LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Andrew Platek scored a career-high 20 points, Javian McCollum added 18 with a career-high eight assists and Siena blitzed Florida State 80-63 to open the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday.
STORY: From turkey trot to Petes-giving, local beaches celebrate yearly Thanksgiving traditions
The Saints (3-2), picked to finish sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, jumped on the Seminoles (1-5), picked fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. early, weathered a couple of small runs and led by as many as 20 late in the game.
Siena had not beat a Power 5 team in eight years, an ACC team in 12 or won a game in two previous appearances in this tournament. It also happened to be the 50th win for head coach Carmen Maciariello, the fourth-year coach who graduated from the school in 2001.
The Saints get another shot at a signature win on Friday against the winner of Ole Miss-Stanford. FSU plays the loser.
STORY: Paramedic unknowingly treated her own daughter in deadly crash in Canada
Siena shot 58%, McCollum scored 12 points and Platek 10, and raced to a 43-26 halftime lead over the Seminoles, who shot 30%.
The Saints broke a 5-5 tie with an 11-0 with Jayce Johnson scoring four points and Platek hitting a 3-pointer. Florida State got it back to 22-20 with an 11-2 run as Cam’Ron Fletcher converted a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer 20 seconds apart. Again the Saints surged ahead with nine points and then closed the half with a 10-0 run. McCollum had a 3 in the first burst and a second 3 and four free throws in the closing run.
In the last second of the half, 7-foot-4 Seminole Naheem McLeod was hit a flagrant 2 foul and ejected.
STORY: Officials share ‘death note’ found on Walmart gunman’s phone
Matthew Cleveland opened the second half with back-to-back dunks and Florida State scored the first eight points to get back within nine but Zek Tekin and Jackson Stormo had consecutive layups to make it 47-34 and the Saints stayed ahead by double figures the rest of the way.
FSU had one last 8-0 run to cut it to 70-59 win more than four minutes to go but McCollum had four points, Platek made his fifth 3-pointer in six attempts and the lead was 79-59 with two minutes to go.
The difference was the shooting as rebounds, turnovers, made free throws and shot attempts were almost even. Siena finished 9 of 22 from 3-point range and 52% overall while the Seminoles were 4 of 15 from distance and 36%.
Cleveland led FSU with 14 points and Fletcher had 13. The Seminoles, who won this tournament in 2009 and lost in the title game in their other appearance, have now lost to Mercer, Stetson, UCF, Troy and Siena this season.