December 27, 2001

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State opened the second half on a hot streak and defeated Virginia Tech, 78-49, in men's basketball action Thursday night at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center in Tallahassee, Fla. With the loss, the Hokies fall to 6-6 on the season, while FSU is now 5-5 overall.

Florida State never trailed in the contest and led by as much as 10 points in the first half before the Hokies cut the lead to two points on a pair of free throws by junior center Terry Taylor (Chesapeake, Va.) with 1:33 remaining in the first half. Michael Joiner followed a missed shot with :03 remaining before intermission to give FSU a 27-23 lead at the half.

After the break, Eric Branham scored on a lay-up less than a minute into the second period, but the Seminoles then scored the next 15 points to take a 42-25 lead with 15:16 remaining. FSU made the final seven points of the game to take the 78-49 victory.

Taylor and junior guard Brian Chase (Washington, D.C.) led the Hokies with 13 points each and sophomore forward Bryant Matthews (Columbia, S.C.) added 10 points in the loss. Joiner led all scorers with 21 points for the Seminoles.

FSU made 18 of 27 baskets in the second half and outshot the Hokies, 47.5%-34.6% from the field. The Seminoles also outrebounded Tech, 41-33.

This was the final non-conference game of the season for Virginia Tech. The Hokies return to action on Jan. 2, as they host Connecticut at 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.