TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - No. 12 Florida State jumped out to an early first quarter lead and held off visiting Charleston Southern in the 2019-20 season opener for both teams as the Buccaneers fell to the host Seminoles on Tuesday night inside the Donald L. Tucker Center, 88-36.

Sharita Godfrey paced seven Buccaneers (0-1) in the scoring column with nine points, while Sha'Mya Leigh added eight points in her CSU debut as the Buccaneers fought through their first game against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the season.

Carmella Walker added seven points, four rebounds, and two steals in the opening effort to help pace CSU's offense, while Maya Richards added five points off the bench for Head Coach Fred Applin in the Bucs' 2019-20 debut.

Nicki Ekhomu led four FSU (1-0) players with double-digits in the scoring column with 18 points, while Kiah Gillespie had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Mo Jones (14) and River Baldwin (11) were also in double-digits for the Seminoles.
 
Quarter Breakdowns
First Quarter – FSU 25, CSU 10
Florida State jumped out to the early 7-0 lead to start the contest before Sha'Mya Leigh scored the first two points of her collegiate career with a mid-range jumper in the paint to put the Bucs on the board. Sharita Godfrey added five points in the opening quarter, but FSU built a double-digit lead on Sammie Puisis' three-pointer with 1:41 left in the frame to hold the 25-10 lead at the break.

Second Quarter – FSU 41, CSU 22
Tori Gittens drained a three-pointer to open the scoring in the second quarter and put the Bucs back in the scoring column and Maya Richards converted a pair of free throws to cut the FSU lead down to 27-15 with 7:40 to play in the half. CSU managed to get the contest back within single digits on a Godfrey jumper at the 2:27 mark, but FSU would go on a 10-0 run capped by Kourtney Weber's three-pointer at the buzzer to go into the half with the 41-22 lead. 

Third Quarter – FSU 67, CSU 31
CSU attacked the paint early in the third quarter with Godfrey and Carmella Walker both scoring early baskets in the paint to cut the FSU lead down to 15. Another late 9-0 FSU run at the end of the quarter pushed the Seminoles ahead, 67-31, heading into the fourth quarter.  

Fourth Quarter – FSU 88, CSU 36 
Richards knocked down her first triple of the season for CSU's opening points of the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles were able to keep the pressure on late in securing the early season win.

Inside the Numbers

• Florida State held the 54.5% - 25.5% field goal percentage edge in Tuesday night's game.
• The Seminoles also won the battle of the boards with the 51-21 rebound advantage.
• CSU was 4-of-13 from the three-point line with four different Bucs (Godfrey, Leigh, Richards, and Gittens) all connecting from deep.
• Godfrey picked up CSU's first blocked shot of the season.
• Anna Webster led the Bucs with a pair of assists, while Carmella Walker was CSU's steals leader with two.
• The Bucs finished with 11 points off turnovers and 12 points off the bench on Tuesday.

News & Notes

• CSU is back against ACC opposition on Friday, November 15, as the Buccaneers travel to North Carolina for a matchup against the Tar Heels.
• It was CSU and Florida State's second matchup all-time with CSU falling to 0-2 in the series.
• Sharita Godfrey's nine points were a career-high for the sophomore guard.

Up Next
Charleston Southern makes its home debut on Saturday, November 9, as the Buccaneers welcome South Carolina State to the Buccaneer Field House for a noon matchup on ESPN+.