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Florida State Seminoles top Tulsa 82-63

 
Published Dec. 30, 2012

SUNRISE — For a holiday vacation this year, Florida State junior Terrance Shannon gave himself a workout.

Feeling fitter, Shannon scored a career-high 16 off the bench Saturday to help the Seminoles beat Tulsa 82-63 in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

"When I went home over the break, I spent more time running and getting in better condition," the Georgia native said. "In the second half of the season, we have to step it up, and I want to be that driving force."

FSU (8-4) won its fourth in a row and improved to 4-0 against Tulsa (7-6).

"We're trying to finish strong in our non-conference schedule and get some momentum going into ACC play," Shannon said. "These games are helping us know where we need to build."

Michael Snaer scored 19 and was chosen the game's most valuable player, but it was Shannon who kept the Seminoles in the game early.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Shannon was active inside. He had a game-high 10 rebounds and shot 6-of-11 in 26 minutes.

"I feel the more energy I come out with, the better the team is as a whole," he said. "I just have to be more aggressive and energized on the court."

Tulsa's Scott Haralson scored 17, all in the second half. Junior teammate Pat Swilling Jr. had a career-high 19 points and five assists but had only two points in the second half.

"They were giving Pat jump shots, and Pat is a good shooter," Hurricane coach Danny Manning said. "He catches the ball in rhythm. He was knocking them down in the first half. Scottie got it going in the second half."

Tulsa couldn't avert a blowout despite making 11 of 24 3-pointers. The Hurricane made only 11 of 32 2-pointers (34 percent), committed 17 turnovers and was outrebounded 44-32.

FSU missed shots on its first six possessions but began getting to the rim consistently in the second half, when it shot 57 percent to finish at 47 percent.

"We were just playing aggressive defensive and getting layups and dunks," Snaer said. "We were just executing our stuff and reversed the ball a little bit more."

An 18-5 spurt put FSU ahead 64-49 midway through the second half.

"I thought we were extremely impatient in the first part of the game," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We took our shots too quick. We didn't give ourselves a chance to get the best shot. In the second we were a bit more patient. We got some stops and easy baskets."