Thomas Bassong recorded his first double-double as Florida State men’s basketball beat Georgia Tech 80-71 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
The freshman forward scored 14 points, which tied his career high, and added 12 rebounds, a career high, to help lead the Seminoles (15-14, 8-8 ACC) past the Yellow Jackets. Bassong scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, and he was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in that time.
Alongside Bassong’s double-double, Robert McCray V scored 20 points, and Atlanta native Chauncey Wiggins added 12 points to round out the top scorers for the Seminoles.
FSU finishes the month of February with a 5-2 record, winning four games on the road and losing only to Miami and No. 11 Virginia.
It’s the Seminoles first win at Georgia Tech since 2019.
FSU led wire-to-wire, with 16 points the largest lead of the night. The Seminoles 37-21 with less than five minutes to go in the first half, however, Georgia Tech closed the period on a 12-4 run to make it a 41-36 game at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets cut the lead to as little as three points in the second half, but the 12-second-half points from Bassong and 10 from McCray gave the Seminoles enough to win 80-71.
With the win, FSU moves back to .500 in the ACC, and they are on the verge of a top-10 ranking in the ACC ahead of the tournament. The Seminoles close the season with a road trip to Pitt before a final home game against SMU.
What’s next for FSU basketball? A trip to Pitt
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Thomas Bassong’s career day leads FSU basketball pasts Georgia Tech, 80-71
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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