UNCASVILLE, CT. — Kiah Gillespie had quite the homecoming with her first career triple-double.
The Connecticut native had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to lead No. 8 Florida State to a 79-69 win over No. 24 Michigan on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Showcase.
She got her final assist with a pass to Nausia Woolfolk, who scored just before the buzzer.
“I knew I had eight (assists) with four minutes left,” Gillespie said. “I’m so happy my teammates were there to help me get it.”
Gillespie said she had about 100 friends and relatives at the game. She got most of her teammates’ ticket allotment, and her family bought the remaining few that were needed.
She grew up about 45 minutes from Mohegan Sun Arena and the team went to her high school Friday. They had dinner there with her family and friends.
“We set up this game for her to play near her home,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. “Pretty special way for her to celebrate her return.”
It was the third triple-double in school history with the last coming from Leticia Romero in 2015.
Woolfolk scored 21 points to lead the Seminoles.
Leading 54-52, Florida State went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to build a double-digit advantage. Taylor Robbins scored the next five points for Michigan to spark a 9-2 run that got the Wolverines within 64-61 with under four minutes left.
The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes before Florida State (12-0) had back-to-back hoops — the second coming off a steal and basket by Woolfolk with 58 seconds left that made it 72-65.
The Wolverines (9-2) couldn’t convert on the other end and Kiah Gillespie hit two free throws to seal the game.
Amy Dilk scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Wolverines. Her previous best was 18 as a freshman last year against Washington.
“She can do a little bit of everything,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She’s starting to score more and that will help us in the conference season.”
Robbins added 20 points for the Wolverines.
Florida State now has three wins over Top 25 teams this season, also beating then-No. 6 Texas A&M and 19th-ranked Michigan State. The Seminoles only had two victories over ranked opponents last year.
Both teams got off to slow starts with Michigan holding a three-point lead after the first quarter. Florida State took a four-point lead in the second quarter before the Wolverines rallied to go up 32-31 at the half when Dilk scored in the lane just before the buzzer. She had 11 points in the first half, making all five of her shots.
Confetti fell sporadically during the first quarter of the game from the Miss America pageant, which was held in the arena on Thursday night.
FAMILIAR FACES
Florida State assistant coach Joy McCorvey and graduate assistant Jillian Dunston played for Barnes Arico. McCorvey starred for St. John’s when Barnes Arico coached there. Dunston was at Michigan from 2015-18 and ranks third all-time on the school’s rebound list.
