TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a commanding performance, Daquan Davis contributed significantly to Florida State’s 91-57 victory over Western Carolina, scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half. Jamir Watkins also played a pivotal role by adding 14 points to the scoreboard during the match.
Florida State began the contest on a strong note, launching into a 16-2 lead as Western Carolina struggled, hitting only one of their initial eight attempts. Malique Ewin was instrumental early on, netting 10 of the Seminoles’ first 12 points. By the time Western Carolina made their third field goal with 11:29 left in the half, the score stood at 20-5 in favor of Florida State.
At halftime, Florida State had a solid advantage, leading 49-26, bolstered by 21 combined points from Ewin and Bostyn Holt. Western Carolina managed to connect with six of its nine field goals from beyond the arc, but Florida State’s size and dominant play in the paint continued to challenge them throughout the first half.
With this victory, Florida State improved its record to 7-1, marking their best start to the season since 2019-20. Ewin concluded his first-half performance with 12 points, all scored before the break.
Brandon Morgan led the scoring for Western Carolina with 13 points, following a previous defeat against Wake Forest, where they lost 82-69. Ice Emery and Cord Stansberry contributed with 10 points each for the team.
Looking ahead, Florida State is set to compete against LSU on Tuesday as part of the SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge, while Western Carolina will face No. 10 Marquette on Saturday.
In a twist due to recent events, the game was initially planned to take place at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. However, it was relocated due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene and ongoing recovery efforts in the region. Florida State graciously agreed to host the event at the Donald L. Tucker Center, with the proceeds benefiting the MANNA FoodBank in Asheville, which unfortunately lost its facility due to the hurricane’s destruction.