Florida State Seminoles at Miami Hurricanes

No. 7 FSU pulls away after halftime, tops No. 11 Miami 81-66

Even its top rival couldn't change that.

Imani Wright and Leticia Romero each scored 19 points, and No. 7 Florida State pulled away after halftime to top No. 11 Miami 81-66 on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Shakayla Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Seminoles (13-1), who have won 12 straight.

"I haven't had a team that I've liked as much as this team," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. "The reason I like this team is they're extremely selfless and they don't care who gets the credit."

Chatrice White added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Florida State, which outrebounded Miami 43-25.

"The key to the whole game was rebounding," Semrau said.

The 15-point margin was 20 points closer than any other Florida State game in December. The Seminoles went 6-0 in the month, winning by an average of 40.7 points.

Jessica Thomas had 20 points and Adrienne Motley scored 18 for Miami (11-2, 0-1), which had its 11-game winning streak snapped. Emese Hof scored 12 for the Hurricanes.

"We don't need a genius strategic analysis why we lost," Miami coach Katie Meier said. "It was effort, 100 percent. ... We're going to be a lot tougher the next time you see us play."

Miami came in 7-0 at home, never facing a deficit of more than three points on its own floor all season and trailing for a combined 6:30 in those seven games.

Florida State changed all that in the opening minutes.

But the Hurricanes never got the lead back. Florida State scored the first seven points of the second half to reclaim control, and took a 60-45 lead into the fourth.

"We knew they were going to come hard on our home floor," Motley said. "We've got to play harder."

BIG PICTURE

Miami: Jessica Thomas had a four-point play in the fourth. ... Hof, who didn't start the game, actually scored the first point of the contest after Keyona Hayes was briefly shaken up and was subbed out 14 seconds after tip-off. ... Exactly 25 percent of Miami's possessions ended with a turnover, and the Hurricanes were outscored 20-4 in second-chance points.

MARATHON POSSESSION

Florida State had an 84-second possession in the fourth quarter, one that included five shots for the Seminoles and two fouls by the Hurricanes. Romero made a 3-pointer 23 seconds into the marathon, and the Seminoles kept the ball after Miami was whistled simultaneously for a foul under the basket. Another foul a few seconds later was Hof's fifth, ending her night.

UP NEXT

Florida State: Hosts N.C. State on Monday.

Miami: Visits Pittsburgh on Monday.

How can I watch Seminoles vs. Hurricanes?

• TV Channel: Seminoles vs Hurricanes 2021 College Basketball, week 8, is broadcasted on ACC Extra.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Coral Gables, FL
Attendance: 1,780 | Capacity: