Uncasville, Conn. — Jamir Watkins led the way with 19 points, while Malique Ewin notched career highs with 15 points and nine rebounds, helping Florida State secure a 78-69 victory over Temple in the opening round of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Friday.
With this win, Florida State improved to 5-1 on the season and will take a break before facing UMass on Sunday. Meanwhile, Temple, now 3-2, is set to play against the Minutemen on Saturday.
Florida State found itself trailing for much of the first half until Jerry Deng put them ahead with just over five minutes left in the period. The Seminoles ended the half strong, finishing with a 7-2 run to take a 39-33 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Florida State maintained control, though Temple managed to cut the deficit to six points three times, the last instance coming with 7:54 left on free throws by Jamal Mashburn Jr. However, the Owls couldn’t narrow the gap further.
Ewin made significant contributions, scoring on dunks at both the 4:58 and 2:51 marks, helping the Seminoles secure leads of 11 and 12 points.
Chandler Jackson added to the scoring with 10 points for Florida State. Watkins was particularly effective at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 13 attempts, while the rest of the team combined for 5 of 11.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. led Temple with 20 points, marking his fifth consecutive game with 20 or more points. Zion Stanford contributed 15 points, and Steve Settle III chipped in with 14 points.
