Stetson Springs Opening Night Upset on Florida State

The win snapped Stetson’s 18-game losing streak against the Seminoles, who hadn’t lost to the Hatters in Tallahassee since 1953.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Luke Brown scored 27 points on 7-for-11 shooting from 3-point range and Stetson beat Florida State 83-74 in a season opener Monday night.

The win snapped Stetson’s 18-game losing streak to Florida State. The Seminoles hadn’t lost to Stetson in Tallahassee since 1953. It was the first meeting between the two schools since Dec. 22, 2014.

Brown, a sophomore transfer from Ball State, made all 14 3s in 18 games last year with the Cardinals.

The Hatters led most of the way including the entire second half. Brown’s 3-pointer with 11:48 before halftime made it 14-12 in favor of Stetson and they led for the remainder.

Brown followed with another 3, and that started a 20-4 run that extended the lead to 34-16 with 7:13 before intermission.

Caleb Mills converted a three-point play early in the second half to bring the Seminoles within 48-44 before Brown promptly responded with another 3.

Stephan Swenson sank a pair of foul shots and Stetson pushed the margin back to double figures with 13:09 remaining before Florida State made a final push.

The Seminoles used a 17-7 run to draw within 3 on layups by Jalen Warley and Mills with 4:44 left, but Alvin Tumblin threw down a dunk for a 70-66 lead and closed the door on FSU.

Matthew Cleveland led Florida State with 16 points.