FSU Basketball chokes down the stretch against Boston College, falls 77-76

Florida State falls on the road in shocking fashion.

February 1, 2025, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts - Florida State Seminoles Forward Jamir Watkins (1) brings the ball upcourt against the Boston College Eagles / Florida State Seminoles Athletics

Florida State entered Saturday's game against Boston College on a three-game losing streak, but they'd have to do it in an arena they've won in just once since 2017. Chestnut Hill has not always treated the Seminoles kindly, but Boston College doesn't have a great team this year.

It was another sleepy start offensively for Florida State, as they missed their first five shots of the game. They'd pick it up from there, though. Malique Ewin cleaned up a miss from Jerry Deng, who left the game with an ankle injury, to finally break open the lid, and FSU was able to generate consistent offense thanks to Jamir Watkins.

Chandler Jackson's reinsertion to the starting lineup was big for both sides of the ball, but AJ Swinton returning to the hardwood was arguably the biggest difference. He was starting to figure things out before going down against Pitt and had missed the last four games. In the first half of this game, he had two big threes and two rebounds as helped Florida State build a 41-36 halftime lead.

Both teams shot the ball well from three in the first half but were struggling from inside the arc. FSU was 5/9 from three and just 7/21 inside the arc in the first half, and Ewin specifically couldn't get anything going.

Until the second half. Ewin got going in the second. Florida State started to pull away in the first seven minutes of the second half thanks to eight points, five rebounds, and a beautiful assist from Ewin. That spurt was exactly what the Seminoles were needing, as they broke open a 13-point lead by the under-12 media timeout.

It was apparent that it wasn't BC's half when they jumped a passing lane for a steal, had a wide-open breakaway dunk, missed the dunk, and the possession ended in a shot clock violation. Not sure I've ever seen that. But Donald Hand Jr. refused to let BC die because of that, hitting a tough turn-around jumped over Ewin in the lane before knocking in a contested transition three to get the Eagles back within six near the under-eight media timeout.

Florida State went nearly ten minutes without a made basket, from the 13:22 mark to the 3:36 mark. Despite that, they were able to get to the line, make nine free throws, and play fantastic defense to keep BC at arm's length. BC got it down to four with 7:17 left, but FSU could always keep it a two-score lead, for most of the second half.

A three-point play by Donald Hand Jr. got the lead down to five with 48 seconds to play, then got a steal and a timeout on an inbounds with 35.5 seconds remaining. They'd be able to get to the three-throw line, going 2/2, making it a three-point game with 30.3 to go.

Ewin would be the recipient of the inbounds pass, who was fouled immediately, and a 62.5% free-throw shooter made both. An and-one by Fred Payne got the lead down to two with 15.8 to go. Again, Ewin would be fouled, and he'd go 2/2 again, making it 76-72 with 14.2 remaining.

Chad Venning cleaned up a miss to get them within two, AJ Swinton turned it over on the inbounds, and Chas Kelley III hit a fading three from well beyond the line with 4.8 seconds to go to give BC the lead. Daquan Davis would be blocked driving to the basket, and that would do it, as BC completed the comeback 77-76.

Florida State led by 15 in the second half, by 8 with 50 seconds left, by 7 with 44 seconds left, and by 4 with 14 seconds left. And lost in regulation. I don't even know how to describe this kind of collapse besides embarrassing, inexcusable, and ridiculous.

Jamir Watkins led FSU with 19 points, followed closely by Malique Ewin's 18 points and nine rebounds. AJ Swinton, with 10 points, was the only other Seminole in double figures. Florida State shot just 20/52 (38.5%) from the floor, countering their 30/39 from the free-throw line. BC's only offense was the three-point shot where they went 11/27 (40.7%).

Donald Hand Jr. scored a career-high 31 points for Boston College. Fred Payne with 14 points was the only other Eagle to score more than seven points.

Florida State comes back home to play Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's performance.

READ MORE: Florida State defensive end signee upgraded to five-star recruit

1. AJ Swinton's Importance... But Disappointment Late

Florida State Seminoles forward AJ Swinton reacts after a play during the second half against the Rice Owls at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Swinton is a solid freshman, and he was starting to figure things out before he went down with his injury against Pitt in mid-January. He picked up right where he left off, playing great defense, hustling, and knocking down a few three-pointers as he finished with 10 points. But he had an AWFUL turnover in the final seconds, costing Florida State.

2. Malique Ewin's Second Half Stretch

Florida State Seminoles forward Malique Ewin passes the ball as Miami Hurricanes forward Brandon Johnson (2) defends during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Ewin was clearly frustrated in FSU's game against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, and BC did a good job of taking him away in the first half of this game, but he came out focused in the second half. His stretch of eight points and five rebounds in the first seven minutes of the half. His focus comes and goes, but when he's dialed in, he's as talented of a player as there is in the ACC. And, credit to him, he made all eight of his free-throws, including four in the clutch. Somehow, those didn't matter.

3. Questions to Answer

Florida State Seminoles guard Jamir Watkins shoots the ball during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

This was going to be something else until Florida State collapsed down the stretch. This isn't a smart basketball team due to inexperience, among many other things, but there were so many easy mistakes that cost them this game: fouling in the final minute, horrific passes, going for a tie-up and failing, not calling timeouts... There were so many ways to not lose this game, yet Florida State still found a way to lose. That strong start to the season they got off to is all for naught now.

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