Cam Miles scored 17 points and Florida State forced 26 turnovers while pulling away from UT Martin for an 87-73 win on Tuesday in Tallahassee, Fla.
Miles, a freshman who scored 18 total points in his first three games combined, shot a very efficient 7-for-10, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and added three assists. He scored 15 of his points in the second half.
Robert McCray V produced 12 of his 16 points in the first half, hitting four 3-pointers and dishing seven assists for the Seminoles (3-1). Alex Steen added 13 points and seven rebounds while Lajae Jones and AJ Swinton each added 12 points.
Five different Seminoles had three-plus steals, led by four from Martin Somerville. Florida State finished with 19 steals, turned UT Martin’s 26 turnovers into 33 points and turned it over just six times.
Andrija Bukumirovic posted his second double-double of the season for the Skyhawks (3-1) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Matas Deniusas added 11 points, and Dragos Lungu logged 10 points and eight boards.
At the end of a back-and-forth first half that featured seven ties and nine lead changes, the Seminoles led 43-40 at the break. While Florida State shot just 39.5% from the floor, 35% from 3-point range and 50% from the free-throw line over the opening 20 minutes, it led because it turned 12 UT Martin turnovers into 17 points.
After never leading by more than six points in the first half, Florida State opened the second half on a 16-2 run to take a 59-42 lead with 15:23 left.
The Skyhawks cut the deficit to as little as seven points with 6:15 to play, but Jones responded with three free throws in quick succession to extend the margin to double digits once again.
Jones made 7 of 10 free-throw attempts while the rest of the Florida State players were a combined 6 of 13 (46.2%).
Miles scored nine points over the final 4:28 to deny UT Martin’s final comeback attempt, when the Skyhawks cut the deficit to 79-71 with 3:17 left.
