That’s why we work on it. We have the size and we have the capability. Now you have to have the spirit to do it every day.”
FSU also capitalized on the offensive glass, grabbing 13 rebounds and turning those into 19 second-chance points.
++ The Seminoles have a few injuries but went 10 deep on Saturday. FSU started Abaev, Robinson II, Taylor, Ponder and Sebastian Rancik. Steen, Schwieger, Martay Barnes, Brandon Bass Jr. and Elisee Assui came off the bench.
++ The highlight reel play of the day might have been Rancik’s early drive and finish with a tomahawk jam. Rancik had 13 points, shooting 4 of 12 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Up next
FSU will play Florida A&M at Tampa on Nov. 3 at 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU) to open the regular season. Florida and Miami will play in the first game of the doubleheader.
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