Florida State women’s basketball (11-2, 1-0) faced adversity in its last game before the end of the year.
FSU suffered a huge blow on Thursday when junior guard Ta’Niya Latson went down with an injury early in the second quarter against Jacksonville.
The crowd went silent for nearly three minutes in the Donald L. Tucker Center while Latson was holding her lower leg in excruciating pain. She was helped off the court and didn’t return for the rest of the game.
“We don’t have an update yet, but the good news is that she can rest when we have off. She can take care of that,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “We don’t have any games, so we’ll reevaluate when we get back from Christmas.”
The show went on without the main attraction.
The Seminoles pulled away with a 97-74 victory over the Dolphins, improving to 11-2 heading into the holiday break.
After losing Latson, FSU had to step up in place of the nation’s top scorer, who averages 28.9 points a game. Five Seminoles finished in double figures.
“That is a sign of a mature team. When things go wrong or things are not up to par, how do you respond, and that’s what this team did,” Wyckoff coach said.
Makayla Timpson was two blocks away from her first triple-double. The senior forward led with 27 points, 13 rebounds, eight blocks and four assists.
“She’s one of our captains and our leader, but we have two more right here, so we just have to keep our team going and being able to stay together, and that’s what we did,” Timpson said.
“We know Ta’Niya will be fine with everything, but we just stay together, and that’s how we got the win.”
O’Mariah Gordon recorded her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 assists. Mariana Valenzuela came off the bench and added her career-best of 14 points.
Carla Vigeas added 12 and Sydney Bowles finished with 10. Brianna Turnage went scoreless but recorded a career-best 11 rebounds.
Jacksonville kept the game close and even tied it at 31 under six minutes into the second quarter.
The Seminoles then outscored the Dolphins 22-2, led by Timpson, who scored 13 of the last 22 points. Viegas also hit a few three-point jumpers. At the half, FSU led 53-33.
“We didn’t have to make any adjustments. We just have to decide to play a little harder,” Wyckoff said.
“I think that’s what it was. Jacksonville is athletic, going to penetrate, attack the paint, and so we have to get used to that. We had to stop fouling, buckle down in pressure outside the three and then rebound, and we did that.”
The Seminoles dominated the rest of the second half, leading as high as 28 points. Wyckoff was proud of her players overcoming adversity and playing above their average that made them the nation’s second-best scoring team.
“It says what we’re capable of, and that’s what I constantly challenge this team. Every single one of them matters to this team,” Wyckoff said.
“What they bring, we need, and you just never know. Every game is different, but they are also capable.”
What’s next for FSU basketball
While Latson’s injury remains to be seen, the Seminoles will not be back on the court until Jan. 2, when they travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech and begin conference play.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Cassell Coliseum.
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ta’Niya Latson suffers injury; FSU basketball still dominate Jacksonville
