MIAMI, Fla. (AP) – Imani Wright and Leticia Romero each scored 19 points, and No. 7 Florida State pulled away after halftime to beat 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, 1-0), who have won 12 straight. Chatrice White added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Florida State, which outrebounded Miami 43-25.
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.
All of the Seminoles' 13 wins this season have been by double digits, and the lone loss was a two-point defeat against No. 1 Connecticut.
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, setting the tone.
The Seminoles led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and as many as 14 in the second, before a Miami flurry made it a one-point game at the half. Miami outscored Florida State 16-3 in the final 4:58 before intermission, with Motley making a pair of 3-pointers — as did Jessica Thomas, including a 25-footer from in front of the FSU bench as time expired.
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.
