Winthrop Eagles at Florida State Seminoles

Romero scores 17 as No. 10 Florida State routs Winthrop

Romero scored 17 points, and the Seminoles put Winthrop away early Thursday during a 98-35 victory in the Paradise Jam tournament.

Jasmine Walker added 14 points, Ivey Slaughter 13 and Nicole Ekhomu 11 for Florida State (4-1), which had 13 players score en route to its most-dominating win this season.

Romero had missed two of the Seminoles' first four games, including their 78-76 loss to No. 3 UConn on Nov. 14, while recovering from a sore hamstring.

In just her second start this season, Romero hit all seven of her shots, including three 3-pointers. She also had four assists and three steals, with only one turnover in 15 minutes.

"The first game (against Jacksonville on Nov. 17), it was hurting a little bit," Romero said. "The second game (against James Madison on Nov. 20), I felt almost 100 percent. But this game I was not bothered by it at all."

Florida State shot 61.5 percent from the field (40 of 65), while its defense held the Eagles (1-4) to 34.1 percent (14 of 41) and forced them into a season-worst 34 turnovers.

Behind the turnovers, the Seminoles, who had just 12 turnovers, outscored Winthrop 40-10, as well as had a 33-12 advantage in fast-break points. They also outrebounded the Eagles 33-25.

"We got an opportunity to play a lot of players," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. "That's important when you have to play three games in three days. But our younger kids came in, and there wasn't much of a dropoff. They were able to sustain the intensity."

Erica Williams scored 12 points for Winthrop, which trailed 30-13 by the end of the first quarter and 53-16 at the halftime break.

"Anything can happen against a top-10 ballclub," Eagles coach Kevin Cook said. "Florida State is very well coached, and they've got world-class athletes. I spent 10 years in the WNBA, and they've got three WNBA players in their starting five."

BIG PICTURE

Winthrop: The Eagles' record against Top 25 opponents fell to 0-19 all-time after Thursday's loss.

Florida State: Thursday night's dominating win was the Seminoles' third straight, and they've scored 80 or more points in all of them.

UP NEXT

Winthrop: Plays Michigan on Friday in its second game in the Paradise Jam tournament.

Florida State: Faces No. 25 Gonzaga on Friday at Paradise Jam

How can I watch Eagles vs. Seminoles?

• TV Channel: Eagles vs Seminoles 2021 College Basketball, week 3, is broadcasted on .
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Venue: UVI Sports & Fitness Center

Location: Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands
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