The Florida State Seminoles got by the Ohio Bobcats, 90-81 on Monday to earn fourth place in the 8-team Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. FSU had to come from behind in the second half to run their record to 4-1.
After taking a 45-40 lead at halftime, the Seminoles saw Ohio go on an 8-0 run to take a 62-59 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Malik Beasley responded with a 3-pointer for FSU to tie the game 40 seconds later.
Florida State slowly built the lead to 10 at 81-71 with 2:35 left. They hit 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to keep the Bobcats at bay.
Dwayne Bacon led FSU with 25 points, while Beasley chipped in with 22. Boris Bojanovsky contributed 14 while Xavier Rathan-Mayes also added 14 points to go along with a team-high 6 assists.
Jordan Dartis had 24 points, Kenny Kaminski 18 and Antonio Campbell had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ohio shot 50 percent from the field and made 10 of 24 three-point attempts.
Florida State shot 54.4 percent from the field and connected on 5 of 13 three-point attempts. They outrebounded the Bobcats, 33-27.
The fourth place finish was not what Coach Leonard Hamilton had in mind, but it is a nice consolation after the disappointing loss to Hofstra in the tournament opener on Friday. Saturday’s 83-67 victory over DePaul set up Monday’s meeting with Ohio.
The Seminoles have 9 days off before their next game. They travel to Iowa City, Iowa to face the Iowa Hawkeyes as part of the ACC vs. Big 10 Challenge.
