TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Natasha Howard scored 17 points and Chasity Clayton added 16 and Florida State (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) took a big lead early and cruised to an 87-39 victory over Jacksonville State on Sunday.
Florida State (8-1) led 49-22 at halftime and coach Sue Semrau played her reserves a good part of the second half.Jacksonville State (2-6) has lost six straight games.Amanda McCarthy, who had not made a 3-pointer in Jacksonville's first seven games, went 4 of 9 from long distance to lead the Gamecocks with 12 points.Five Seminoles finished in double figures. Cierra Bravard had 13 points while Leonor Rodriguez and Courtney Ward had 11 apiece. Rodriguez's 3-pointer gave Florida State an 87-37 lead with 2:14 left.Clayton and Rodriguez combined for 27 of Florida State's 38 bench points while Jacksonville's top scorers on the season, Brittany Wiley and Danielle Vaughn, managed to score a total of seven points.Florida State shot 53.8 percent from the field and were 10 of 21 from 3-point distance while the Gamecocks shot just 25.5 percent overall.Florida State jumped to an 18-6 lead and built on it the rest of the way. The visiting Gamecocks shot just 32.1 percent in the first half and only 18.5 percent in the second half on 5-of-27 shooting.Florida State dominated on the boards 46-27, but Jacksonville's Danielle Beneby had a game-high eight rebounds.The Seminoles host Central Florida on Wednesday and then visit Yale on Dec. 18 before their Dec. 21 visit to UConn's undefeated, two-time defending national champions.
