Florida State becomes the latest to break Clemson’s heart

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton was glad to see his players smiling, laughing and celebrating a win on the road, after defeating Clemson 76-74 on Saturday. It hadn’t happened too often for the 19th-ranked Seminoles in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season.

The Seminoles (23-6, 11-5) came into Littlejohn Coliseum just 2-5 on the road in league play, including losses in their past two such games at Notre Dame and at Pittsburgh. But Xavier Rathan-Mayes hit the go-ahead basket with 1:22 left and Florida State hung on. Rathan-Mayes scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac blocked Shelton Mitchell’s drive with 11 seconds left after Rathan-Mayes’ final hoop. After Trent Forrest made a free throw for the Seminoles, Marcquise Reed came up short on a mid-range jumper with 5 seconds to go as the Seminoles held on to win their 23rd game in the regular season for the first time since 2008-09.

Florida State kept pace in the Atlantic Coast Conference race, remaining two games behind league leader North Carolina entering the final week of the season.

“This is a very important win for us,” Hamilton said. “It keeps pace and gives us the opportunity to control our destiny.”

It was the latest in a string of near misses for Clemson (14-14, 4-12), which fell to 1-9 in ACC games decided by six points or less. The Tigers’ past five ACC losses came by a combined 12 points.

Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame finished with a game-high 24 points, his 12th game scoring 20 or more this season.

The Tigers have sought all ACC season for a signature win and put themselves in position to do it once more. Clemson hit 15 first-half free throws and shot 50 percent from the field, but it still was not enough to keep from getting swept by Florida State with another close defeat.

Clemson’s run of almosts seems to have no end this season. Tigers center Sidy Djitte, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, said the team will fight off the disappointment and bounce back for whatever is left of the season.

“If we’ve got two games, we’re going to keep fighting for two games,” he said.

Clemson continues its homestand to end the regular season, facing North Carolina State on Wednesday night.

This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Florida State becomes the latest to break Clemson’s heart."