Taylor Bol Bowen scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Florida State beat Syracuse 90-74 for its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season Saturday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
Jamir Watkins scored 16 as he hit double figures in the 11th straight game for the Seminoles (10-4, 1-2 ACC). Daquan Davis tallied 18 points and Malique Ewin notched 14.
FSU spoiled JJ Starling’s return to the Syracuse starting lineup. Starling scored 12 after missing seven games due to a broken hand he sustained in practice on Dec. 2. He was averaging 19.8 points per game prior to the injury.
The Orange (6-8, 0-3) are still searching for their first conference win despite a big day by Chris Bell, who drilled all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with 18 points. Donnie Freeman paired 16 points with 10 rebounds, while Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Lucas Taylor added 10 points apiece.
Up by two at the half, FSU started the second half strong, leading 46-39 after Justin Thomas drilled a 3-pointer with 17:35 left in the game.
Ewin reached double figures for the 11th consecutive game when he threw down a dunk off an alley-oop moments later as the Seminoles surged in front 48-39.
A jumper in the corner by Jerry Deng with 10:53 to play gave FSU its first double-digit lead of the day at 63-53.
Bostyn Holt’s layup pushed the Seminoles’ lead to 13 with 8:26 left, and the Orange never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Both teams were playing their first game of 2025 and it was a tight first half, featuring 12 lead changes and five ties.
After falling behind 12-10, the Seminoles went on an 8-0 run capped by Watkins’ layup with 13:29 left before halftime.
Bell eventually tied the game at 21 after hitting three free throws and Syracuse took a 24-23 lead on Bell’s 3-pointer with 8:34 remaining, ending a drought of nearly four minutes without a field goal.
FSU brought the home crowd to life when Ewin threw down a dunk off an alley-oop that gave the Seminoles a 31-26 advantage with four minutes to play in the half.
Davis’ 3-pointer with 24 seconds left gave FSU a 36-34 lead at the break.
–Field Level Media
