SATURDAY'S SCORES
#4 Florida State 90,
#12 Murray State 62 (Hartford, Conn.)
#4 FLORIDA STATE 90, #12 MURRAY STATE 62
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Ja Morant dazzled in the first half of what may be the projected NBA lottery pick's final game in college -- but it wasn't enough, as the 12th-seeded Murray State Racers fell to Florida State 90-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Morant brushed off questions about declaring for the NBA draft after the game, saying the time for that decision will come later.
"My focus is not on that right now," Morant said. "It's just celebrating this -- what a great season we had -- with my teammates.
Morant finished the night with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists. He had Murray State fans on their feet early after going 5 for 5 from 3-point range in the first half, flashing his step-back and cross-over jumpers.
Morant was the story of the first round, posting a triple-double against Marquette that even had NBA stars Steph Curry and Luka Doncic marveling at the sure-fire lottery pick. He again had the Murray State fans on their feet early against Florida State. Morant was 5 for 5 from 3-point range in the first half, flashing his step-back and cross-over jumpers.
But Florida State was winning everywhere else on the court, forcing turnovers, getting into transition and knocking down 3s.
"We came to the conclusion that Morant was almost virtually unguardable," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said after the game. "So we had to make sure that we defended the other guys that fed off of him. We worked hard and made him earn all his baskets, and I thought we did a really good job defending the other guys, and I thought that really made the difference in the game
With Seminoles forward Phil Cofer watching from the bench just two days after his father died, the Seminoles made good on a vow to honor their teammate and his family with their play. They couldn't have been much better, overwhelming the Racers (28-5) with their size, speed and depth.
Florida State (29-7) is in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, the first time FSU has pulled that off since 1992-93, where they will face either top-seeded Gonzaga or Baylor.
The Seminoles came into the game shooting 33.4 percent from 3 223rd in the nation -- and then hit eight of their first 11 from behind the arc. Known for their defense, the Seminoles were playing fast and getting good shots. Florida State had a 16-point lead at the half and it didn't get much better after the break.
Christ Koumadje had two easy slams off lobs, Mann tipped in his own miss and Kabengele slammed home another rebound to make it 68-46 with 13 minutes left.
Morant provided a few more highlights, most notably going right at the 7-foot-4 Koumadje and flipping in a layup while getting fouled. Otherwise, it was all Florida State. With about 2 minutes left, Morant drove through three defenders down the lane for a layup that gave him 28 points.
Moments later he departed to a standing ovation from the Racers fans. Morant could be seen on the bench, bent over with a towel on his head in the closing seconds of the game.
"I would say I was just hurt -- not being able to take the floor with these guys for the rest of the season, for another game, or possibly two, three, four," said Morant about what he was feeling as his season came to a close. "But it's been a great season. I really was just thinking back on what all we have accomplished this year, and I'd say I was more hurt not being able to play with these guys for the remainder of the season.
He was the last Murray State player to walk off the court after the final horn sounded, clapping his hands and then getting a pat on the back from coach Matt McMahon.
The Racers won 12 straight games to get this far, but still have never won more than one game in any of their 17 NCAA appearances.