Hofstra Pride at Florida State Seminoles

Hofstra surprises Florida State 82-77 in Paradise Jam

"This place," Mihalich said, "is almost too nice."

His concerns were unneeded. His team was more than ready to get Hofstra's biggest win in years.

Brian Bernardi scored 24 points, and Hofstra had an answer to every Florida State rally on the way to stunning the Seminoles 82-77 on Friday in the opening round of the Paradise Jam. The Pride had lost their last 14 games going back to 2006 against teams from major conferences, and hadn't beaten an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since 1998.

"It's great for our program," Bernardi said. "We worked so hard this summer and it just means everything to us."

But Florida State (2-1) never got over the hump, and Hofstra led for the game's final 27 minutes.

Malik Beasley led the Seminoles (2-1) with 25 points, 18 in the second half. He was 4-for-8 from 3-point range; the rest of the Seminoles were 2-for-17 from long range.

Boris Bojanovsky and Devon Bookert each scored 11 for Florida State, which got 10 from Xavier Rathan-Mayes. The Seminoles started quickly and got out to a 12-6 lead, but the rest of the day belonged to Hofstra.

"Our guys, they want this kind of a challenge," Mihalich said. "It's why they work so hard."

TIP-INS

Hofstra: The Pride had been 0-3 against Florida State. ... Temperature at game time on Hofstra's campus in Hempstead, New York: 49 degrees, or a mere 30 degrees chillier than what it was in the Virgin Islands. ... Hofstra had 12 steals, the most it has posted in any of its last 52 games going back to January 2014.

Florida State: The Seminoles scored 207 points in their first two games on 61 percent shooting; they shot 40 percent on Friday. ... Florida State has now dropped its last two contests against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association, after losing to Northeastern last November. ... The Seminoles had only nine assists, and they're now 1-9 in their last 10 games when they fail to have more than 10.

UP NEXT

Hofstra: South Carolina in the Paradise Jam semifinals, Sunday.

Florida State: DePaul in the Paradise Jam consolation round, Saturday.

How can I watch Hofstra vs. Florida State?

• TV Channel: Hofstra at Florida State 2021 College Basketball, week 2, is broadcasted on CBSSN.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
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