TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Caleb Mills scored 21 points, freshman Matthew Cleveland added a season-high 21 points with 10 rebounds and Florida State beat North Florida 86-73 on Thursday for its fifth straight victory.
Mills scored eight of his 15 first-half points in the final five minutes to help Florida State go ahead by double figures. Cleveland started an 18-3 second-half run, to build a 74-56 lead, by rebounding his missed free throw and dunking it.
North Florida stayed close by making 14 3-pointers but were undone by 19 turnovers Florida State turned into 21 points. Cleveland had two of Florida State's 10 steals.
Tanor Ngom added a career-high 13 points in nine minutes for Florida State (12-5). Anthony Polite scored seven of his nine points in the final six minutes to help the Seminoles stay ahead by at least eight points.
Jarius Hicklen, a transfer from Oklahoma Baptist, scored a season-high 27 points with six 3-pointers for North Florida (4-15). Emmanuel Adedoyin added 18 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Hicklen’s 3-pointer with 4:21 left in the first half pulled North Florida within 32-31, but Florida State scored the next 12 points and led 48-38 at the break. Seven of North Florida’s 12 made field goals in the first half were from 3-point range.
Florida State goes on the road to face Miami on Saturday. The Seminoles won their eighth straight in the series with Miami on Jan. 11 when RayQuan Evans made two free throws with 0.8 seconds left for a 65-64 victory.
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